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UKRI Future Round 11: Up to £3 Million for Research and Innovation Leaders in the UK

Isaac O
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UK Research and Innovation has opened applications for Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11, offering substantial long-term funding to talented researchers and innovators who have the potential to become leaders in their respective fields.

Through this round, UK Research and Innovation, commonly known as UKRI, plans to invest up to £110 million in ambitious research and innovation programmes. A proportion of this funding will support fellows hosted by businesses and other non-academic organisations, with the competition administered by Innovate UK on behalf of UKRI.

Successful applicants may request between £100,000 and £3 million in eligible grant funding to undertake an ambitious four-year programme of research or innovation. Fellowships may also be extended for up to three additional years, subject to the applicable requirements and approval process.

The competition is open to talented researchers and innovators from the United Kingdom and other countries. However, every applicant must secure the support of an eligible UK-based host organisation, and the majority of the funded work, expenditure and exploitation of results must take place in the United Kingdom. Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11 at a Glance

About the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Programme

The Future Leaders Fellowships programme supports outstanding individuals working across research, innovation, business, public service, creative industries, charities and other knowledge-based environments.

The programme is intended to help promising researchers and innovators establish independent careers, develop leadership capabilities and deliver ambitious programmes with significant benefits for the United Kingdom.

Rather than funding only a narrowly defined research project, the fellowship is structured to support the individual’s long-term professional and leadership development. Successful fellows receive sustained resources to pursue an ambitious programme while accessing tailored training, mentoring, career development and leadership opportunities.

The programme also helps UK organisations retain their most promising researchers and innovators or attract outstanding talent from other countries.

UKRI states that applicants should clearly explain how the fellowship will accelerate their development as independent research or innovation leaders. Their proposed programme must also demonstrate meaningful benefits for the UK economy, society, knowledge base, public services or wider research and innovation ecosystem. Objectives of Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11

The principal objectives of the competition are to:

  1. Provide sustained funding and resources to talented individuals with the potential to become future leaders in research and innovation.
  2. Enable promising individuals to establish independent research or innovation careers.
  3. Strengthen the leadership capabilities of fellows.
  4. Support high-quality, impactful and ambitious programmes aligned with UK strategic priorities.
  5. Help organisations develop, attract and retain talented researchers and innovators.
  6. Enable fellows to deliver innovative work that goes beyond normal organisational activities.
  7. Generate benefits for the UK economy, public services, society and wider research and innovation environment.

The fellowship should not merely finance routine organisational work. Applicants must propose a distinctive and ambitious programme that demonstrates genuine novelty, a strong strategic rationale and a clear pathway towards leadership development.

Total Funding Available

UKRI has allocated up to £110 million for projects supported under this round. The final amount awarded will depend on the number and quality of applications received.

Each fellowship application must normally request eligible grant funding of between:

The competition operates within a fixed funding limit. As a result, an application may receive strong assessment scores but still remain unfunded because of budget constraints, portfolio considerations or the availability of funds.

The competition page indicates that experience from similar competitions suggests applicants may have approximately a 13% chance of success. This figure is an estimate rather than a guaranteed success rate and highlights the highly competitive nature of the programme. Important £1.4 Million Soft Cap

Although applicants may request up to £3 million, UKRI has introduced a soft monitoring cap of £1.4 million.

Applicants whose total application costs are expected to exceed £1.4 million must inform the Future Leaders Fellowships team by email. The message should be sent to fellows@ukri.org using the subject line:

Application over £1.4 million

Exceeding the £1.4 million soft cap does not automatically make an application ineligible. However, all costs above this level must be fully justified and must represent good value for money.

Applicants should therefore provide a detailed explanation of why the proposed scale of expenditure is necessary to deliver the fellowship’s objectives.

Fellowship Duration and Project Start Date

Each project must normally:

The standard four-year funding period provides fellows with sufficient time to establish an independent programme, recruit and develop a team, conduct research or innovation activities, produce outputs and build leadership capacity.

Where a fellow works fewer than full-time hours on the fellowship, the award duration may potentially be extended on a proportionate basis, subject to approval and the maximum permitted duration.

Scope of the Fellowship

Applicants may submit proposals from all areas of research and innovation.

Eligible areas include, but are not limited to:

UKRI interprets research and innovation broadly. The programme is therefore not restricted to traditional laboratory science or university-based research.

Projects may originate in commercial businesses, public-sector organisations, charities, not-for-profit organisations, research and technology organisations, creative industries and other non-academic settings.

Proposals must demonstrate that the intended work is ambitious, high-quality, timely and capable of producing meaningful benefits for the United Kingdom. Five Critical Technologies and UK Strategic Priorities

Applications may address the five critical technologies identified in the UK Science and Technology Framework, although proposals are not restricted exclusively to these areas.

