Closed calls

Find details of previous funding calls that require a UCL internal selection process managed by our Research Coordination teams.

Closed calls (last 12 months)

2024

Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship | Deadline: 2 October 2024

Scope

The Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship scheme provides the most talented mid-career researchers with funding to undertake high-quality original research and to enable them to establish an outstanding team of researchers to tackle difficult and intractable problems across all STEM areas covered by the Royal Society's remit. The BEAMS Research Coordination team hosted a webinar on 3 September for UCL staff interested in applying chaired by Professor Peter Munro, Vice-Dean (Research), Faculty of Engineering Sciences. View the webinar recording and access the slides.

Details

Career stage: Mid-career
Funding: Up to £8million
Duration: Up to 10 years
Number of fellowships available: 7
Application deadline: 2 October 2024

Further information

Visit the Royal Society website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Contact Sobia Ashraf (sobia.ashraf@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the call.

NIHR Research Professorships (Round 15) & Global Health Research Professorships (Round 8) 2024/25 | UCL deadline: 1 October 2024

Scope

This National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) call offers funding for outstanding academics to develop research capacity in translational research, promote effective translation of research, and strengthen research leadership at the highest academic levels.

Details

Funding: Up to £2million (average cost of successful applications between £1.7-£1.8million)
Duration: 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 3 Research Professorships, 2 Global Health Research Professorships
Application deadline: 12noon, 1 October 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the NIHR website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Applicants should complete an internal Expression of Interest form following the guidelines below.

Supporting documents

Sir Jules Thorn Award for Biomedical Research 2025 | UCL deadline: 1 October 2024

Scope

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust is seeking to support an outstanding research programme, in any discipline or disease area, at an advanced translation stage, which demonstrates a clear pathway to benefit patients. This will be awarded to one recipient in the UK.

Details

Funding: Up to £1.7million (direct costs only)
Duration: Up to 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 12noon, 1 October 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the Sir Jules Thorn website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Applicants should complete an internal Expression of Interest form following the guidelines below.

Supporting documents

EPSRC 'International Centre to Centre Research Collaborations' call | Deadline: 12 September 2024

Scope

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced the latest round of its 'International Centre to Centre Research Collaborations' call. The scheme provides funding to form world-leading partnerships and work with the best international collaborators for your research. EPSRC intend to fund 9-12 research consortia.

The BEAMS Research Coordination team hosted a webinar for UCL staff interested in applying to the scheme on Friday 19 July. Chaired by Professor Tiziana Rossetto (Vice-Dean (International), Faculty of Engineering Sciences), the webinar featured a talk from Professor Neil Curson (UCL London Centre for Nanotechnology), who shared his experiences of successfully applying for an EPSRC International Centre to Centre award in the previous round. View the webinar recording and access the slides.

Details

Funding: Up to £1.8million (100% FEC)/£1.44million (80% FEC)
Duration: 3-5 years
Application deadline: 12 September 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Contact Laura Fenner (l.fenner@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the call.

EPSRC/NIHR Technologies to enable independence for people living with dementia N+ | Deadline: 10 September 2024

Scope

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have announced a call for Network Plus (N+) grants on the topic of Technologies to enable independence for people living with dementia.

The grants aim to build capacity and bring together new communities across engineering and physical sciences, and health and care to tackle challenges in dementia research. Networks should be multidisciplinary and embed people with lived experiences of dementia.

The BEAMS Research Coordination team and Institute of Healthcare Engineering held an open meeting on 11 June 2024 for staff interested in applying to this call to support UCL's response. This hybrid event was chaired by Professor Mine Orlu (UCL School of Pharmacy), and included a briefing and discussion on the call, as well as an opportunity to share insights into what EPSRC/NIHR are looking for and identify uncertainties, share ideas openly, and discuss what support would be helpful. Following the meeting, a Teams group was set up for those interested in sharing further thoughts and applying to the call.

Details

Funding: £500,000 to £2million per award (up to 3 awards will be funded)
Duration: Up to 3 years
Application deadline: 10 September 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Applications should be submitted via the UKRI funding call page.

For queries about the call and the application process, contact Laura Fenner (l.fenner@ucl.ac.uk) or Eric de Silva (eric.desilva@ucl.ac.uk).

UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme: round 2 | UCL deadline: 9 September 2024

Scope

UKRI have pre-announced round 2 of its cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme. The scheme will fund projects from all research areas that are breakthrough or interdisciplinary ideas that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines that are not routinely funded through existing UKRI responsive mode schemes, potentially transformative, and have at least 2 different research council disciplines collaborating to deliver a research project.

