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You are eligible for Route 1 if you have been appointed to an eligible academic or research position at an approved UK higher education institution (HEI) or research institute where you:

  1. have responsibility for academic, research or innovation leadership and development; or
  2. will be performing research or innovation as a primary function of the role

The list of eligible employer organisations under this route is set out below and was last updated on 28 November 2025.

The route is administered by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society and has replaced the Global Talent visa senior appointments route.

If you have a question that is not answered in our FAQs then please contact us via:

[email protected]

How do I know if I am eligible?

You will only be considered eligible for the academic and research appointments route if responsibility for academic, research or innovation leadership and development or if research or innovation is a primary function of the role you have accepted. 

Category 1: Leadership and development

The 'academic, research or innovation leadership and development' category is for individuals in senior leadership roles at a departmental, faculty or institutional level.

Typical duties may include strategy development and delivery and overseeing the management of staff and resources.

Example roles (not exhaustive) include:

  • Vice-Chancellor/Principal
  • Pro Vice-Chancellor/Vice-Principal
  • Dean, Associate Dean
  • Head of School
  • Research Institute Director.

Category 2: A primary function

The ‘a primary function’ category is for individuals appointed to perform research or innovation activity at an eligible employer organisation.

To be considered eligible for endorsement, research or innovation must be a primary function of your role, meaning it is one of the main responsibilities that defines your appointment. For example, if your role involves teaching, postgraduate/PhD supervision or curriculum development, your endorsement application must demonstrate that research or innovation is one of your main responsibilities alongside teaching, supervision, or curricula. If research or innovation is not a primary function of your role, you will not be considered eligible. 

Requiring a PhD or equivalent research experience

In both categories, your endorsement application must additionally confirm that the role you have accepted requires as an essential qualification a PhD or equivalent research experience. This means that the knowledge, skills and experience required to perform the role are at the competency level expected of an individual who has completed a PhD or gained equivalent research experience in an academic, industrial or clinical setting.

Your job description must clearly state that a PhD or equivalent research experience is an essential requirement for the role. If your job description states that a PhD degree or near completion is an essential requirement, then your role will be considered eligible. This must be corroborated by the statement of guarantee signed by the Human Resources Director or equivalent at the organisation to which you have been appointed.

You will not be considered eligible if your job description states:  

  • that a PhD or equivalent research experience is a desirable requirement of the role 
  • that the role requires either a PhD or another postgraduate degree (e.g. MSc, MA, MRes) 

What is “research or innovation” activity? 

“Research or innovation” describes a spectrum of practice around the creation and use of knowledge in the fields of science, engineering, humanities, social science and medicine.

Examples of research or innovation activity include:

  • curiosity-driven research and discovery
  • applied research
  • technological or methodological development.

To be considered eligible under the ‘a primary function’ category, you must be appointed to perform research or innovation by the above definition. If you are employed in an academic support role, or other professional services function that supports researchers within your organisation, you will not be considered eligible for the academic and research appointments route of the Global Talent visa.

You are encouraged to look at all endorsement options before making an application.

Applying for endorsement

To apply for endorsement, you must select the relevant fast-track option on the Stage 1 (endorsement) application form and provide both:

  1. a job description setting out the duties and responsibilities of the position; and
  2. a statement of guarantee from the Director of Human Resources or equivalent at the appointing HEI or research institute.

The statement of guarantee should be dated, signed and presented on headed paper and should confirm that the role and recruitment process for the appointment meet the following criteria as set out in Appendix Global Talent of the Immigration Rules:

  • the job was advertised and an open competition was held, or where it was not, an explanation as to why;
  • the applicant has accepted the job offer;
  • the job requires as essential either a PhD or equivalent research experience to PhD (academic, industrial or clinical);
  • the job title and department in which the applicant will be based;
  • the applicant has responsibility either for academic, research or innovation leadership and development or will be performing research or innovation as a primary function of their role;
  • at least 2 references were received;
  • at least 3 academic, research or innovation representatives were on the interview panel(s);
  • at least 1 expert in the applicant’s field was on the interview panel(s) or at least 1 relevant expert independent of the employing institution was consulted before the job offer was made.

You should not provide a copy of a contract as this will not contain all the required information. Please check carefully that your employing organisation appears on the list of eligible institutions and that your appointment meets the role eligibility criteria above. If you are being employed by an organisation not on the list, you may still be eligible to apply through one of the other Global Talent routes. Your employing institution may provide you with additional guidance to support your application.

