Opportunity status:
Upcoming
Funders:
UK Research and Innovation
Funding type:
Fellowship
Total fund:
£110,000,000
Publication date:
2 December 2025
Opening date:
2 February 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
16 June 2026 4:00pm UK time
Apply for funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit. You must be an early career researcher or innovator who is either:
* looking to establish or transition to independence
* developing your own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting
You must be based at, and have the support of, a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding.
There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).
This is a pre-announcement and the information may change.
The funding opportunity will open on 2 February 2026. More information will be available on this page then.
For academic applicants
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
For non-academic applicants
The non-academic funding opportunity will be hosted on the Innovate Funding Service (IFS).
We will publish full details on how to apply when the funding opportunities opens.
Get help with your application
If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page
The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.
Contact details
For help and advice on costings and writing your application please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.
For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact
Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.