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Early independence: career development fellowship

Description

The Early Independence: Career Development Fellowship is a personal fellowship awarded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) (part of UKRI). It supports promising researchers with a PhD (or equivalent) to make a step-change towards research independence by establishing their own research niche and beginning to build a research team in an area within the MRC’s remit to improve human health. The funding covers salary and research costs at a high level of support to enable early independent research leadership.

Funding amount

  • Per fellowship: the award provides support for salary and research costs at 80 % of full economic cost (FEC), with justifications required for all requested resources.

  • The fellowship can include funding for a small number of research/technical staff, consumables, equipment, travel, training, visa fees, data management, estates costs, and related eligible costs.

Submission deadlines

  • Opening date: 15 January 2026 at 9:00 am UK time.
  • Closing date: 21 April 2026 at 4:00 pm UK time.

Submission conditions

Applicants must:

  • submit through the UKRI Funding Service (not Je-S).
  • have completed a PhD or equivalent before the award starts and provide evidence of productivity and career consolidation;
  • show clear plans for establishing an independent research niche;
  • include a sponsor from the host organisation who can attest to support and environment suitability;
  • justify all project costs and demonstrate value for money;
  • not hold another similar fellowship or be lead on certain other UKRI applications concurrently;
  • follow UKRI eligibility, costing and policy (including ethical/Responsible Research & Innovation compliance where relevant).

Eligible types of businesses / organisations

  • Lead applicant: Individual researcher (fellow) with a PhD or equivalent.
  • Host organisation: Eligible UK research organisation that will employ the fellow and sponsor the application (e.g., a UK university, research institute or NHS research site).
  • Applicants of any nationality are eligible if the fellowship is based at a UK research organisation.
  • Project partners: Collaborating organisations in the UK or overseas may be included with statements of support where they contribute resources.

Expected Outcome

Awarded fellows are expected to:

  • develop and lead a major independent research programme;
  • demonstrate intellectual and methodological leadership in their field;
  • build the foundations for a sustained independent research career, including establishing a research group;
  • contribute to high-quality research outputs that advance understanding in their chosen biomedical or health-related area;
  • drive innovation, discovery, or translational breakthroughs that align with health improvement goals.

Scope

Fellowships should:

  • support individual researchers to lead their own programme of research that is clearly distinct from their current group leaders and represents a genuine move toward independence;
  • address research within MRC’s remit to improve human health, including basic biological studies, translational and clinical research across areas such as infections, immunity, neuroscience, health systems, methodology, global health etc.;
  • include a fellowship plan that convincingly supports the applicant’s career trajectory toward research independence;
  • require at least one senior sponsor from the host organisation to support the application;
  • optionally allow inclusion of project partners (organisations contributing in cash or in-kind).

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