Eligibility

Eligibility criteria

• UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships must be held at a UK higher education institution/university in a department that can show it is capable of fully supporting the research project and researcher.  
• UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships cannot be jointly hosted by multiple institutions.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the host institution to gain their formal approval before submitting an application.
• The proposed research project must address one of the research topics outlined at the end of the applicant guidance notes.
• UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are aimed at early-career researchers. Applicants must have a PhD, which was awarded no more than five years before the submission deadline: Tuesday 25 April 2023. This time period includes applicants’ work experience in academia or/and in industry in the UK or/and worldwide. A margin of up to three months more than the five-year limit is acceptable. If applicants have had maternity/paternity leave or other extenuating circumstances (e.g., extended sick leave, national service, or caring responsibilities), this will be taken into consideration if the relevant dates and details are provided in the application form.
• PhD students are eligible to apply, but must have been awarded their PhD (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) before 01 August 2023 or the offer will be withdrawn.
• The applicant must not hold a permanent academic position before the start of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Probationary or fixed-term lecturers are eligible to apply if the probationary or fixed-term status remains till the start of Research Fellowship.
• UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships must commence between 1 October 2023 and 1 December 2023. The duration of a UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is two years full-time, calculated on a pro-rata basis for part-time awards. Requests for a shorter UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship are not accepted.
• UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows will be employed by the host institution and are required to devote all their working time to the Research Fellowship programme of work. The UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship must be the Research Fellow’s only source of employment. The Research Fellow should be based at the host institution for more than 50% of the Research Fellowship. If the Research Fellow needs to work more than 50% of the Research Fellowship outside the host institution, justification must be provided in the application form (Choice of host institution).
• There are no nationality and age restrictions for applicants. The host institution is responsible for securing all necessary work permits and related costs for the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
• Applicants who have applied to this scheme before and were unsuccessful are eligible to reapply. These applications will be considered as new applications.
• No security vetting is required as part of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship scheme, but by applying to this scheme the applicant is agreeing to be vetted if it becomes necessary during the Research Fellowship. Applicants are asked to declare any reasons why they might not be eligible to work in this area (see Statement of Support and Declaration in the application form). If security vetting is required and the Research Fellow does not meet the security vetting requirement, the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship award will be withdrawn. 
• Any applications that are incomplete or do not adhere to the guidance will be rejected.
• Once submitted the application form cannot be edited and updated.