Research Staff Dissemination and Collaboration Funds

The University has two funding stream aimed at research staff only with research staff defined as individuals employed on a substantive contract whose primary responsibility is to conduct research and who are usually supported by grants which are of a fixed duration. This includes research assistants, research associates, postdoctoral research associates and research fellows including Presidential Fellows. 

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships scheme – call for expressions of interest

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced Round 9 of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships scheme. The University of Manchester is seeking Expressions of Interest (EoIs) by Thursday 29 February 2024. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers including external candidates.

Eligibility

The scheme is open to early career researchers or innovators who are either:

• looking to establish or transition to independence.
• developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting.

You do not need to hold a PhD and there are no eligibility rules based on the number of years since your PhD. However, if you do not hold a PhD, you must be able to demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience or training.

Your project can last for up to four years, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years. Fellowships may be held on a part-time basis over a longer period (to a minimum of 50% of the Full Time Equivalent) in order to combine research and/or innovation with personal responsibilities.

Visit the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship webpage for full details.

Application process

Institutions are limited to a specific quota of applications and The University of Manchester has been given the maximum allocation of 10 applications. To triage applications and minimise burden for applicants, we will run a transparent and consistent two-stage selection across all three faculties.

If you are an external applicant, please contact the relevant faculty contact (details at the bottom of this page) for guidance before submitting an application.

Faculty contacts will share details of relevant information sessions with applicants who have contacted them to express an interest in the scheme.

Review process and timeline

1. Applicants are asked to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) to their relevant faculty contact (see below) by Thursday 29^th February 2024 using this template. Please note, this now includes a short Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) rather than a traditional CV. Further guidance is provided in the application form.

Applicants whose projects span more than one faculty should make one submission and request that their bid be considered by more than one panel, explaining in one or two sentences by email why this is appropriate. 

1. Expert reviewers will provide comments to a Faculty panel, who will rank the applications.
2. The top four applications from each Faculty will be submitted to a central panel, chaired by the Vice President for Research. This panel will decide which ten applicants to take forward for submission to UKRI.
3. Decisions will be communicated to applicants on 15^th April.
4. The faculties will support the ten applicants selected by the panel to develop full applications. These will be submitted to UKRI by Tuesday 18^th June 2024. 

Queries should be directed to the relevant Faculty contact in the first instance.

• Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH) – Bruce Humphrey (bruce.humphrey@manchester.ac.uk)
• Faculty of Humanities (FHUMS) – Chloe Jeffries (chloe.jeffries@manchester.ac.uk)
• Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) – Daniel Twiddy (daniel.twiddy@manchester.ac.uk)

Guidance and Forms