UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Information for potential applicants
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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 ҹèƵ.
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 will open 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 are running an internal competition for both internal and external applicants.
The deadline for submitting a completed is Wednesday 21 January 2026, 17:00 UK time.
Please note: anyone wishing to hold their FLF at the ҹèƵ must apply through the internal process outlined below to secure departmental approval and support.
Call Information Sessions 
Thursday 27 November 2025 at 10:00 (with an Arts, Humanities and Business focus)
Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 14:00
Wednesday 10 December 2025 at 10:00
Tuesday 13 January 2026 at 14:00
Join one of our four one-hour Zoom sessions for an overview of the scheme, details of the support available, practical advice on writing a strong Expression of Interest and insights from previous FLF award holders. The sessions will include time for questions and will be led by our Research and Knowledge Exchange Funding Managers. 
If you would like to attend, please email the Research and Knowledge Exchange Funding Managers at researchadvice@plymouth.ac.uk and a calendar invite will be sent through to you.
Female working at laptop
Please expand the sections below for information on how to apply to the 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 and the . We will update this page once information is released by UKRI. 

How to apply
Those wishing to apply to this scheme with the ҹèƵ as the host institution must complete the 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 are asking applicants to submit a short five-minute video pitch. This will help us understand your vision, ambition and enthusiasm for the proposed project, and will also give 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 detail 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:         
  1. Your vision   
  2. Your approach
  3. Why you, why now and why this fellowship at the ҹèƵ?    
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 about the supported applicants by the ҹèƵ will be made after panel assessment. The panel will be representative of each Faculty and Research, Partnerships & Innovation. When applicants have received confirmation of support for the full application, there will be further 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 . When the call formally opens in February 2026, please ensure you have read the FLF Round 11 ‘Information for Applicants’. In the meantime, you can refer to for guidance. 

Meet our FLF award holders – past and present

Zoe conducting fieldwork in central Italy
Dr Zoe Mildon – project title: Quake 4D – building physics-based, geologically-rich models for investigating earthquake interaction and seismic hazard
EmbryoPhenomics
Dr Oliver Tills – project title: Developing an integrative approach to phenomics for industrial, biomedical and environmental applications
Dr Elsa Fouragnan in the Brain Stimulation Lab
Professor Elsa Fouragnan – project title: Mapping the neural circuit of credit assignment for a new targeted intervention in addiction