There are three main categories of funding available:
- Travel grants and other small grants – look at Research Professional, UKRI, professional and academic societies, charities
- Fellowships - Personal grants to your salary and your research; sometimes also include costs for research equipment and/or students. Most fellowships last 1-5 years. See Research Professional and listing below for fellowship sources by discipline.
- Research grants - More substantial research funding. These are often only available to researchers with a permanent academic position. Your PI may encourage you to contribute towards writing grants within your group - this is excellent experience.
Advice on fellowships
The Fellowship Sessions podcast series
Sources of fellowships
Cambridge / Oxford college junior research fellowships (JRFs)
All science disciplines
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Royal Society
- European Research Council (ERC)
- The Leverhulme Trust
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
Physical sciences and engineering
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
- Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship
Life sciences - Early postdoc fellowships (usually salary only)
- Alzheimer's Research UK
- Alzheimer's Society UK
- Versus Arthritis
- British Heart Foundation
- The Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund
- Wellcome Trust
Life sciences - Fellowships to set up an independent group
- Alzheimer's Research UK
- Alzheimer's Society UK
- Versus Arthritis
- British Heart Foundation
- Cancer Research UK
- Diabetes UK
- The Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund
- Parkinson's UK
- Wellcome Trust
Life sciences - Fellowships which require you to move countries
Research fellowships for clinicians
- Alzheimer's Research UK
- British Heart Foundation
- Cancer Research UK
- Diabetes UK
- The Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund
- Medical Research Council
- NIHR
- Versus Arthritis
- Wellcome Trust