Early Career Researcher Noticeboard

Royal Society funding opportunities

The Faraday Discovery Fellowships (mid-career research leaders) – Stage 1 are prestigious long-term awards that will support the most talented mid-career research leaders to undertake high-quality, original research. The programme is aimed at outstanding mid-career STEM researchers and will provide grants of up to £8m over a ten-year period to support the development of world-leading research groups in the UK. Closing 22 September 2026.

International Exchanges are for scientists based in the UK who want to stimulate new research collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. Closing 24 September 2026.

Short Industry Fellowships are part of the Royal Society’s Industry programme, enabling scientists employed in industry or academia and/or their postdoctoral researcher to have shorter, more dynamic engagements between academia and industry, working on a mutually beneficial and collaborative project. Closing 7 October 2026.

The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship scheme offers a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding early career scientists who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as caring responsibilities and/or health-related conditions. Closing 29 October 2026.

Opening soon 

The Career Development Fellowship scheme provides the most talented early career scientists from underrepresented groups in STEM with research funding and high-quality training opportunities to build a strong base for a successful research career. Join the applicant webinar on 6 October, details available on the webpage. Opening 22 September 2026.

Read Royal Society Funding Opportunities – Autumn 2026 in full

We invite researchers in the early stages of their careers who plan to develop and implement an independent research project to apply for a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship. The fellowships are open to researchers from all fields represented at the University of Konstanz.

You will find the call for applications as well as information about the eligibility criteria and the application process under: https://www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskolleg/fellowships/postdoctoral-fellowship/.

Questions can be directed via e-mail to zukunftskolleg-application@uni-konstanz.de.

We look forward to receiving the applications until 12 October 2026, 11:00 am (CET).

 

Read Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Fellowships at Zukunftskolleg (deadline: 12 Oct) in full

UKRI Policy Fellowships 2026

Applications are now invited to the UKRI Policy Fellowships scheme, which will offer 50 fellowships that span the breadth of the UKRI remit. Fellowship opportunities will be based with a host in 1 of 27 different UK government departments, devolved governments and What Works Centres.

The UKRI Policy Fellowships are designed to improve the exchange of specialist knowledge between academic institutions and policy, facilitating deeper, more enduring connections between researchers and policy makers. These exciting opportunities will allow fellows to undertake cutting edge research and inform decision-making on the most pressing policy problems of our time. The fellowships aim to support career development and enhance fellows understanding of applying research in government contexts. All fellows will become part of a cohort of academic researchers and receive training, mentoring and networking opportunities with likeminded individuals.

The fellowship cohort will be organised around the key policy priority areas including, where applicable, the UK Modern Industrial Strategy sectors (IS-8) and government missions.

Three types of fellowship are offered:

Core Policy Fellows

Core policy fellows are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body focusing on key public policy priority areas. For Whitehall departments and arm’s length body hosts, fellowships will align with one of the IS-8 sectors supporting objectives to drive productivity, innovation and long‑term economic growth, or one of the government’s core missions.

Modern Industrial Strategy (IS-8) sectors:

• advanced manufacturing
• clean energy Industries
• creative industries
• defence
• digital and technologies
• financial services
• life sciences
• professional and business Services

Government missions:

• economic growth
• NHS fit for the future
• safer streets
• break down barriers to opportunity
• clean energy

Gambling policy fellowships are also offered within the core policy fellowships, focusing on delivery of the government’s statutory levy on gambling operators. The fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with levy commissioners on key public policy areas for the prevention and treatment of gambling related harms.

 

Natural Hazards and Resilience Policy Fellows

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body. The Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with policy makers to focus on natural hazards and pandemic preparedness to help solve critical national and global challenges and work to guarantee the UK’s future resilience to situations that could cause or threaten serious harm to human welfare or the environment. This would include a spectrum of potential natural hazards with a clear focus on human impact such as:

• health risks (including infectious disease)
• flooding
• loss of essential services like power, food, water, and telecoms

These fellowships are funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the COVID-19 Commemoration programme.

 

What Works Innovation Fellowships

What Works Innovation fellowships are open to researchers at all career stages and fellows will be based within the What Works Network to increase the supply of and demand for evidence to address priorities in the hosts’ policy areas of:

• homelessness
• policing
• place

 

Key Dates

Further Details

All fellowship opportunities are 18 months in duration and open to applications from researchers based at an organisation eligible for UKRI funding. Full details and links to apply can be found at this link UKRI Funding Finder.

UKRI will be holding a webinar for this call on 25 June and you can register here.

Read UKRI Policy Fellowships 2026 in full