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UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

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UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Objectives

FLF is a cross-UKRI scheme enabling fellows to tackle ambitious and challenging research and develop their own careers. It offers long-term, flexible support, including the fellow's salary and research, staff and training costs, plus the opportunity of a permanent academic position on successful completion of the fellowship. These fellowships are for early career academics and innovators who are transitioning to or establishing independence. Individuals should use the eligibility guidance in the UKRI call documentation to establish their suitability for the scheme with reference to the objectives of the programme.

Specifically FLFs aim to:

  • Develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK
  • Foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic/business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between sectors
  • Provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators
  • Provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.

What the FLF offers

  • Long-term and flexible support, with seven years of funding available on a 4 (+3) model.
  • FLFs have been funded in the range £300K to over £2m, and there is no preference for lower or higher cost proposals.
  • Support for applicants from diverse career paths, including those returning from a career break or following time in other roles.
  • In addition the University of Aberdeen offers substantial additional support to successful applicants including generous kind and in kind commitments.

Applicants must have approved support from the proposed host department.

External applicants

The University of Aberdeen is eager to support talented early career researchers, with outstanding potential, to apply for a UKRI FLF in one of our exciting research areas. The University is a research-intensive university with an equal commitment to excellence in research and in education. We are seeking to appoint people who will help us achieve our goals.

The University of Aberdeen strongly welcomes interest from external applicants. Please contact your School of interest as early as possible for initial discussions (some Schools have specific strategic research areas they want to recruit in). Following confirmation the School is supportive please follow the Expression of Interest procedure below.

Please contact Research and Innovation with any queries, including assistance in identifying a suitable research group.

Round 11: Internal Expression of Interest

We strongly encourage external applicants as well as researchers or innovators from all sections at the University of Aberdeen to apply. The University is capped at submitting up to 4 applications to this round. 

We are committed to supporting, developing, and promoting equality and diversity and establishing an inclusive culture free from discrimination, and based upon the values of dignity and respect. In higher education, several groups are underrepresented in the academic community and applications are therefore particularly welcome from applicants who identify as part of an underrepresented group.

An open and inclusive selection process will be used to ensure the best candidates are selected and supported to full application. Internal triage timetable below:

  • Expressions of Interest (EoI) - deadline 4 Dec 25
  • Internal FLF panel review EoIs and invite selected applicants to present to panel – before 17 Dec 25
  • Presentations from ‘sifted’ applicants to internal FLF panel w/c 12 or 19 Jan 26
  • Internal FLF panel confirm 4 bids to proceed to submission w/c 19 Jan 26

Expressions of Interest

Internal candidates

The Grants Academy are trialling a new automated MS Forms/Sharepoint system for managing the FLF EoI submissions. Please complete the following 2 steps to submit your EoI:

AND

EoI Proforma attachment (UoA UKRI FLF EoI)

  • Please use the proforma attached (UoA UKRI FLF EoI);
  • Please note the MS Form will only accept a single attachment, up to 10MB
  • Please ensure the CV and optional one page of supporting data are included within the single attachment;
  • Attachments can be uploaded in either word or pdf format.

External candidates 

MS Forms does not support file uploads from external candidates. External candidates should therefore email their completed EoI proforma (UoA UKRI FLF EoI) to grantsacademy@abdn.ac.uk and the team will submit the application on their behalf.

The internal FLF panel will be chaired by the Dean for Knowledge and Understanding with representation from School Directors of Research, IDR Directors, UoA members of UKRI FLF panels or Peer Review Colleges, external industry expert(s) & R&I.

Support to develop your proposal

Applicants will be supported via the University of Aberdeen FLF Pathway Process. Applicants will receive focussed support to help craft their proposals, each candidate will:

  • Be assigned a named R&I contact who will be available for hands on support and advice
  • Be assigned an academic application mentor and at least 2 academic peer reviewers
  • As applicable to their research, have the opportunity to access innovation leaders to help discuss plans for realising broader impacts of their research.
  • Benefit from focussed support to help develop personalised professional development plans
  • As applicable to their research, have access to IP and impact specialists to help develop the impact and engagement aspects of their proposal.

 

Internal and external potential applicants: please contact your proposed host School in the first instance to confirm School endorsement to proceed with an Expression of Interest.

For queries on the scheme please contact your R&I Research Development Executive .

More information: please refer to UKRI FLFs webpage here

 

 

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