Early Independence: Ernest Rutherford Fellowships 2026 (Fellowship)
UK Research and Innovation, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
What it funds
STFC offers up to 10 Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (ERFs) to applicants on an upward trajectory to pursuing working independently and developing research leadership are encouraged to apply if your research focus is within the remit of STFC core science programme.You must:hold a PhD or have relevant experiencebe hosted by a research organisation with an STFC ERF quotashow clear plans for establishing your own research niche that enables a step-change towards independenceWe will fund your applicat
Who can apply
This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.Who is eligible to applyErnest Rutherford Fellowships (ERFs) are open to applicants who hold a doctorate or who can evidence equivalent research experience and are aiming to establish their own research niche and independence.This fellowship is open to a diversity of research and innovation staff, including researchers, innovators, research technical professionals and research software engineers, who can meet the aims of the funding opportunity. We value intellectual, methodological and technical career paths and there are no time-bound eligibility criteria, for example years of postdoctoral experience.You must:evidence skills, experience, career development and productivity across past appointmentshave your own research plans that do not significantly overlap with those of othershave the support of an eligible UK organisationIf you secure an academic position at lecturer level prior to the offer of a fellowship, you will be ineligible to hold the fellowship.Eligible institutionsFellowships may be held at any eligible UK research organisation that holds a STFC ERF app
How to apply
Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1278/apply/1308We 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.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.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.Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers
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