FAQ

The Government Office for Science offers UK Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships to outstanding early career science or engineering researchers. These Research Fellowships are designed to promote unclassified basic research in areas of interest to the intelligence, security and defence communities.

Each year members of the IC identify research topics, and the applicants work locally with their University Research Advisor to develop and submit research proposals that align with the topics.

Early-career researchers worldwide with a PhD, which was awarded no more than five years before the submission deadline. PhD students are eligible to apply, but must have been awarded their PhD (or the PhD must have been unconditionaly approved) before the date suggested in the applicant guidance notes or the offer will be withdrawn.

From 2024 only citizens of Australia, Canada, the EEA, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK or the US can apply.

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 the Research Fellowship.

In addition, the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships must be held at one of the following eligible institutions that can show it is capable of fully supporting the research project and researcher:

- a UK higher education institution/university or

- a UK research organisation that is eligible to receive UKRI funding. However, organisations represented in the UK Intelligence Community for this scheme are excluded.

A basic security check is required as part of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship scheme. By applying to this scheme the applicant is agreeing to be security checked prior to the start of the Research Fellowship providing the required information (full name, date of birth, nationality and current address) to the funder/relevant governmental organisation who will perform the check. If the Research Fellow does not meet or complete the security check requirement, the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship award will be withdrawn.

Occasionally security vetting is required as part of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship scheme, by applying to this scheme the applicant is agreeing to be vetted if it becomes necessary during the Research Fellowship. If security vetting is required and the Research Fellow does not meet the security vetting requirement or does not complete the vetting process in a timely manner, the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship award will be withdrawn.

Only citizens of Australia, Canada, the EEA, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK or the US can apply.  The host institution is responsible for securing all necessary work permits and related costs for the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows.

A basic security check is required as part of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship scheme.

From 2024 nationality restrictions and basic security checks are required by the Government Office for Science. This is to mitigate risks in the researchers’ relationships with UK government and to safeguard awardees. Nationality is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, however exceptions for the purpose of safeguarding national security are permitted.

Occasionally security vetting is required as part of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship scheme, by applying to this scheme the applicant is agreeing to be vetted if it becomes necessary during the Research Fellowship.

Yes, you are eligible to apply for funding if you hold dual citizenship, provided that at least one of your citizenships is from Australia, Canada, the EEA, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, or the US.

Please ensure that you meet all other eligibility criteria outlined in the application guidelines before submitting your application.

No, there are no citizenship restrictions for University Research Advisors participating in the scheme. We welcome advisors from all backgrounds and nationalities to support eligible applicants.

Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £250,000 over the 2-year period at 80% of the full economic costs (fEC). The host institution is responsible for providing the remaining costs. For further details on the resources requested, please see the applicant guidance notes available on the how to apply page.

In addition to the financial support, the scheme also provides mentoring support from an Academy Fellow and training and networking opportunities and access to the Awardee Excellence Community. In addition, UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows will be assigned an Intelligence Community (IC) Advisor, who will advise the awardee and the University Research Advisor on the project.

The IC Advisor is the government representative for each topic.  They are the responsible party from the government to track that the research of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellow is in line with aims of the research topic.

The funding is at 80% of full economic costs.

The funding includes directly incurred costs (e.g. Research Fellow's salary, travel and subsistence, other costs), directly allocated costs (e.g. estates) and indirect costs. For further details on the resources requested, please see the applicant guidance notes available on the how to apply page.

There are limits on the requested costs (e.g. unless the need for significant comptuting power can be justified, the purchase of a computer should not exceed £3,000 and you should not request more that one computer. The cost of any single item of equipment, software, cloud computing/compute time fees, database subscription or upgrade to existing equipment should not exceed £10,000. For further details on the resources requested, please see the applicant guidance notes available on the how to apply page.

The Goverment Office for Science will fund up to £125,000 per year at 80% of full economic costs. Each application is capped at a maximum contribution of £250,000 over the 2-year period. In addition, UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows will be assigned an Intelligence Community Advisor (IC Advisor), who will advise the awardee and the University Research Advisor on the research project.

The IC Advisor is the government representative for each topic.  They are the responsible party from the government to track that the research of the UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellow is in line with aims of the research topic.

Frequency of award cycle

Applications are open once a year, usually opening in December and closing in April. There is one application round each year.

Timeline of review process

Applications review will take place between April – June. Applicants will be informed of the result in July.

Start date of award

UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships that are awarded in the year round must start between 1 October and 1 January of the following year, unless otherwise advised by the Academy.

Duration of award

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.

Applications must be submitted via the Academy's online grants management system. Please read the how to apply page before attempting to complete the application.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the host institution to gain their formal approval before submitting an application.

UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships cannot be held at industrial institutions. However, research may be carried out with an industrial collaborator, providing the research is relevant to the programme of UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.

No.

Applicants who have applied to this scheme before and were unsuccessful are eligible to reapply. These applications will be considered as new applications.

The scheme has a one-stage assessment process. Applications will be assessed by reviewers consisting of the UK government intelligence, security, and defence community members (under the auspices of the Government Office for Science) and Academy Fellows. The reviewers will provide comments against each of the following assessment criteria, the overall quality of the application and make a recommendation on whether the applicant should be funded.

It is important to note that the scores and comments from the topic authors carry significant weight in the evaluation process. A project may face challenges in securing funding if the topic author provides a negative assessment, as their expertise is closely tied to the relevance and feasibility of the proposed work.

The selection panel will consider the reviewers’ comments and select the top ranked candidates for awards.

To ensure both diversity and excellence, awards will be distributed across the different topics.

For further details on the assessment criteria, please see the applicant guidance notes on the how to apply page.

If you are successful, your funding will be awarded under the RD&I Terms and Conditions found on the Academy’s website.
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.

The Government Office for Science would normally expect right of use of any intellectual property generated during the research fellowship. The Academy will not own or be granted a licence under any intellectual property rights relating to or resulting from the Research Fellowship's Programme of Activities. All rights, title and interests in the foreground intellectual property shall be owned by the awardee's host university. Please see the Intellectual Property clauses in our standard contract template on the policy documents page for more details.   

UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows 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. Up to four hours a week may be spent on teaching, adminstrative and non-research duties, and consultancy work.

UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellows must submit a progress report every three months throughout the duration of the fellowship as well as an annual report and expenditure statement at the end of each year. At the annual review meeting the Research Fellow, mentor and Academy staff will discuss the report, progress made and future plans. Research Fellows will also be asked to provide some key data on their annual performance (e.g. publications and additional research funding) for the purpose of auditing and reporting to the Academy’s funders. Please see the Reporting and Review Meeting guindance on the how to apply page for more details.

Extensions beyond the two-year period are not permitted except for extenuating circumstances (e.g. maternity, paternity, extended sick leave, national service, or caring responsibility).

If the project warrants a third year of research and the Research Fellow, University Research Advisor, and IC Advisor concur, the Research Fellow is required to submit a supplementary research proposal. The proposal should not exceed three pages and must be emailed to the Academy no later than 1 January of the second year of research. This submission does not replace the annual reporting requirement. The third-year extension will be based on the quality of the research proposed and the availability of funding.

Research Programmes Team