 

Institutions eligible under the academic and research appointments route

Higher education institutions (HEIs)

UK independent research organisations (IROs), research council institutes, and public sector research establishments (PSREs)

  • Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC)
  • Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)
  • Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)
  • Agricultural Engineering Precision Centre
  • Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
  • Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
  • Agrimetrics
  • Alan Turing Institute
  • All NHS Trusts, Hospitals, Boards and GP Practices
  • Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
  • Anthony Nolan
  • Armagh Observatory
  • Arts Council England
  • Arts Council Wales
  • Atomic Weapons Establishment
  • Babraham Institute
  • Beatson Institute for Cancer Research
  • BirdLife International
  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
  • British Film Institute
  • British Institute of International and Comparative Law
  • British Library
  • British Museum
  • British Trust for Ornithology
  • Building Research Establishment Ltd (BRE)
  • Butterfly Conservation
  • CAB International
  • Cadw
  • Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme
  • Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre
  • Campden BRI
  • CCFE/UKAEA
  • Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
  • Centre for Crop Health and Protection (CHAP)
  • Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Cefas)
  • Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock
  • Centre for Process Innovation Ltd
  • CERN
  • Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs)
  • Clinical Practice Research Datalink (subsidiary of MHPRA)
  • Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
  • Connected Places Catapult
  • Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE)
  • Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
  • Diamond Light Source Ltd
  • Digital Catapult
  • Earlham Institute
  • Earthwatch Institute
  • EMBL – European Bioinformatics Institute
  • Energy Systems Catapult
  • English Heritage
  • Environment Agency
  • European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)
  • European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
  • FERA Science Ltd
  • FloWave
  • Forest Research
  • Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd
  • Genomics England
  • Glass Futures
  • Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
  • Health Data Research UK (HDR UK)
  • High Value Manufacturing Catapult
  • Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England
  • Historic Environment Scotland
  • Historic Royal Palaces
  • HR Wallingford Group Ltd
  • Imperial War Museum
  • Institute of Development Studies
  • Institute of Fiscal Studies
  • Institute of Occupational Medicine
  • Instruct-ERIC
  • Intellectual Property Office
  • International Institute for Environment and Development
  • Isaac Newton Group
  • John Innes Centre
  • Joint Astronomy Centre
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
  • LGC Ltd including the National Measurement Laboratory for Chemical and Biological Measurements, Office of the Government Chemist, and MHRA’s Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) for chemical testing and the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) Commission Laboratory
  • London Institute of Mathematical Sciences (LIMS)
  • Malaria Consortium (UK)
  • Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
  • Marine Biological Association
  • Marine Management Organisation
  • Marine Scotland Science
  • Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (subsidiary of MHRA)
  • Medicines Discovery Catapult
  • Moredun Research Institute
  • MRC Centre for Macaques
  • MRC Harwell Institute
  • MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
  • MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
  • Museum of London Archaeology
  • National Archives
  • National Botanical Gardens of Wales

Page last updated: 8 April 2026

  • National Centre for Atmospheric Science
  • National Centre for Earth Observation
  • National Centre for Social Research
  • National Composites Centre
  • National Engineering Laboratory
  • National Foundation for Educational Research
  • National Galleries of Scotland
  • National Gallery
  • National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA)
  • National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC)
  • National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (subsidiary of MHRA)
  • National Institute of Agricultural Botany
  • National Institute of Economic and Social Research
  • National Institute of Health and Care Excellence
  • National Library of Scotland
  • National Library of Wales
  • National Maritime Museum
  • National Museum Wales
  • National Museums Liverpool
  • National Museums of Scotland
  • National Nuclear Laboratory
  • National Oceanography Centre
  • National Physical Laboratory
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • Natural England
  • Natural History Museum
  • Natural Resources Wales
  • NERC British Antarctic Survey
  • NERC British Geological Survey
  • Nesta
  • Net Zero Technology Centre
  • Northern Ireland Environment Agency
  • Nuclear AMRC
  • Office of Health Economics (OHE)
  • Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
  • Ordnance Survey
  • Organic Research Centre
  • ODI Global
  • Plymouth Marine Laboratory
  • Public Health Wales
  • Quadram Institute Bioscience
  • RAND Europe Community Interest Company
  • Rosalind Franklin Institute
  • Rothamsted Research
  • Royal Armouries
  • Royal Botanic Gardens – Edinburgh
  • Royal Botanic Gardens – Kew
  • Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
  • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
  • Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
  • Satellite Applications Catapult
  • Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture
  • Science Museum Group
  • Scottish Association for Marine Sciences
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency
  • Sightsavers
  • Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science
  • Sir John Soane’s Museum
  • Smith Institute 
  • Sport England
  • Sports Council Wales
  • STFC Laboratories
  • Tate
  • Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
  • The Aga Khan University (International) in the United Kingdom
  • The Faraday Institution
  • The Francis Crick Institute
  • The James Hutton Institute
  • The Met Office
  • The National Trust
  • The Pirbright Institute
  • The Resolution Foundation
  • The Royal Institution of Great Britain
  • The Sainsbury Laboratory
  • The Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKA)
  • The Welding Institute
  • Transport Research Laboratory Limited
  • UK Astronomy Technology Centre
  • UK Atomic Energy Authority
  • UK Biobank
  • UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
  • UK Dementia Research Institute
  • UK Health Security Agency
  • UK Hydrographic Office
  • UK Space Agency
  • Unlimited Health
  • Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK Ltd
  • Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
  • Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Wallace Collection
  • Warwick Manufacturing Group HVM Catapult (WMG)
  • Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
  • World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
  • Young Foundation
  • Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology