The Leverhulme Trust
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships give researchers near the start of their careers three years at a UK university to complete a significant piece of publishable work. They are open in almost every subject, from history and law to physics, and about 145 are available in 2027. The Trust shares the cost with the host university, which is why the university's approval is part of the application.
- Level
- Postdoc
- Study or work in
- United Kingdom
- Who can apply
- Thesis submitted for viva no more than 4 years before the closing date (longer after career breaks); a UK degree or a UK academic post; under 3 years of postdoctoral posts
- What it covers
- Year 1: 100% of salary costs (up to 56,000 pounds). Years 2 and 3: 50% (up to 28,000 a year), matched by the university. Plus up to 6,000 pounds a year for research
- Length
- Three years full-time (part-time over a longer period for health, disability or childcare)
- Application window
- Opens 1 January, closes in mid February, results in May (2027 round: closes 18 February 2027)
Open now (2)
- Leverhulme Early Career FellowUniversity of Sheffield · Sheffield · Closes 20 November 2026
- Early Career FellowshipsThe Leverhulme Trust · Closes 18 February 2027
How to apply
Apply online on the Trust's Grants Management System, choosing a host department. The head of department and then the university's administrative approver must both approve the application by the closing date, and three referees submit their references afterwards.
Who it is for
The scheme is for researchers with a research record who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post. Candidates must have submitted their doctoral thesis for the viva no more than four years before the closing date, and must hold the doctorate by the time the fellowship starts. The four-year window can be extended for career breaks such as maternity leave, family commitments or illness, and applicants with a disability can make a case for an extension in the same section; time spent working outside academia does not count as a break.
Candidates need a link to the UK: either a degree of any kind from a UK university, or an academic post in the UK that began at least four months before the closing date. Anyone who has held postdoctoral posts to pursue their own research totalling three years or more is not eligible, and the Trust counts the full length of each post, not just the time served so far.
How the money works
In the first year the Trust pays all of the fellow's salary costs, up to 56,000 pounds. In the second and third years it pays half, up to 28,000 pounds a year, and the host university pays the rest from its general funds, not from another grant. The fellow also has up to 6,000 pounds a year for research expenses; what is not spent can be carried into later years, so 5,000 pounds used in year one leaves up to 7,000 for year two.
The university sets the starting salary under its own policy and should agree it with the applicant before the application is finalised. The fellowship is 36 months full-time, or longer at part-time for health, disability or childcare reasons, and it cannot be held alongside another post or grant.
During the fellowship
The fellowship is for research. Teaching is not compulsory; where fellows do teach, it should average no more than three hours a week in term and never take more than a day a week. Fellows name a mentor in the host department, and the head of department confirms the facilities and resources the fellow will have.
Fellowships start on the first of a month within a set window: between 1 September 2026 and 1 May 2027 for the 2026 round.
How selection works
- Application. The candidate completes the online form on the Trust's Grants Management System and submits it for institutional approval.
- Head of department. The head of the host department approves the application and adds the relevance of the research, the facilities, the starting salary and the source of the matching funds.
- Institutional approval. An administrative officer approves the application on behalf of the university, which submits it to the Trust. Both approvals must be in by 4pm on the closing date.
- References. Three referees receive a link after submission and must upload references of up to 500 words within about three weeks of the closing date (by 12 March in 2026).
- Decision. The Trust assesses the applications and announces decisions in May (21 May in 2027).
Questions
Do I need to be British?
No nationality rule is given. You need a degree from a UK university or an academic post in the UK that started at least four months before the closing date.
Can I apply before my viva?
Yes, if your thesis has been submitted for examination by the closing date. You must hold the doctorate when the fellowship starts.
Can I apply more than once?
You may submit one application a year, and previously unsuccessful applicants may reapply.
Can I hold the fellowship part-time?
Yes, over a proportionately longer period, for health reasons, disability or childcare. You cannot hold another post at the same time.
Which subjects are excluded?
Studies of disease, illness and disability in humans and animals, and research meant to inform clinical practice or to develop medical applications.
Do I have to teach?
No. Teaching is optional and should average no more than three hours a week in term time.
Related programmes
Sources
Official pages last checked 27 September 2026.