UKRI is holding a webinar for prospective applicants on 5 September (10:00-11:30) and 11 September (14:00-15:30). The webinars will provide more information about the scheme and offer the opportunity to ask questions.

Due to the cap on the number of bids research organisations can submit, UCL has put a demand management process in place. Applicants will be informed of the outcome at the end of September (date tbc).

Details

Funding: Up to £1.2million (80% FEC)
Duration: Up to 2 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 20
Application deadline: 12noon, 9 September 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Applicants should complete the Expression of Interest form by the deadline.

Resubmissions

Applicants who previously submitted an outline proposal to the full stage of the previous round of this scheme can reapply without restrictions. Applicants invited to the full stage but were unsuccessful and were scored B, C or D can only reapply with a substantially reworked proposal. This will need to be explained in the EoI form and will be considered amongst all other applications submitted. Those who scored A may reapply without restriction and will automatically be selected to be put forward as a UCL applicant in instances where UCL was the lead organisation.

EPSRC 'Core research challenges in digital twinning for crisis resilience' call | Deadline: 5 September 2024

Scope

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced a call for proposals for the ‘Core Research Challenges in Digital Twinning for Crisis Resilience’ scheme. Funding is available for a single interdisciplinary research programme in digital twinning focused on improving government crisis response and resilience, with a particular focus on risks to transport networks. Wider and interlinking risks are also important considerations.

The BEAMS Research Coordination team hosted a roundtable meeting for UCL staff interested in applying to the scheme on 19 July 2024. Chaired by Professor Ian Hamilton, Vice-Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Built Environment, the roundtable included an overview of the call, an opportunity to share insights into what the EPSRC are looking for, and an invitation to share and discuss ideas.

Details

Funding: Up to £4.375million (100% FEC)/ £3.5million (80% FEC)
Duration: Up to 3 years
Application deadline: 5 September 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Contact Laura Fenner (l.fenner@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the scheme.

British Academy Global Professorships 2024 | UCL deadline: 2 September 2024

Scope

The British Academy Global Professorships 2024 call offers funding to outstanding international researchers not currently working in the UK to undertake high-risk, curiosity-driven research in the humanities and social sciences that enables award holders and their UK host institutions the opportunity to achieve a step change in their respective research areas.

As the British Academy expects that institutions will only submit up to 4 applications to this round, UCL has put an internal demand management process in place.

Details

Career stage: Mid- to Senior Career
Funding: Up to £900,000 per award
Duration: 4 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 4 (1 per department/institute)
Application deadline: 1pm, 2 September 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the British Academy website for further details about the call and to read the programme guidance notes. Contact the LASH/IOE Research Facilitation and Coordination team (ovpr.slashioe@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the scheme.

Applicants should complete the Expression of Interest form and send this to the LASH/IOE Research Facilitation and Coordination team by email at ovpr.slashioe@ucl.ac.uk, copying in the relevant Head of Department. A department/institute can only support 1 candidate.

ESRC Research skills strategic leadership hub | UCL deadline: 20 August 2024

Scope

This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) call will offer funding to deliver a research skill strategic leadership hub to provide leadership across the full breadth of the social science community, innovate in the way research skills training and capacity building (TCB) is both conceived and delivered, and promote a culture of lifelong learning in research skills. The ESRC will fund 1 hub under this opportunity.

An internal selection process has been put in place to support UCL staff interested in leading or participating in a bid though this is not required to proceed.

Details

Funding: Up to £5million (100% FEC)
Duration: 5 years
Application deadline: 5pm, 20 August 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website for full call details and eligibility criteria. Applicants are invited to submit an Expression of Interest form to Jacob Leveridge in the LASH/IOE Research Coordination team at j.leveridge@ucl.ac.uk or Ella Sivyer in the LMS Research Coordination team at e.sivyer@ucl.ac.uk.

UCL Research Progression Award | Deadline: 15 August 2024

Scope

UCL has received funding from Research England to support Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliant research projects addressing challenges facing low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

An internal call for research projects will be run as a competitive process, aligned to the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) research themes and open to all disciplines across UCL, which need to fulfil the requirements of ODA research.

The UCL Research Progression Award aims to fund new research projects, increase success in future ISPF funding calls, develop UCL’s strategic thematic aims and foster overseas partnerships.

