Royal Society University Research Fellowship 2021/2022

Applications are open for the Royal Society University Research Fellowship 2021. This University Research Fellowship scheme is for outstanding scientists who are in the early stages of their research career and have the potential to become leaders in their field.

This fellowship provides the opportunity to build an independent research career. Those appointed are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships. Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. The Royal Society does not cover clinical medicine (such as patient orientated research and clinical trials), social sciences or humanities, other than when working in partnership with organisations.

Royal Society University Research Fellowship

The scheme provides:

• Research Fellow’s salary: 80% of the basic salary costs up to £40,354.58 in the first year, estates costs and indirect costs. (Under the full economic costing model, 80% of these costs will be met by the Royal Society).
• Research expenses:
  • Contribution to research expenses of £13,000 in year one and £11,000 per year thereafter.
  • Additional research expenses of up to £40,000 in 2020/2021 and £80,000 in 2021/2022 will also be awarded.
• Research assistance:
  • 80% of full economic cost of a postdoctoral research assistant, including salary costs, indirect and directly allocated costs, and estate costs.
  • Contribution to a four-year PhD studentship.
  • Equipment costs.
  • Up to £1,000 per year to support public engagement activities.
  • Up to £5,000 for training and professional development for the Research Fellow and any staff or students supported by the grant.

Eligibility for Royal Society University Research Fellowship

• Applicants must have a PhD (Applicants who have just submitted their PhD will not be considered)
• You should be in the early stages of your research career and have between three to eight years of research experience since your PhD by the closing date of the round. The three to eight years do not include any career breaks;
• You do not hold a permanent post in a university or not for profit research organisation;
• You do not hold or previously have held a fellowship that provides an opportunity to establish an independent research group and therefore independent researcher status, i.e. that allows the applicant to submit research grants as a PI or be registered as the primary supervisor of a PhD student. For example, STFC Rutherford Fellowship, NERC Independent Research Fellowship, EPSRC Early Career Fellowship or BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship. (Note holders of postdoctoral fellowships such as MCSA can apply.

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows who meet with the research experience eligibility requirements outlined above can also apply).

Application for Royal Society University Research Fellowship

Applications should be submitted through the Society’s grant management system Flexi-Grant®.

Your application will go through the process detailed on the Making a grant application page overseen by the one of four research appointment panels based on your research area:

• Ai: Astronomy, cosmology, physics, earth sciences, environmental physical sciences & geosciences
• Aii: Chemistry and engineering
• Aiii: Pure and applied mathematics, computer science, statistics, communications and computer engineering; the mathematical aspects of astronomy, physics, cosmology, gravitation, theoretical physics
• B: Molecular and cellular biology, zoology, plant sciences and physiology

For more information, visit Royal Society.