Key Features
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £110 million to deliver ambitious research and innovation and develop future leaders. This funding is from UK Research and Innovation.
Programme: Innovate UK
Award: Share of up to £110 million
Opens: 22nd Jun 2026
Closes: 4th Nov 2026
UKRI alongside Innovate UK will invest up to £110 million through the Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11.
The aim of this competition is to provide sustained funding and resources for talented individuals with the potential to become future leaders in research and innovation.
Proposals are invited from all areas of research and innovation including the following specific themes:
applications that are multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
To be eligible for this grant, projects have a grant funding request of between £100,000 and £3 million and last for 4 years, with an option to extend for a further three years. Projects must not start before October 2027.
Lead organisation: To host a Future Leaders Fellowship project organisations must be a UK registered business of any size, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation, agri-tech centre or eligible research organisation.
Fellow project team: You must demonstrate that you have the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver the proposed project. Future Leaders Fellowships are open to researchers and innovators from outside the UK, with the support of an eligible UK-based host organisation. Fellows may spend up to 50% of their time on other activities that are not funded by the fellowship. These activities are demonstrated to benefit their career development. No additional salary may be claimed for non-FLF activities during the fellowship. Where a Fellow spends less than 100% of their time on the fellowship, the duration of the award may be extended on a pro-rata basis, up to the maximum permitted duration.
Partners project team: To ensure leadership remains with you as the Fellow, the partners involvement should be limited to a maximum of six months over the lifetime of the fellowship. Partners are only permitted when bringing complementary and different skills to the project. To collaborate with the lead, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation or research and technology organisation.
Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations that do not claim funding for their own work on the project. These costs must be covered from their own resources and can include UK. EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work within their home country and exploit results outside the UK.
Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition and can be from anywhere in the UK. Overseas subcontractors can be used, but you must state why UK subcontractors could not be used in the application.
Number of applications: A fellow can only lead on one application.
Previous applications: Previously submitted applications can be used in this competition.
Innovate UK will not fund the following projects:
Innovate UK have allocated up to £110 million to fund innovation projects in this round of the programme. Funding will be form of a grant.
Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded in the form of a grant to any one enterprise in any one competition.
For industrial research, experimental development and innovation support you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:
Category 2 Industrial research projects
Funding available for your eligible project costs of:
Category 2 Experimental development projects which are nearer to market
Funding available for your eligible project costs of:
Organisations not undertaking economic activity may receive 100% of eligible project costs. See further details below.
Overheads
FLF will only fund overheads at 20% of labour costs.
Research participation
The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 100% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 100% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:
Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding
1.Research organisations must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method as the Je-S form has now been decommissioned.
2.We pay 100% of the 80% Full Economic Cost (FEC). On IFS only enter the 80% being claimed.
To find out more see our: Cost Guidance for Academics.
Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.
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