Eligibility

Eligibility criteria

1. Awards must be held at a UK higher education institution/university.
2. Awards made in this round must start on 1 March 2024.
3. Research Chairs are professorial appointments, so applicants should already be a professor or equivalent.
4. Senior Research Fellowships are senior academic appointments, so applicants should already be at reader or lecturer level or equivalent.
5. Applicants should be able to demonstrate an outstanding research profile including a proven track record in securing external grant income and developing collaborations.
6. Applications are welcome from any engineering discipline. Engineering is defined in its broadest sense, encompassing a wide range of diverse fields. If you are unsure whether your collaborative research project falls within the Academy’s engineering remit area, please contact research@raeng.org.uk.
7. The duration of an award is five years, on a full-time basis. The Academy will expect the awardee to contribute no more than four hours per week towards administration/teaching duties. The industrial sponsor must commit to fund the entire five-year period. Applications for shorter time periods will not be accepted.
8. The industrial sponsor must have a significant base in the UK. No more than a maximum of two industrial sponsors per application is allowed.
9. In special circumstances, the industrial sponsor may be another funding body such as a charity or government department. In such cases, the funding body is subject to the same terms and conditions as an industrial sponsor and must also demonstrate suitable pathways to exploit research outcomes and impact.
10. The industrial sponsor must contribute at least £250,000 towards this collaborative research project over the five-year period. This can include both cash and in-kind support. The amount of funding the industrial sponsor is willing to contribute is an important assessment criterion, being an indicator of the level of commitment to the post and the level of ambition for the group to be created.
11. Applicants must have already identified an appropriate collaborative research project and secured the support of an industrial sponsor prior to submitting an application.
12. The proposed research programme should naturally align with the interests of the industrial sponsor and its ‘use-inspired research’ should be underpinned by world-class basic research. The collaborative research proposal must be of mutual benefit to both industrial sponsor and host institution. Please note the proposal should not be a consultancy work.
13. The Research Chairs / Senior Research Fellowship cannot be jointly hosted by more than one higher education institution/university.