FAQ

The scheme allows academics to be relieved of their teaching and administrative responsibilities in order to concentrate full-time on engineering research.

The Fellowship covers the salary costs of a replacement academic who will take over the awardee’s teaching and administrative duties for up to one year.

The Fellowship covers the salary costs (up to £65,000 including pension, national insurance and any anticipated pay awards) of an academic who will take over non-research related activities of the awardee for the duration of the Fellowship. The salary costs will be payable at the first spinal point of lecturer pay scale at the host institution.

An additional support fund of up to £5,000 is also available to the awardee to cover miscellaneous research costs, such as conference attendance and public engagement activities.

All Fellowships last between one academic term and one year. Requests for a Fellowship shorter than one academic term will not be accepted.

For Fellowships lasting less than one year, applicants should request funding based on the actual eligible costs required for the period of support. As the main cost is expected to be the salary cost of the replacement academic, the amount requested may not be directly proportional to the Fellowship duration. Applicants should consult their host institution when completing the costs table.

The research support allowance can cover a range of activities directly associated with delivering the Fellowship research programme, including:

• Attendance at national and international conferences for dissemination of research outputs
• Travel and subsistence associated with fieldwork, archival research, and collaborative visits
• Access to specialist facilities, datasets, software, or technical resources required for the research
• Costs associated with publication, dissemination, and open research outputs
• Public engagement and knowledge exchange activities linked to the Fellowship.

The support fund must not be used to meet any institution overheads or indirect costs. If the support fund is requested, a full account of its use will be required at the end of the Fellowship and any unspent funds returned to the Academy.

Please note that computers are not an eligible cost.

There are no age limits, but the applicants should be able to demonstrate sufficient experience and academic status to merit the title of Research Fellow.

There are no nationality restrictions but applicants must hold a permanent position at a UK institution at the time of making the application.

Applications are welcome from any engineering discipline, including multidisciplinary fields. Engineering is defined in its broadest sense, encompassing a wide range of diverse fields, including computer science and materials.  

Broad engineering categories are listed in Appendix A of the RAEng-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships Guidance Notes 2026-2027 and can also be found under the ‘List of Panels’ on the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Fellowship page.

RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships can be held part time. The request for a part-time RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (at no less than 50% of full-time equivalent) must be clearly stated within the application.

Funding for part-time awards can be requested based on the salary cost of the replacement academic, adjusted for the applicant’s full-time equivalent, up to the maximum award value. Recognising that salary structures vary between institutions, where the salary requested appears unusually high relative to the stated full-time equivalent, applicants will be asked to provide a short justification within the application form.

Research Fellows are entitled to maternity, paternity and adoption leave under the host institution’s normal conditions of employment. The Academy will extend the duration of the Research Fellowship pro-rata to take into account such periods of leave and any conversions to part-time working. Research Fellows with caring responsibilities should liaise directly with the host institution if they wish to apply for part-time or flexible working.  

Access Mentoring is a positive action initiative that matches applicants from underrepresented groups with mentors to support them with their application. To be eligible for Access Mentoring support for RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships applications, applicants need to meet the eligibility criteria for the RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships scheme and must be from one of the following groups:  

• Women
• Black people (including any mixed ethnicity groups that include Black ethnic backgrounds) 
• Disabled people 

For more information on Access Mentoring, please see guidance and how to apply

A letter of support from the applicant’s Head of Department is mandatory. This letter should confirm and detail the university’s support for the proposed Fellowship as well as their willingness to release the applicant from teaching and administrative responsibilities if awarded. The letter should also confirm the suitability of the applicant and the research project for the Fellowship and the accuracy of the information provided in the application form.

A separate declaration letter containing specific wording must also be provided by the host university to confirm that the university has approved the application and accepts the terms and criteria of the scheme.

Letters of support from collaborators are optional but can provide evidence to reviewers of the collaborator’s commitment and details of any contribution the collaborator will make to the project.

Please refer to the RAEng-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships Guidance Notes 2026-2027 for further information on the required format and content of supporting documents. Letters should be collated (if applicable) and uploaded as a single PDF document.

Each eligible application will be assigned to two expert reviewers, who will be Academy Fellows or non-Fellows with expertise in the subject area.

