Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Fellowship
Publication date:
15 January 2026
Opening date:
15 January 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
21 April 2026 4:00pm UK time
Last updated: 21 January 2026 -
Apply for an early independence fellowship to support your career transition within the new, if your research focus is within the MRC remit.
You must:
* have a PhD or equivalent
* show evidence of career consolidation and past productivity
* show clear plans for establishing your own research niche that enables a step-change towards independence
We will fund your salary and project costs (80% of the full economic cost) for up to five years (pro rata for part-time fellowships).
You may choose to apply for joint funding from one of the collaborating organisations.
Who can apply
This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. .
Applications are welcomed from applicants of all nationalities, including those not currently located in the UK, however, this is subject to the fellowship being based at an .
Who is eligible to apply
To be eligible to apply for an early independence career development fellowship you must:
* have completed a PhD or equivalent
* show evidence of skills, experience, career development and productivity across past appointments
* have your own research plans that do not significantly overlap with those of your current group leaders or proposed sponsors, to establish your own research niche and team
* have a research focus that is within to improve human health and have the support of an
We support individuals driving intellectual, methodological and technical leadership, valuing these career paths equally. There are no eligibility rules based on age or years of postdoctoral experience.
You must have completed a PhD or equivalent before the fellowship award can start. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you should contact to arrange to speak to the relevant programme manager before submitting an application.
Who is not eligible to apply
You are not eligible to apply if:
* you have applied for an MRC fellowship within the last year or twice before
* you have applied for another UKRI fellowship of the same type or an MRC new investigator award and your application is being assessed
* you have part of the fellowship project as a grant application with any organisation and your application is being assessed
* you are the project lead on a UKRI grant application and it is being assessed
* you have been awarded a comparable fellowship supporting early independence or a new investigator award from any organisation
* you have secured grants as a project lead, that include support for and leading of research staff such as postdoctoral research associates as this would indicate you have already made the step-change to independence
* you are clinically active (the funding opportunity is the equivalent scheme dedicated for registered healthcare professionals)
* you will not be employed by an for your fellowship
You cannot hold a salaried position and a fellowship at the same time. If you have already achieved independence by securing a permanent position, your application will not be competitive.
In exceptional circumstances, if you hold a salaried position and can demonstrate a clear step change in career route (for example, enabling a focus on research when currently holding a teaching role), then you may apply. However, if awarded a fellowship, you must either give up your current role or change it to a proleptic appointment for the duration of the fellowship.
If you want to retain an existing position and combine this with research funding, we recommend you look at one of instead.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
* career breaks
* support for people with caring responsibilities
* flexible working
* alternative working patterns
* job shares (contact us for further guidance)
for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
We are supportive of applicants wishing to combine their research training with caring responsibilities and, in that context, our fellowship awards may be held on a part-time basis or within .
for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
Further fellowship guidance
Further information related to all aspects of the fellowship application process, can be found in the .
If you’re unsure whether you are eligible to apply, email before beginning your application.
What we're looking for
Scope
The aim of the fellowship is to support talented researchers who have gained a higher research degree and have evidence of career consolidation and productivity across past appointments to:
* lead their own research plans to establish their own research niche
* start to build their own research team
* make the first step-change towards independence
We welcome applications from across all areas of our remit to improve human health. This may range from basic studies with relevance to mechanisms of disease, to translational and developmental clinical research.
Our science areas include:
* infections and immunity
* molecular and cellular medicine
* population and systems medicine
* neurosciences and mental health
* translation
* global health
* methodology
* public health
Please note that global health research should align with MRC’s core remit spanning from biomedical discovery research to early translational research.
Normally fellowships would not be a suitable route to establish longitudinal population studies (LPS). Additionally, until further notice, MRC will only accept applications for core infrastructure support for existing LPS with previous MRC support.
Requirements
You must be able to:
* explain why a fellowship is the best way to support your long-term career goals and chosen career path to become an independent researcher in a medical research field
* show evidence of career development and productivity across past appointments
* demonstrate clear plans to establish your own independent research niche and research plans and start to build your own research team
* show ambitious and credible ideas for the fellowship to enable a clear step change in your career towards research independence
If your application does not clearly address the requirements, it may be rejected prior to seeking expert reviewer comments.
