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BBSRC Early Independence Fellowships

BBSRC Early Independence Fellowships

Supports early-career United Kingdom bioscientists with fellowships that build independent innovation leadership.

ClosedBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilUnited Kingdom
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About

The BBSRC Early Independence Fellowships (renamed in 2024 from BBSRC Discovery Fellowships) are personal career awards for early-career researchers who hold a doctorate or equivalent and have demonstrated a trajectory toward independent research leadership within the biological sciences. The scheme runs annually; the 2026 round opened 11 February 2026 and closed 22 April 2026, with the next round …

What this grant funds

Personal career fellowships supporting investigator-led, hypothesis-driven discovery across the full BBSRC bioscience remit for early-career researchers with demonstrated independence.

Key facts
CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.—
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.—
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.36 months
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.20%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.£9M
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Eligibility criteria

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Application process

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Timeline

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Last verified: 22 Jul 2026Source: www.ukri.org