A Selection Panel composed primarily of Academy Fellows will moderate the reviews and then meet to select the successful applications to be awarded. A senior representative from The Leverhulme Trust will also be invited to attend and observe the meeting. There is no interview stage.

The following areas are addressed by the panel:

Suitability of the candidate for the RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship

• Does the candidate demonstrate quality, independence, scientific insight and originality in their research? 
• Does the candidate have relevant experience? 
• Does the applicant make a strong case for relief from teaching and administrative activities to be able to dedicate time to research? 

Quality of the proposed research project

• How strong is the research project in terms of ambition, novelty and timeliness? 
• Are the proposed research methods appropriate and achievable within the timeframe? 
• How well has the applicant considered equity, diversity and inclusion in their research?
• Does the proposal consider ethical and inclusive experimental design properly and appropriately (including, if relevant, alignment with the Academy’s Animal Use and Human Participants in Research, Innovation and Development Policies)?

Host institution support and collaborations

• How strong is the letter of support and level of commitment from the host institution?
• Is the extent of industrial involvement and collaborations appropriate?

Long-term plans and dissemination

• How ambitious and realistic are the applicant’s plans for progress after the Fellowship is completed?
• How well will the applicant build upon any existing or future collaborations?
• Has the applicant proposed a robust plan for dissemination and public engagement?

Beneficiaries and impact

• Have the beneficiaries of this research been identified and has it been explained how they will benefit?
• How well have any societal and economic benefits arising from the research been explained?

Any proposal to transfer the Fellowship to a different host institution within the UK would need to be discussed with the existing and proposed host institutions. If the new host institution agrees to host the Fellowship, the Academy will submit and seek approval from the Leverhulme Trust. 

No cost extensions to the Fellowship are permitted in agreement with the host university if supported by the awardee’s Academy Mentor and approved by the Academy and the Leverhulme Trust. 

Various changes, including maternity/paternity leave and part-time working requests, are permitted. Unfortunately, costed extensions are not allowed (aside from a reimbursement from paternity/maternity leave). It is imperative to check the process and required documents with the Academy team when requesting any changes.

If you are successful, your funding will be awarded under the RD&I Terms and Conditions found on our grant policies and positions page.

This agreement has been developed to ensure funding aligns with our Academy values, is used for the purposes for which it was awarded and is managed in compliance with our own funders’ agreements, UK legislation and funding best practice.

Successful awardees will be asked to submit an initiation report to confirm they have started. After this initial report, awardees will be asked to submit a mid-term and end of term progress report and financial expenditure statement. 

Yes, awardees of this Fellowship will be assigned an Academy Mentor to provide expert, independent advice and support for the duration of the Research Fellowship and to also formally monitor the Research Fellow’s progress for the Academy.  

Please reach out to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s research programmes team at [email protected] with any additional questions. 

Frequency of award cycle: Call for applications is open once a year. In the current round, applications open on the 4 August 2026 and close on the 3 November 2026 (5pm).

Please refer to the RAEng-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships Guidance Notes 2026-2027 for information on the key dates.  

Start date of award: RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships must start between 1 August and 1st October, unless otherwise advised by the Academy.

Duration of award: All Fellowships last between one academic term and one year. 

We expect to award seven Fellowships in each round, subject to confirmation of award values and available budget.

If you are awarded a Research Fellowship, you will gain access to the Academy’s Awardee Excellence Community.

The community brings together awardees from across the Academy’s programmes from all career stages and disciplines to share their expertise, collaborate, and contribute new perspectives to the Academy’s work. You can meet, learn from and support other awardees beyond your immediate cohort, as well as a broader cross section of Academy Fellows through a programme of events and opportunities to connect in person and online.

Benefits include:

• Access to the Awardee’s Area, which is home to our awardee directory and community noticeboard. Here you can meet, connect with and support other awardees beyond your immediate cohort
• A monthly newsletter that keeps you up to date with news from the Academy and other awardees
• exclusive access to community events including the Academy CAFÉ, online networking and our in-person flagship event
• Shaping the Academy’s work through opportunities to join Academy committees, speak at our events, and informing our policy work
• Support from the Academy to organise your own activities and events.