Details

Career stage: Early to Mid-career (Professorial staff are not eligible to apply)
Funding: Up to £60,000 (100% FEC)
Duration: Projects can take place any time during the period 1 October 2024 to 31 July 2025 (spending need to be completed on or before 31 March 2025)
Application deadline: 15 August 2024

Further information and how to apply

Visit the UCL Research Progression Award webpage for full call details and eligibility criteria.

EPSRC Core Equipment 2024 | UCL deadline: 19 July 2024

Scope

This Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) call offers funding for capital equipment to enable research within the Council's remit. Funding is distinct to the Council’s Strategic Infrastructure scheme and the majority of research undertaken using the equipment should be within EPSRC remit. Available funding will be capital in nature and awards cannot be used to cover non-capital expenditure.

Details

Funding: Between £10,000-£400,000
Number of UCL applications allowed: UCL asked to submit a proposal to EPSRC for up to £1million
Application deadline: 4pm, 19 July 2024

Further information and how to apply

Applicants should complete the Expression of Interest form by the deadline following the guidelines below.

Supporting documents

UCL internal guidance

AHRC Design Exchange Partnerships: design the green transition round 3 | UCL deadline: 26 July 2024

Scope

This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) call offers funding to develop design-led solutions around the theme of more-than-human design. More-than-human design refers to the idea of designing for impact beyond humans. Design Exchange Partnerships (DEPs) are 3-way collaborative projects which seek to demonstrate tangible impact on local communities by stimulating the real-world application of high-quality arts and humanities-led design research to address challenges related to achieving green transition goals.

Each project should include 1 early career arts and humanities design research associate (minimum 0.6 full-time equivalent, job share possible), at least 1 academic supervisor, and at least 1 non-academic organisation. The research associate should be named in the application at the time of submission and their research background, interests and qualifications central to the project partnership and development. The research associate can include those undertaking doctoral studies in an arts and humanities design-led discipline. The research associate (and supervisor) must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding.

Details

Funding: £62,500-£125,000 (AHRC will fund 80% FEC)
Duration: 6 or 12 months depending on the level of funding
Number of UCL applications allowed: 2 (1 application per named research associate, supervisor and non-academic partner)
Application deadline: 12noon, 26 July 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website. Applicants should complete the Expression of Interest form and email this to ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk by the deadline following the guidelines below.

Supporting documents

UCL internal guidelines

AHRC Doctoral focal awards in the arts and humanities | Deadline: 2 July 2024

Scope

This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) call for Doctoral Focal Awards, formerly Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) focusses on 2 themes - Arts and Humanities for a healthy planet, people, and place, and the creative economy - to deliver world-class doctoral training and development opportunities for students, to advance current understanding, generate new knowledge, and develop the breadth of expertise for the future of the research and innovation workforce, and to enhance collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Details

Number of UCL applications allowed: 1 as lead institution, unlimited number as a consortium member
Application deadline: 2 July 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website. UCL will apply as the lead institution on the creative economy theme to build on our strategic investment in the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries (SCCI) at UCL East and help build up the research culture there. The UCL application will be led by Professor Haidy Geismar, Director of the SCCI. Academic colleagues interested in this theme should contact Professor Geismar (h.geismar@ucl.ac.uk) outlining how they might contribute. Colleagues interested in the arts and humanities for a healthy planet, people, and place theme should consider participating in an application led by another institution.

Royal Academy of Engineering 2024/25 Research Fellowships | UCL deadline: 6 June 2024

Scope

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) 2024/25 Research Fellowships scheme supports outstanding early career researchers to become future leaders in engineering. The scheme's objectives are to support the best early-career researchers in establishing their independence and international reputation, provide long-term support enabling the pursuit of an ambitious programme of engineering research and impact, and develop ambassadors for the Academy and advocates for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

Details

Career stage: Applicants with PhD awarded no more than 4 years (+3 months) before 18 September 2024
Funding: £625,000
Duration: 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 4 (at least 2 from underrepresented groups)
Application deadline: 12noon, 6 June 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Royal Academy website. Contact Sobia Ashraf (sobia.ashraf@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the scheme. Applicants should complete and send the application form to ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk with the subject 'RAEng Research Fellowship Application' by the application deadline. The application form file should be named, 'Applicant name - RAEngRFs2024' and sent as a PDF. Applicants will also need to provide additional information via an MS Form.

Assessment criteria

Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria:

Research track record, quality, and vision
Potential to become a future leader in their chosen field
Potential to establish an independent research career
Potential to act as an ambassador and advocate for engineering research
Quality of the proposed research programme, including timeliness, novelty, vision, and ambition that is achievable in the 5-year timeline
Quality and effectiveness of proposed planning and management
Beneficiaries and potential to translate outcomes into societal and economic impact.

