RAEng / Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships

About the scheme

As academics progress through their careers from postdoctoral positions into more senior roles, their workload evolves to include more teaching and administrative responsibilities. As a result, they are left with less time to dedicate to research.

The RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships aim to address this by allowing the academics to concentrate on full-time research and be relieved of teaching and administrative responsibilities. The purpose of the Fellowships is to cover the salary costs of a replacement academic who will take over the awardee’s teaching and administration duties for up to one year.

The fellowships are funded by the kind support of The Leverhulme Trust.

Funded by the Leverhulme Trust

Fellowships at a glance

Who should apply

Open to academics holding a permanent position at a UK university at lecturer, senior lecturer or reader level (or equivalent) and teaching an engineering discipline at undergraduate or postgraduate level and

Overview

Up to one-year fellowship supporting early to mid-career academics to concentrate on research

Funding available

Up to £70,000 which includes a maximum of £65,000 for the salary costs of a replacement academic who will cover the Awardee’s teaching and administrative duties and a support fund of up to £5,000 

How to apply

Submit an application via the Academy's online Grants Management System.

Why should I apply?

• Your time protected for research with teaching and administrative duties covered by a replacement academic
• Flexible award duration from minimum of one academic term to maximum of one year
• Increased funding of up to £70,000 from 2026/27, covering salary costs (up to £65,000) of the replacement academic as well as a support fund (£5000) for miscellaneous research expenses
• Simple one-stage application process
• Training and mentoring from leading engineers to support your development
• An opportunity to establish a strong research track record which will improve the chances of securing additional funding and expanding research teams
• Membership of our Awardee Excellence Community, offering events and opportunities to connect and collaborate

Who is the scheme for?

The RAEng / Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships are open to academics who:

• Hold a permanent academic position at a UK university at lecturer, senior lecturer, or reader level (or equivalent)
• Are teaching an engineering discipline at undergraduate or postgraduate level
• Can demonstrate a significant administrative and teaching workload which prevents them from dedicating substantial time to research

Further guidance on eligibility, the application process can be found in the eligibility, FAQ and how to apply pages, and the RAEng-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships Guidance Notes 2026-2027.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The Royal Academy of Engineering is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, welcoming applications from all underrepresented groups across engineering. It is the Academy's policy to ensure that no applicant is disadvantaged or receives less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

The Leverhulme Trust

The Leverhulme Trust is an independent charity that seeks to fund ambitious blue-skies research and scholarship with the potential to generate new ideas and breakthroughs that benefit society. The Trust aims to support a diverse range of scholars in their educational endeavours. It focuses its efforts mainly in the UK, which has a world-class higher education research sector.

Since its foundation in 1925, the Trust has provided grants and scholarships for research and education, funding research projects, fellowships, studentships, bursaries and prizes; it operates across all academic disciplines to support talented individuals as they realise their vision in research and professional training. Today, it is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing approximately £120 million a year.