The programme also welcomes multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects that combine expertise from different sectors, technologies or research disciplines.

Applicants should clearly explain how their work contributes to relevant UK strategic priorities, economic opportunities, public needs, technological challenges or societal outcomes.

Eligible Research Categories

The competition will fund projects classified as:

1. Industrial Research

Industrial research involves planned investigation or critical research intended to generate new knowledge and skills.

This may include work aimed at:

Industrial research may be undertaken in any sector and can include digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity, blockchain, big data, cloud technology and supercomputing.

2. Experimental Development

Experimental development involves acquiring, combining, shaping and applying existing scientific, technological, commercial or other relevant knowledge to develop new or improved products, processes or services.

Eligible activities may include:

Routine or periodic improvements to existing products, production lines, services or operational processes are not considered experimental development, even where those changes result in incremental improvements. Requirements for the Proposed Programme

A competitive proposal must:

Host commitments may include:

Single-Programme and Portfolio Fellowships

An applicant may propose:

The portfolio approach can provide flexibility where the applicant’s leadership vision involves several related research or innovation projects.

Fellowship programmes may also be adjusted after they begin to respond to:

Any material changes would remain subject to the applicable grant management and approval requirements.

Intellectual Property and Exploitation

Applicants and host organisations must give appropriate consideration to the protection of intellectual property generated through the project.

Applications should explain:

The programme requires meaningful UK benefit. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate that project outcomes will be used, commercialised, implemented or otherwise exploited primarily for the benefit of the United Kingdom.

Eligible Host Organisations

To host a Future Leaders Fellowship through the business and non-academic competition route, the lead organisation must be an eligible UK organisation.

Eligible host organisations may include:

Research organisations that are eligible to receive UKRI funding generally cannot submit through this particular Innovation Funding Service competition form. Applications hosted by those research organisations must normally be made through the separate UKRI Funding Service.

However, Catapult centres must use the Innovate UK competition application route.

The host organisation must provide a suitable environment for the fellow, support the applicant’s career development and demonstrate a clear strategic commitment to the programme.

Requirements for the Fellow

The proposed fellow must demonstrate the skills, experience and knowledge required to lead and deliver the programme.

The fellow must provide evidence of:

Applicants are not required to hold a PhD.

Individuals without a PhD must demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience, professional training, technical expertise or practical achievement.

There is also no fixed eligibility rule based on the number of years that have passed since an applicant completed a PhD.

Early-Career and Leadership Positioning

The programme is designed for individuals who can become independent future leaders rather than people who are already operating as fully established senior leaders.

Projects submitted by senior innovators may be considered outside the programme’s scope where the individual is already:

Applicants must therefore demonstrate both strong existing potential and a genuine need for the fellowship to reach the next stage of their leadership journey.

Applications from Outside the United Kingdom

Researchers and innovators from outside the UK may apply, provided they have the support of an eligible UK-based host organisation.

International applicants are not restricted to a specific country, region, nationality or continent.

However:

International fellows may potentially qualify for the UK Global Talent visa under the “exceptional promise” category for future leaders in research and innovation. Visa eligibility remains subject to the relevant immigration requirements and is separate from the fellowship selection process. Career Breaks, Part-Time Work and Job Sharing

The Future Leaders Fellowships programme is designed to support individuals from different career pathways and personal circumstances.

Applications are welcomed from individuals who are:

Fellows may spend up to 50% of their working time on activities that are not funded by the fellowship where those activities are necessary or beneficial to career development.

Such activities may include:

Applicants cannot claim an additional salary from the fellowship for time spent on non-fellowship activities.

Applicants interested in job-sharing arrangements should contact the Future Leaders Fellowships team before submitting an application.

Project Partners

Project partners may be included where they bring complementary skills that are materially different from those of the fellow and host organisation.

The involvement of partners should normally be limited to a maximum of six months over the lifetime of the fellowship.

Partner organisations may include UK-registered:

Partners must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead organisation. Each partner is responsible for entering its own costs and organisational information into the application.

International partners may also be included for a limited period where their involvement is fully justified.

The applicant must explain:

Non-Funded Partners

A project may include organisations that do not claim funding from the fellowship.

These organisations may contribute:

Non-funded partners can be based in the UK, European Union or other countries.

Where non-funded partners are included, the applicant must provide details of their contributions and letters or emails of support. Supporting documents must generally:

Formal collaboration agreements will be required for audit purposes where an award is made.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are permitted.

UK subcontractors must be selected through the applicant organisation’s usual procurement procedures.