AHRC BRAID Responsible AI Demonstrators | UCL deadline: 1 May 2024

Scope

This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) call for BRAID Responsible AI (RAI) demonstrator projects offers support to address real-world challenges facing sectors, businesses, communities, and the public in the responsible development and application of AI technologies. Designed to support human-centred and humane AI innovation, these collaborative, co-produced projects should involve multiple stakeholder groups, including the public where appropriate.

Details

Funding: £900,000 to £1.1 million
Duration: 3 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 2 per research organisation as project lead
Application deadline: 5pm, 1 May 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UKRI website. Prospective project leads should complete and send the Expression of Interest (EOI) form to ovpr.slashioe@ucl.ac.uk by the deadline, following the guidelines below. Applicants should submit the form along with their CV and project co-lead CVs in PDF format.

Supporting documents

UCL internal guidance notes

Assessment criteria

EOIs will be assessed against the following criteria:

Clarity of aims and key objectives
Fit to the aims and scope of the call
Alignment with the programme aims
The importance and timeliness of the project
Multidisciplinarity and complementarity of the team
Commitment to engaging with non-academic partners
Strategy for impacting AI policy and practice
Commitment to early-career researchers and researchers from marginalised or under-represented groups
Plans to leverage co-investment from third parties (project partners)

Mental Health Research UK PhD Scholarships 2025 | UCL deadline: 25 April 2024

Scope

The Mental Health Research UK PhD Scholarships beginning in September 2025 are available for the following areas:

John Grace QC Scholarship for projects focussing on psychotic disorders, including puerperal psychosis
Second 'Open' Scholarship for projects focussing on topics such as post-natal depression, developing post-natal family mental health interventions, and factors influencing maternal mental health.

Only eligible Prinicpal Investigators and subsidiary supervisors (Co-Investigators) can apply. Applications from individual students are not permitted.

Details

Funding: Awards cover fees and stipend only and are based on the Medical Research Council’s minimum stipend and fees for UK students. Visit the Mental Health UK website for details.
Duration: 4 years.
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1 per scholarship
UCL internal deadline: 4pm, 25 April 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Mental Health Research UK website. Applicants should complete an internal Expression of Interest form following the guidelines below.

Supporting documents

MRC-NIHR Enhancing biomedical and health-related data and digital platform resources | UCL deadline: 25 April 2024

Scope

Call for funding for data and digital platform resources that will support, manage, link, share and access data at scale for biomedical, health and care research within the remit of MRC, NIHR or both including:

Enhancing platforms, environments and their operations
Capabilities for users, for example, data ingress or egress tools, analytics
Mechanisms to manage findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR Principles) data
Technical approaches to managing interface between secure health and social care data and biomedical research data
Unique linkage of health and related datasets, for example, research-generated data, environmental, administrative, and wearable data.

Details

Funding: Up to £15million is available for this call. Projects can be to £3,750,000 at 100% FEC. MRC and NIHR will fund 80% FEC
Number of UCL applications allowed: No institutional limit
Application deadline: 4pm, 18 June 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website. An internal process is in place to ensure there are no overlapping or competing bids. If you intend to apply, contact Karen Groot at k.groot@ucl.ac.uk, providing the following information:

Name and PI/CoI Faculty
Proposal title
Brief description of the proposal (less than 300 words) describing which data or digital platform resources you will enhance, what enhancements you are proposing and the benefits of these, and plans for sustainability beyond the lifetime of the award.

Leverhulme Research Centres 2024 | UCL deadline: 11 April 2024

Scope

This Leverhulme call offers funding to UK universities to set up a Leverhulme Research Centre for outstanding original research aspiring to achieve a step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic.

Details

Funding: £10million
Duration: 10 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1 as lead institution, unlimited number for applications led by partner institution
Application deadline: 1pm, 11 April 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Leverhulme website. UCL applicants should send an Expression of Interest to ovpr.slashioe@ucl.ac.uk by the internal deadline, which should include the following:

Letter from lead Faculty Dean (or Deans if more than 1 Faculty is involved) describing fit to Faculty strategy and Faculty commitment, including financial and in-kind support
CV of Director of the proposed centre, no more than 2 pages in length
A description of the proposed centre in PDF format (no more than 3 sides including any references, with 2cm margins all round, font size 11 or above), to include:
- A description of the research area, reasons why this is important and interesting and suited to Leverhulme's funding approach, the key research questions to be addressed and how the centre will contribute to the subject area
- The structure of the proposed centre, whether it is single or multi-site, listing all institutions involved (if more than 1) and the rationale for their participation, and brief details of key staff involved and their planned contribution
- Justification for the choice of Centre Director to take intellectual and organisational leadership
- Indication of how the resources might be used over the proposed Centre's duration.

Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award 2024: Round 10 | UCL deadline: 8 April 2024

Scope

This Academy of Medical Sciences scheme supports biomedical (non-clinical) researchers at the start of their first independent post, and who are yet to receive substantial funding support, to help launch their research careers. The award offers a bespoke package of support to biomedical researchers and proposals are accepted across the breadth of biomedical research.

Details

Funding available: Up to £125,000 over 2 years, plus access to the AMS mentoring and career development programme
Number of UCL applications allowed: 4
UCL deadline: 4pm, 8 April 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Academy of Medical Sciences website. Applicants should complete the internal Expression of Interest form following the internal selection process guidance document below. For questions regarding this call, contact lms.facilitators@ucl.ac.uk.

Supporting documents

UCL internal selection process guidance

Innovate UK UK-Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D Round 3 | UCL deadline: 13 March 2024

Scope

This Innovate UK competition offers UK-registered organisations collaborating with at least 1 German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme funding for collaborative projects resulting in innovative solutions in emerging technologies. This competition aims to enhance UK and Swiss collaborations and capabilities in the emerging fields of technology. Emerging technologies encouraged, but not limited to, are quantum, artificial intelligence, semiconductor applications, engineering biology, future telecommunications, and green technologies (including hydrogen and battery technologies).

Details

Funding: Share of £4million
Number of UCL applications allowed: 3
Application deadline: 12noon, 13 March 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the gov.uk website. A light touch internal process has been put in place to determine UCL interest in this call and the need for a formal internal prioritisation process. Interested applicants should complete the Expression of Interest form by the deadline.

Philip Leverhulme Prize 2024 | UCL deadline: 5 March 2024

Scope

This Leverhulme call offers funding for researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had an international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising. Subject areas for the 2024 cycle included: Classics, Earth Sciences, Physics, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Details

Career stage: Early career
Funding: £100,000
Duration: 2-3years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 3
Application deadline: 1pm, 5 March 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Leverhulme website. Heads of Departments should send their nominations to ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk by the application deadline.

Supporting documents

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 9 | UCL deadline: 29 February 2024

Scope

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) call offers funding for up to 7 years to develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK, foster new research and innovation career paths, and provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges. An internal selection process has been implemented to manage applications.

Details

Career stage: Early-career researchers and innovators looking to transition to independence
Funding: No limit - requests should be appropriate to the project (previous projects have ranged from £300.000-£2,000,000)
Duration: 4 years in the first phase with the option to renew for a further 3 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 10
Application deadline: 12noon, Thursday 29 February

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website.

Internal selection process

The internal selection process will take place over 3 stages:

Department stage
Internal applicants should submit the expression of interest form using the central submission platform for internal applicants. External applicants need to submit their EOI through the central submission platform for external applicants and send a copy of the EOI by email to ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk by the deadline, for consideration by the relevant UCL department/division/institution.
Faculty stage
Faculties will shortlist candidates within their allocated cap. Applicants should speak to their department for further information about the shortlisting process.
UCL central stage
Faculty nominations should be submitted by email to ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk by 12noon on 22 March 2024 by the Faculty Research Manager, Vice-Dean for Research (VDR), or deputy named by the VDR. Faculty-nominated candidates will be invited to submit their application on the central submission platform by 12noon on 10 April 2024. The central UCL panel will meet mid- to late-April 2024 and outcomes will be sent to candidates by the end of April. The 10 candidates selected will need to submit their proposals by the UKRI deadline - 4pm on 18 June 2024.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

Applicants from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply for this scheme. URKI are piloting the collection of diversity monitoring data for this call. Institutions are required to collect data from applications on their sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, and discipline, and produce an anonymous report, benchmarking the data with the institution's population of Early Career Researchers.

Supporting documents

Feedback from previous rounds

Reasons why applicants were not selected:

Proposals not accessible to a generalist audience (central UCL panel spans all UCL Faculties) in terms of conveying key concepts and the importance of the research
Projects too small in scope, appearing like fellowships of shorter duration (e.g., 2-3 years) or like a project rather than a fellowship. Future Leaders Fellows should demonstrate a clear programme of research lasting 4 years, with an indication of potential future research directions in the last 3 years
Applications not clear on why the FLF is the right scheme for the candidate and their proposed research, in terms of having a significant impact on the candidate's career and development as a research leader in their chosen discipline
Department statement of support being relatively generic, and not tailored to the candidate regarding the research programme and their development.

