Early Independence: NERC Independent Research Fellowship 2026 (Fellowship)
UK Research and Innovation, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
What it funds
Apply for funding to further your career through an independent research fellowshipYou must:be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) fundingmeet the individual eligibility requirementsbe an early career researcherhold a PhD qualification or have relevant research experience combined with clear evidence of leadership potentialYour application must be within NERC’s remit.There is no limit on the value of the grant. NERC will fund 80% of the fu
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.Before applying for funding, check the following:NERC eligibility guidance for applicantscheck if your project is within NERC remit and complete a NERC remit enquiry form if you are unsure if your application falls in NERC’s remit.For more details on funding for fellows on research grants, see the NERC research grant and fellowships handbook.Who is eligible to applyThis funding opportunity is open to early career researchers, as well as to a diversity of research and innovation staff including research technical professionals and research software engineers, wishing to carry out independent research. Applicants on an upward trajectory to pursuing working independently and developing research leadership are encouraged to apply.You should be able to demonstrate appropriate and relevant research or innovation experience. You must also be able to evidence reasonable scientific and technical skills and competencies, in line with the ambitions of the Independent Research Fellowship scheme.This could be through:completion of a PhD or other higher qualificationrelevant employment wit
How to apply
Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service: https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1185/apply/1216We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.The fellow is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.Watch our recording on how to apply for an opportunity in the Funding Service.To applySelect ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page:Confirm you are the fellow.Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password
Last checked against the official source within the last 7 days. Scheme parameters are set by the funder and can change — verify before applying, or let us do it for you.
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