Overseas subcontractors may be used only where the applicant provides a detailed justification explaining why a suitable UK subcontractor could not be used.

A lower price alone will not be accepted as sufficient justification for selecting an overseas subcontractor.

Applicants using overseas subcontractors must provide:

International Collaboration

International collaboration is permitted where it strengthens the programme and is properly justified.

Applicants must identify:

Despite international involvement, the majority of the project work and exploitation must remain in the United Kingdom.

Number of Applications

An individual fellow may lead only one application under this competition.

Applicants should therefore ensure that their selected proposal represents their strongest and most strategically important fellowship programme.

Funding Rates for Commercial or Economic Activities

Where an organisation is undertaking commercial or economic activity, the percentage of eligible costs that may be funded depends on the organisation’s size and the research category.

Industrial Research

Eligible funding may cover:

Experimental Development

Eligible funding may cover:

These limits apply even where an organisation normally performs non-economic activities but will undertake commercial or economic activity through the proposed project. Funding for Non-Economic Research Activity

Eligible organisations conducting non-economic research activity may receive higher funding percentages.

Depending on the organisation and nature of the activity:

Academic institutions must use the Transparent Approach to Costing method when calculating and submitting their costs.

Overhead Costs

The fellowship will fund overhead costs at a rate of 20% of labour costs.

Applicants should calculate overheads carefully and ensure that they comply with the competition-specific cost requirements rather than relying only on general Innovate UK cost guidance.

Projects That Will Not Be Funded

The competition will not fund projects that:

Routine or periodic modifications to existing products, services, production processes or operating systems will not qualify as experimental development merely because they offer some improvement.

Sanctions and Financial Compliance

Funding cannot be provided where doing so would expose Innovate UK, UKRI or any beneficiary to a breach of UK sanctions.

Applicants, partners, subcontractors, suppliers and other entities involved in the project must comply with applicable sanctions restrictions.

Funding may also be refused, delayed or subjected to additional scrutiny where an applicant has:

Innovate UK may withhold payments where outstanding sums remain due in relation to other funded projects.

Subsidy Control

Funding for commercial or economic activities will be provided through the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme.

The scheme operates in accordance with the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022.

The award is classified as a subsidy and does not form part of an applicant’s Minimal Financial Assistance or de minimis allowance.

Applicants are responsible for understanding and complying with relevant subsidy-control and State-aid obligations. Organisations requiring advice on their particular legal position should obtain independent legal guidance.

Animal Research Requirements

Projects involving animals must comply with UKRI guidance and recognised standards for animal welfare.

Applicants must ensure that all animal-related activities conducted in the UK or internationally meet applicable ethical, welfare and legislative requirements.

Projects involving animals may be required to provide additional information during project setup, including details relating to:

This information will be reviewed before a final award is made.

Research Involving Human Participants

Applicants proposing research involving human participants may need to complete a Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Template.

Relevant ethics approvals, cost attribution requirements, participant safeguards and research governance arrangements should be addressed in the application.

Projects involving human or animal participation must complete the required ethics and responsible research and innovation templates.

Where the templates do not apply, applicants must still upload the required document and state that the template is not applicable.

Resubmission of Previous Applications

Applicants may resubmit a proposal previously submitted to the Future Leaders Fellowships programme.

A resubmitted application must:

Simply resubmitting the same material without responding to earlier feedback is unlikely to produce a competitive application.

Important Competition Dates

The official schedule is as follows:

Applicants should not wait until the closing date to complete the submission. The application must be fully submitted before 11:00 a.m. UK time on 4 November 2026. Application Structure

The application is divided into three main sections:

  1. Project details.
  2. Application questions.
  3. Finances.

Applicants must complete all required questions. Scored application answers should not contain website addresses or external links because assessors will not open them.

Project Details

The project-details section requires applicants to provide:

The project summary may contain up to 400 words and should clearly explain what makes the project innovative.

The public description may also contain up to 400 words. It should be written for publication and must not contain commercially sensitive information.

The scope response may contain up to 400 words and must demonstrate that the proposal fits the competition. Applications considered outside the scope will not proceed to assessment.

Application Questions

The application includes 22 questions. Questions 1 to 11 are not scored, while questions 12 to 22 form the principal scored assessment.

Non-Scored Questions

The non-scored section covers:

  1. Applicant and organisation location.
  2. Host organisation contact.
  3. Core team members.
  4. Non-funded project partners.
  5. Animal testing.
  6. Permits and licences.
  7. International collaboration.
  8. Export licences.
  9. Trusted Research and Innovation requirements.
  10. Resubmission status.
  11. Reduced-hours arrangements.

Although these questions are not scored, incomplete or inaccurate responses may affect eligibility and compliance.