Innovate UK UK-Switzerland CR&D Round 2 | UCL deadline: 28 February 2024

Scope

This Innovate UK competition offers UK-registered organisations funding for innovative projects in all technologies. This competition aims to enhance UK and Swiss collaborations and capabilities in the emerging fields of technology. Emerging technologies encouraged, but not limited to, are life sciences, artificial intelligence, semiconductor applications, and quantum. Applicants are expected to collaborate with at least 1 Swiss implementation partner applying under the equivalent Swiss Innosuisse programme.

Details

Funding: Share of up to £4million
Number of UCL applications allowed: 3
Application deadline: 12noon, 28 February 2024

Further information and how to apply

NERC Doctoral Focal Awards | UCL deadline: 22 February 2024

Scope

This Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) call offers funding for a doctoral focal award to address priority or emerging training needs within the environmental sciences. Applications should be centred within the NERC's remit but interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary doctoral focal awards are welcomed.

Doctoral focal awards will provide support for areas that require a concentration of studentships in combination with a highly tailored training programme. Key features include funding for research training in specific, tightly focussed themes or challenges, and training programmes still supporting some tailoring of opportunities to individual needs.

Details

Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 12noon, 22 February 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website. Applicants for UCL-led and non-UCL-led bids should complete the internal Expression of Interest form by the deadline. Contact Becca Burns (b.burns@ucl.ac.uk) with any queries about the scheme.

Supporting documents

UCL internal process guidance

UKRI Systems approaches to advance the UK's transition to net zero | UCL deadline: 12 February 2024

Scope

This UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) call offers funding for up to 2 impact-driven programmes to deliver world-leading co-created cross-cutting research into the development and implementation of systems approaches to net zero. Programmes are expected to have strong stakeholder engagement from the start and add value to the existing funded landscape in net zero in the UK.

Details

Funding: Up to £5,780,000 per programme
Duration: Up to 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: No limit
Application deadline: 12 February 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UKRI website. Interested applicants looking to lead a proposal, with ideas/expertise to offer a UCL-led proposal, or interested in participating in a proposal led by another institution should complete an Expression of Interest form by the deadline. For questions about this call, contact ovpr.beams@ucl.ac.uk.

EPSRC Place Based Impact Acceleration Account: Round 2 | UCL deadline: 24 January 2024

Scope

This Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) call offers the opportunity to apply for consortium funding to deliver impact activities to benefit a research and innovation cluster, in collaboration with civic, business, and other local stakeholders. Proposals need to involve at least 2 research universities, be co-created with civic actors, align with civic ambitions, engage local business and other stakeholders, include a flexible consortium fund, and include a collaboration to draw from the full breadth of UK research and development activity.

Details

Funding: £500,000-£5,000,000. Stream 1 for emerging clusters, £2.5million maximum per award (EPSRC contribution), stream 2 for established clusters, £5million maximum per award (EPSRC contribution). Management costs funded at 80% FEC, project funds funded at 100% FEC
Duration: Up to 4 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 12noon, 24 January 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website. Applicants should complete the internal Expression of Interest form by the deadline. Applications should focus on the vision, evidence of co-creation with civic actors, the track record of consortium partners in delivering impact-related projects and how this links to the EPSRC portfolio, justification for place-based impact, alignment with UCL research strengths and strategies, the range of impact activities envisaged for success, and the management and governance plan. For questions about this call, contact Andrew Huddart at a.huddart@ucl.ac.uk.

Supporting documents

Place Based Impact Acceleration Account (PBIAA) slides

Rosetrees Trust 2024 Interdisciplinary Awards | UCL deadline: 23 January 2024

Scope

The Rosetrees Trust Interdisciplinary Award encourages collaboration between clinicians/scientists and experts in enhancing prenatal health to foster improved lifelong well-being for mothers and children. The hope is that by merging skills and experience it will lead to innovative research that addresses unmet clinical needs.

This year Rosetrees are inviting shortened preliminary applications before inviting full submissions. Proposals must include a clear translational strategy to show how the novel research could benefit patients within 5-10 years.

Details

Funding: £300,000 over 3 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 1pm, 23 January 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Rosetrees Trust website. UCL applications should complete an expression of interest following the guidelines below. For questions about this call, contact Sarah Davies at lms.facilitators@ucl.ac.uk.

