UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11 — Academic Stream

Supports early-career United Kingdom researchers at universities and institutes through UKRI Future Leaders Academic fellowships for independent research leadership.

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) is a flagship cross-council programme administered jointly by all eight UKRI councils — AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, Innovate UK, MRC, NERC, and STFC — to develop the next generation of research and innovation leaders. Round 11 of the programme was announced with a total fund of £110 million shared across academic and non-academic streams. The academic stream specifically targets early-career researchers seeking to establish or consolidate independent research programmes at UK universities and UKRI-eligible research organisations.

Fellowships are funded at 80% of full economic cost, with the host institution covering the remaining 20%. Individual awards have ranged from approximately £300,000 to over £2 million, depending on the proposed research programme. Each fellowship lasts up to seven years: an initial four-year term, renewable for a further three years subject to satisfactory progress review. The academic stream of Round 11 opened on 2 February 2026 and closes on 16 June 2026 at 4pm UK time. The application process involves six stages: eligibility checking, independent expert review (minimum three reviewers), a ten-working-day applicant response window, shortlisting panel assessment, interview (scheduled for the week commencing 17 May 2027), and funding decision notification within eight weeks of interview.

Strongest applications in FLF academic rounds have combined genuine research independence, an ambitious but credible programme of work spanning the seven-year horizon, and a host institution with a strong track record of supporting fellowship holders. Applicants should demonstrate that the fellowship represents a step-change in their career, not a continuation of existing supervised work. Interdisciplinary and challenge-led proposals that span UKRI council priorities have historically fared well in the shortlisting assessment.