UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Information for potential applicants

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Information for potential applicants

UK Research and Innovation’s scheme supports early career researchers to transition to or establish research independence. It’s a chance to nurture our rising stars and to attract talented external candidates to the sa��ʴ�ý.

The scheme welcomes applicants from a range of backgrounds and career paths, including those returning to research after a break or time in other sectors.

UKRI opened in February 2026, with a closing date of 16 June 2026. As the FLF scheme is demand managed by UKRI, we are limited in the number of applicants we can support. To select the strongest candidates, we ran an internal competition for both internal and external applicants.

The deadline for submitting a completed internal sift application form was Wednesday 21 January 2026, 17:00 UK time.

Please note: anyone wishing to hold their FLF at the sa��ʴ�ý must apply through the internal process outlined below to secure departmental approval and support.

For further information, please contact Research and Knowledge Exchange Funding Managers at researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk

Call Information Sessions

We hosted four one-hour Zoom information sessions providing an overview of the scheme, details of available support, practical advice on writing a strong Expression of Interest, and insights from previous FLF award holders. Each session also included time for questions and was led by our Research and Knowledge Exchange Funding Managers.

If you are interested in future sessions or would like further information, please contact the Research and Knowledge Exchange Funding Managers at researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk

Please expand the sections below for information on our now-closed internal competition for both prospective internal and external fellowship candidates.

Institutional support

Internal applicants are encouraged to secure the support of their Faculty’s Associate Dean for Research (ADR) or their relevant Associate Head of School for Research (AHoSR) before submitting to this internal competition, so please arrange appropriate discussions with your ADR in advance of your sift application.

External applicants please contact someone in your relevant research area ahead of your sift application, to ensure support from the relevant department that would be hosting your fellowship. You can browse our current research activity, institutes and departments on our Research and expertise pages. If you are unsure who best to contact, please email researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk and we will be happy to guide you.

The Faculty of Science and Engineering has identified key research areas where applications are particularly encouraged. While proposals in all areas are welcome, those aligned with the themes below are a strong fit with the Faculty’s research strategy.

Maritime decarbonisation
Marine biology and conservation
Marine autonomous systems
Maritime cybersecurity
Environmental health and governance
Sustainable food production systems

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business has also identified specific research areas of interest, particularly encouraging applications that align with the Faculty's theme of addressing global challenges through the lens of place. This is not at the exclusion of others, but applications around the following themes would fit particularly well with the Faculty's research strategy:

Place, community and creativity
Heritage and Digital Innovation
Health, Community and Well-Being
Environment and Sustainability
UK in a Changing World

The Faculty of Health has set out priority areas of excellence for further investment. While all proposals are welcome, applications in these themes are a strong strategic fit:

Applied Primary Care research
Clinical/Translational research
Health psychology
Neuroscience and cognition

Eligibility

This scheme is for early career researchers and innovators who are either:

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

For previous rounds, applicants are expected to hold a doctorate by the start date of the fellowship OR be able to demonstrate equivalent research/innovation experience and/or training.

There are no eligibility rules based on whether you currently hold a permanent or open-ended academic position or job role. You can find more information about eligibility rules on the for this opportunity.

How to apply

Those wishing to apply to this scheme with the sa��ʴ�ý as the host institution had to complete the FLF Internal Sift Application Form and submit it by Wednesday 21 January 2026, 17:00 UK time in order to be considered through the University’s internal selection process.

In addition to the written application form, we were asking applicants to submit a short five-minute video pitch. This helps us understand your vision, ambition and enthusiasm for the proposed project, and also gives you an opportunity to practise articulating your ideas – a useful skill should you be invited to interview with UKRI. Please see the section below for more details on how to submit your video pitch.

You can refer to the – in particular, the ‘Vision & Approach’ advice on page 12 of the – to help determine whether your proposed project meets the required assessment criteria.

There is no requirement to submit a traditional CV. UKRI has moved to the ‘Capability to Deliver’ narrative CV model, and we will include relevant questions on this within the internal sift application form.

We will store useful information for applicants in the , including notes and slides from recent UKRI-led events. (Internal applicants can access this via login. External applicants should contact researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk to request the materials).

EDI monitoring
As part of our internal sift process, we anticipate having to report to UKRI on anonymised EDI data throughout the whole process. This will enable the University to meet UKRI’s requirements on providing an ‘inclusive selection process statement and supporting data’. .

If you require any adjustments or support to complete this form or the internal sift application form, please contact us: researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk

Your 5-minute video pitch

Showcase your vision! Deadline: Wednesday 21 January 2026, 17:00 UK time.

As well as submitting the , for Round 11 we are asking all applicants to also prepare a short 5-minute video presentation that gives the panel a clear sense of your fellowship research/innovation goals and how you will use this FLF to establish yourself as a leader, including:

Your vision
Your approach
Why you, why now and why this fellowship at the sa��ʴ�ý?

Purpose: The video pitch will not be scored directly, but it will help the panel understand your proposed project and gather evidence against the assessment criteria.
Slides: Including slides in your video is optional. If you choose to use them, you may include up to three static slides (no animations or moving images). Handouts are not permitted. If you do not use slides, please ensure your background is neutral and professional.

Recording: Please record your 5-minute proposal presentation using Zoom or another similar tool, and upload the video to a cloud service such as OneDrive, SharePoint or Zoom Cloud.
File naming: Please name your file: [Your Name] – Proposal Presentation.
Sharing your video: Please generate a shareable link and ensure that:

No login is required to access the video.
The link allows both view and download permissions (usually set via “Anyone with the link”).

Once the link is ready, please email the link (and any password, if applicable) to researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk.

Data sharing: By sending the link, you consent to the video being shared internally with relevant University staff for review purposes only.

Deadline: Wednesday 21 January 2026, 17:00 UK time.

If you require any adjustments or support to complete this task, please contact us at researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk – we're happy to help.

This is your chance to make your proposal come alive – keep it clear, confident and compelling!

Assessment and decisions

Decisions on the sa��ʴ�ý's supported applicants are made after the panel assessment. The panel is representative of each Faculty and Research, Partnerships & Innovation. When applicants have received confirmation of support for the full application, there ifurther communications on internal deadlines for a draft of the full application, to ensure time for feedback and peer review.

In addition to our Call Information Sessions, there are resources available on our webpages to help applicants prepare their proposals – see guidance resources. Please ensure you have read the .