Supporting documents

UCL internal process guidance

Kennedy Trust Senior Research Fellowships | UCL deadline: 17 January 2024

Scope

The Kennedy Trust's Senior Research Fellowship scheme offers funding for promising independent researchers with a proven track record of excellence in any scientific discipline relevant to the field of rheumatology or related musculoskeletal disease.

Details

Funding: Up to £2 million over 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 5pm, 17 January 2024

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the Kennedy Trust website. UCL applicants should read the guidance and complete the application form below.

Supporting documents

UCL guidance and application form

Innovate UK Improving and Scaling-up Semiconductor Manufacturing CR&D | UCL deadline: 10 January 2024

Scope

This Innovate UK competition offers UK-registered businesses funding as part of a collaborative research and development drive in to ways to improve and scale up semiconductor manufacture and improve supply-chain resilience within the UK.

Proposals need to identify or deliver a clear, game-changing intervention and address a clear industrial requirement or improvement in an area such as establishing innovations and new manufacturing techniques, expanding the capability or performance of existing manufacturing techniques, encouraging relationships between product designers and manufacturers to develop new manufacturing techniques or expanding capability, and encouraging new collaborations across industry and academia.

Details

Funding: Up to £12million
Number of UCL applications allowed: 3
Application deadline: 12noon, 10 January 2024

Further information and how to apply

Innovate UK UK Regulatory Science and Innovation Networks: Discovery Phase | UCL deadline: 4 January 2024

Scope

This Innovate UK competition offers funding to support the development of proposals for virtual networks of expertise in regulatory science that generate research-based evidence and insights.

Details

Funding: Up to £50,000 per network
Duration: 6 months
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 12noon, 4 January 2024

Further information and how to apply

2023

NIHR Health Protection Research Units | UCL deadline: 6 November 2023

Scope

This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) call for new Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) offers funding for partnerships between universities and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to establish centres of excellence in multi-disciplinary health protection research in key priority areas.

Details

Funding: Up to £77,000,000 is available to fund 13 HPRUs. Applicants can request up to £5,500,000 per HPRU or up to £11,000,000 for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance HPRU
Duration: 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1 per priority area
UCL deadline: 5pm, 6 November 2023

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the NIHR website. As UCL can only submit 1 application per priority area, we are keen to ensure that all applications submitted are competitive. UCL already hosts the NIHR HRPU in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, and this HPRU will be applying for renewal. Researchers intending to lead an application should complete and submit the expression of Interest form below by the deadline.

Supporting documents

MRC Biomedical Data Science Leadership awards | UCL deadline: 20 November 2023

Scope

This Medical Research Council (MRC) call offers funding to understand better quality support for biomedical data science. Innovations are expected to improve career offers, accelerate positive shifts in research culture, or advance leadership for biomedical data science. Awards aim to seed engagement, coordination, and evidence to inform the plans for a shared UK-wide biomedical data science initiative.

Details

Funding: Full Economic Costing (FEC) can be up to £500,000, with awards of between £200-400K at 80% FEC
Duration: 24 months
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1
Application deadline: 4pm, 20 November 2023

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UKRI website. Applicants should read the UCL internal selection process guidance for details on how to apply.

UCL Women and large grant leadership cohort training programme | UCL deadline: 6 November 2023

Scope

This joint programme for female academics based within the BEAMS and LMS Research Coordination teams aims to provide the skills, knowledge, support and networks to lead large grant applications successfully. The programme responds to evidence of gender disparity in research funding across many BEAMS and LMS disciplines, with data showing that women apply for fewer large grants than men, often with lower success rates.

The programme involves a high level of peer-to-peer support and learning. It also consists of informative presentations, discussions, and a masterclass on how to apply for large grants; a facilitated discussion on the barriers, or challenges, that women face; and an opportunity to pitch a large grant vision to – and receive feedback from – a senior academic panel. The programme will be delivered over 7 sessions in terms 2 and 3 of academic year 2023/24.

We aim to hold sessions in person and schedule them within core hours. Sessions will range from 1-3 hours, with a total time commitment of around 14hours. We will work with selected participants to schedule the sessions. Participants will also need to dedicate some time outside of scheduled sessions to develop their large grant vision as part of the training on pitching and presenting.

Details

Career stage: Mid- to Established-Career
Number of places: 30
Application deadline: 12noon, 6 November 2023

Further information and how to apply

Interested colleagues should complete the online application form by the deadline. Contact any of the programme team with any questions: Laura Fenner (l.fenner@ucl.ac.uk), Anwen Howells (a.howells@ucl.ac.uk), Sarah Davies (s.k.davies@ucl.ac.uk), Debi Kenny (debi.kenny@ucl.ac.uk).

