Funding and fellowships for STEM postdocs

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

Lay Summary

Sources of fellowships

The Research Professional database is the best place to search for funding opportunities: it covers all disciplines, and all types of funding, from large grants to small pots.   This is a subscription service you can access while you're at Cambridge.  Look ahead at opportunties to plan your funding applications.

Cambridge / Oxford college junior research fellowships (JRFs)

All science disciplines

Physical sciences and engineering

Life sciences - Early postdoc fellowships (usually salary only)

Life sciences - Fellowships to set up an independent group

Life sciences - Fellowships which require you to move countries

Research fellowships for clinicians

Returning after a career break