You also must have at least one sponsor, who:
* is a senior member of the department where you are applying to host your fellowship
* acts as a supporter for the application and the fellowship, but does not have a supervisory role
* has expertise in the research area and acts as guarantor for the quality of the proposed work, suitability of you as a fellowship candidate and the quality of training and development you will receive
You can have additional sponsors if necessary to support all areas of the proposed work and they may be from other organisations.
What the fellowship gives you
This fellowship provides a competitive salary, giving you the chance to concentrate fully on your research, training and development.
You may spend up to six hours a week, pro rata for part-time fellowships, on other commitments such as teaching, demonstrating, or other funded projects.
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We may allow greater flexibility on the time dedicated to non-fellowship activities (for example, those detailed previously or those obtaining grant support) during the second half of a fellowship.
Email the programme manager at to discuss your plans.
For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.
Duration
The early independence career development fellowship provides support for up to five years (pro rata for part-time fellowships). We expect you to take advantage of the full five years’ funding available. However, we understand that plans for the later stages of a fellowship will not be as defined as the initial years.
If you are intending to apply for a shorter period, you should contact the programme manager at before applying.
These periods are based on full-time equivalents. You may hold an award on a part-time basis to meet personal commitments, but not because of other professional commitments.
We expect you to start your fellowship no earlier than January 2027 and no later than April 2027. Any start dates outside of this must be discussed with MRC prior to the October 2026 decision meeting.
Funding available
There is no limit to the amount of funding you can request. However, all costs must be fully justified and demonstrate value for money.
Your application must be for an amount that:
* is appropriate to the project
* you can justify in order to deliver the objectives of the proposed research
We will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC) and 100% of permitted exceptions.
Please note, the inclusion of staff costs should be commensurate with initial establishment of a group and involve the development of those individuals, for example postdoctoral research associate or research associate type roles with the delivery of the project. The inclusion of numerous enabling staff, any senior staff, or both would otherwise constitute a research grant and is not within the expectations of a fellowship. In addition, costs for consumables should be justified, it is the expectation that the research organisation provides basic space and equipment for the duration of your award.
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What we will fund
The early independence career development fellowship will cover the cost of your salary.
The fellowship will also provide funding for:
* support for a small number of research and technical staff as justified by the project and early independence career stage of this fellowship
* visa fees and international health surcharge costs for fellows and
* research consumables
* equipment
* travel costs
* training activities
* data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
* estates and indirect costs
* public partnerships and related activities, including
*, when they are associated with NHS studies
The award will also support a period of research overseas, at a second UK research organisation or in industry, whichever is most appropriate. We encourage successful applicants to take advantage of these opportunities to establish collaborative networks and cross-sector development.
You may spend up to 12 months of your award at a second organisation. Applicants intending to spend longer periods overseas you must contact us at before applying.
Requests for support beyond research and innovation associate and technical posts can only be included in exceptional circumstances and must be discussed with the office in advance.
What we will not fund
We will not fund:
* costs for PhD studentships
* publication costs
* funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants
* costs for sponsors
* costs for mentors
* costs for a large research team
* costs for senior staff included under any role
Joint funders
We collaborate with royal colleges and charity funders to offer jointly-funded career development fellowships.
These awards offer the prestige of having the relevant organisation co-fund your fellowship and may offer additional opportunities to report on your project, present your work at meetings and take part in professional networking.
We are inviting applications for jointly-funded career development fellowships with the following organisations:
* Addiction Healthcare Goals, led by the Office for Life Sciences
* The Borne Foundation
* DEBRA (the butterfly skin charity)
* Diabetes UK
* Kidney Research UK
* Macular Society
* Multiple Sclerosis Society
* Parkinson’s UK
We will offer all jointly funded fellowships under standard UKRI and MRC terms and conditions, except where the co-funder has specified additional terms and conditions.
See Additional information for further details of the joint funders.
Project partner
A project partner is a collaborating organisation in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU, who will have an integral role in the proposed research. You may include project partners that will support your fellowship through cash or in-kind contributions, such as:
* staff time
* access to equipment
* sites or facilities
* the provision of data
* software or materials
* recruitment of people as research participants
* providing samples, such as human tissue, for the project
Each project partner must provide a statement of support. If your application involves industry partners, they must provide additional information if the team project partner falls within the .