UKRI Accelerating the Green Economy Centres | UCL deadline: 25 October 2023

Scope

This UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) opportunity aims to support the growth of emerging green industries, in economic geographies across the UK, to accelerate the translation and commercialisation of market-informed solutions to drive the green economy through collaboration and co-creation between researchers, businesses, investors, civic bodies, local stakeholders and potential customers.

UKRI welcome nationally strategic, bold, innovative applications addressing pressing challenges in any emergent UK green market, such as net zero buildings retrofit for improved welfare, local hydrogen development and rollout, designing and manufacturing net zero products.

Details

Funding: Up to £5million per centre*
Duration: 4 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 2
Application deadline: 25 October 2023

* Matched contributions: at least 25% of UKRI funding at the application stage will be required. Applicants should demonstrate a plan to reach at least 100% match funding over the lifetime of the grant, along with plans for future self-sufficiency of the centre.

Further information and how to apply

View the full call details on the UKRI website. Researchers intending to lead an application should complete a 2-page PDF application (minimum font size 11pt) and submit this via the Expression of Interest form.

Applicants should provide information against the UKRI criteria for this call and the alignment to UCL research strengths and strategies, including: centre excellence, vision and ambition, partnerships and place-focus, sustainability, the applicant and teams capability to deliver, and alignment o to UCL research strengths and strategies.

For questions about this call, contact Eugenio Zapata-Solvas at e.zapata-solvas@ucl.ac.uk.

UCL Neuroscience: Neuroscience Center Zurich Collaboration 2023 | UCL deadline: 25 October 2023

Scope

Short-term seed funding from UCL Neuroscience and Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ) to support joint neuroscience research activities intended to represent a priming step towards seeking comprehensive joint external research funding. Applications can be made under 1 of the following categories:

Pilot projects: Small awards to enable investigators to obtain data to support large-scale external funding applications. This category will fund staff, postgraduate student exchange or short stays of group leaders at the partner institution, and research consumables.
Travel and accommodation: Support for researchers to co-locate for a short time to focus on drafting a funding application that they can progress without the need for a workshop or pilot project to generate additional data.

Applications should involve at least 1 group leader affiliated with UCL Neuroscience and 1 affiliated with ZNZ.

Details

Funding: Pilot project - £20,000 or CHF equivalent (circa CHF 22,167), Travel and accommodation - £1,500 or CHF equivalent (circa CHF 1,660)
Number of applications allowed: 1 application per group leader/team per funding round
Application deadline: 4pm, 1 December 2023

Further information and how to apply

Applicants should complete an intention to submit via MS Forms by 4pm, 25 October 2023. Applicants will also need to complete and submit this application form. Completed forms should be sent by email to Ruth Wainman (r.wainman@ucl.ac.uk) and Wolfgang Knecht (wknecht@neuroscience.uzh.ch) with the subject line 'UCL Zurich Funding Call 2023' by the application deadline.

Supporting documents

UCL-Zurich call guidelines

UKRI Realising the health co-benefits of the transition to net zero | UCL deadline: 16 October 2023

Scope

This UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) call offers funding to lead a transdisciplinary research hub towards realising the health co-benefits of the UK transition to net zero. In equal partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UKRI is seeking to establish a set of transdisciplinary research hubs to provide policy-relevant evidence and deliver high-impact solutions-focused research and innovation.

5 UK-focused challenge areas within the net zero and health space have been identified and applications need to address 1 of these challenges to ensure impact within the lifetime of the hub:

Indoor environments in a net zero world
Transportation and the built environment
Sustainable healthy diets
Extreme weather
Decarbonising health and social care pathways

Details

Funding: Up to £30,000,000 in funding (£6,000,000 per hub)
Duration: 5 years
Number of UCL applications allowed: 1 expression of interest application per challenge
Application deadline: 16 October 2023

Details

View the full call details on the UKRI website. Researchers intending to lead an application should complete submit the Expression of Interest form to healthofpublic@ucl.ac.uk with the subject line ‘UCL Realising the health co-benefits of the transition to net zero’ by the application deadline.

British Academy Global Professorships 2023 | UCL deadline: 2 October 2023: This British Academy award aims to attract internationally recognised established scholars to work in the UK, and to undertake new, coherent and cutting-edge research projects. The award offers established researchers the opportunity to undertake high-risk, curiosity-driven research in humanities and social sciences.
Number of UCL applications allowed: 4
View the full call details on the British Academy website

Page last updated: October 2024