Scored Questions

The scored questions assess:

  1. The vision for the fellowship.
  2. The proposed approach and innovation.
  3. The applicant’s capability to deliver.
  4. Career development.
  5. Host organisation support.
  6. Ethics and responsible research and innovation.
  7. Project management.
  8. Project risks.
  9. Added value of public funding.
  10. Costs and value for money.
  11. Data management and sharing.

Key Word Limits

Applicants should carefully observe the official word limits:

Required Appendices

Depending on the proposal, applicants may need to upload:

Most appendices must be submitted as PDFs no larger than 10MB and must be legible when viewed at 100% zoom.

The project plan and risk register may each be up to two A4 pages.

Assessment Process

Each application will normally be reviewed by three independent assessors with expertise relevant to the proposed project.

The assessors will evaluate the written application and award scores against the published criteria.

All assessor scores will normally contribute to the total score used in funding decisions.

UKRI and Innovate UK may also apply a portfolio approach when selecting projects. This means that final decisions may take account of the desired balance across:

Consequently, a high-scoring proposal is not automatically guaranteed funding. Shortlisting and Interviews

Applicants whose proposals reach the shortlisting stage will have an opportunity to respond to assessor feedback.

The response must be submitted as a single PDF or Word document of no more than three A4 pages. It may include diagrams and charts.

The shortlisting panel will consider:

Applicants selected for interview will be assessed by an expert panel.

Interviews are expected to take place during May 2027. Each interview may last up to one hour and will include a short presentation by the applicant.

Following the interviews, the panel will make funding recommendations.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Innovate UK and UKRI welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

Reasonable adjustments are available for applicants with disabilities, long-term health conditions or other accessibility barriers.

Applicants seeking adjustments should contact Innovate UK as early as possible and preferably at least 15 working days before the competition closes. Support options may be limited where requests are submitted very close to the deadline.

Learn More HERE

What Happens After a Grant Offer

Applicants receiving a grant offer must complete the project setup process through the Innovation Funding Service.

During project setup, Innovate UK and UKRI may conduct:

Applicants must use the unique project setup link included in their grant-offer notification.

A project must not begin until the Grant Offer Letter has been formally approved.

Feedback for Unsuccessful Applicants

Unsuccessful applicants will be able to access assessor feedback through their Innovation Funding Service account after the final decision.

A proposal may be unsuccessful because:

Applicants should use the feedback to strengthen any future submission.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the official Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service.

Before beginning the application, the proposed fellow and host organisation should:

  1. Confirm that the host is eligible.
  2. Confirm that the applicant is at an appropriate career stage.
  3. Agree on the fellow’s protected time and employment arrangements.
  4. Develop a clear independent research or innovation vision.
  5. Prepare a leadership and career-development plan.
  6. Determine whether partners, international collaborators or subcontractors are required.
  7. Establish a realistic four-year project plan.
  8. Calculate eligible costs and the required funding percentage.
  9. Obtain necessary internal organisational approvals.
  10. Prepare all mandatory appendices.
  11. Review ethics, regulatory, data-sharing and intellectual-property requirements.
  12. Complete every application section.
  13. Ensure all partners accept the terms and complete their assigned information.
  14. Submit the application before the deadline.

An application may be reopened after initial submission, provided this happens before the competition closes. However, the applicant must resubmit the revised application before the deadline.

Note: You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Click HERE to apply.

Application Deadline

The deadline for Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11 is:

4 November 2026 at 11:00 a.m. UK time

Applications submitted after the stated deadline will not be accepted.

Applicants based outside the United Kingdom should carefully convert the deadline into their local time zone and aim to submit well in advance.

Applicant Preparation Checklist

Before submitting, applicants should confirm that:

Click HERE to learn more about the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11.

Conclusion

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11 represents a major opportunity for talented researchers and innovators seeking long-term support to establish themselves as independent leaders.

With up to £110 million available across the competition and individual funding requests ranging from £100,000 to £3 million, the programme can support ambitious research and innovation across almost every discipline, technology and sector.

The fellowship is particularly valuable because it combines substantial project funding with structured career development, mentoring, leadership support and access to organisational resources. It is not simply a research grant; it is a long-term investment in an individual’s potential to lead transformative research or innovation.

However, the programme is highly competitive. Successful applications will need to demonstrate genuine novelty, a compelling UK benefit, strong host support, credible project management, appropriate costs and a clear explanation of how the fellowship will transform the applicant into an independent future leader.

Prospective applicants should begin discussions with an eligible UK host organisation as early as possible and allow sufficient time to develop the proposal, secure internal approvals, prepare supporting documents and complete the financial information before the 4 November 2026 deadline.

For more global opportunities, click HERE.

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