Funding opportunity

Sector transition: UKRI policy fellowships 2026

• Opportunity status: Upcoming
• Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Innovate UK, Medical Research Council (MRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• Funding type: Fellowship
• Award range: £180,000 - £280,000
• Publication date: 5 June 2026
• Opening date: 9 June 2026 9:00am UK time
• Closing date: 10 September 2026 4:00pm UK time

Apply for this sector transition fellowship to transfer knowledge and skills across academic and policy sectors and increase sector porosity. You will spend 18 months as a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) core policy fellow, a Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellow or a What Works Innovation fellow to inform policy to address pressing national and global challenges.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to:

• £180,000 for Core Policy fellowships
• £220,000 for What Works Innovation fellowships
• £280,000 for Natural Hazards and Resilience fellowships

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Who can apply

This funding opportunity enables applicants to apply to one of 50 specific fellowship positions with a select group of host partners. Specifications for each of the fellowship positions offered by host partners can be found in the ‘What are we looking for’ section of this guidance.

Whilst eligibility and assessment criteria apply at a funding opportunity level, as detailed within this guidance, you must also ensure that you can meet any additional eligibility and assessment criteria within the specifications for the fellowship position you are applying to, before submitting an application. This may include criteria relevant to security clearance requirements or nationality requirements.

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is open to academics who hold a doctorate or who can evidence equivalent research experience, can demonstrate relevant subject matter or methodological expertise, and are aiming to transfer knowledge and skills across academic and policy sectors to enable new approaches.

The requirement for applicants to demonstrate that they hold a doctorate or equivalent experience is to extend eligibility to individuals who have been in a research focused role for a substantial period but have not obtained a doctorate. Being enrolled in a doctorate programme or close to finalising one is not sufficient on its own to demonstrate equivalence. Applicants who wish to make a case for equivalency will need to demonstrate that they have achieved a post-doctoral level of research expertise and experience while working in a professional research role, whether or not they are also engaged in a doctorate programme.

Policy fellowship positions with a UK or devolved government host are aimed at early to mid-career academics with an interest in learning more about connecting academic research with policy making. Fellowships with a What Works Network host are open to applicants of all career stages.

We recognise that career stages are not linear and we support people from a diversity of career paths and trajectories; there are no time-bound eligibility criteria, for example years of postdoctoral experience.

For appropriate assessment of this funding opportunity, you should determine your suitability to the scheme as either an early or mid-career researcher (unless applying for a What Works innovation fellowship which is open to all career stages), using the following guidelines:

• an early career researcher is somebody who has yet to establish or transition to independence (where an independent researcher has submitted their own proposal and taken on the role of project lead); there are no eligibility rules based on years since doctorate qualification or whether you currently hold a permanent or open-ended job role
• a mid-career researcher is somebody who has established independence, having, for example, taken on the role of project lead, published works of intellectual distinction, or established a significant track record as a ‘champion’ within their field. This would not ordinarily include professors but may include assistant or associate professors, where the applicant can make the justification that they meet the mid-career descriptor

Applicants to these fellowships must:

• be based at an eligible UKRI research organisation
• hold a doctorate or equivalent research experience
• be a researcher in the remits relevant to the specific fellowship position with the host partner applied for or be able to demonstrate how you could generate interdisciplinary insights through combining these disciplines with other recognised academic disciplines.
• have subject matter and analytical expertise and skills relevant to the specific fellowship position applied for
• meet any additional eligibility and person specification criteria for the specific fellowship position applied for
• be able to work effectively at pace to deliver expected outcomes, including working as part of a team on shared goals
• have the ability to communicate complex information and analysis
• have the ability to demonstrate the use of expertise in a non-academic context
• have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into meaningful narrative that is accessible to a non-academic audience
• possess excellent stakeholder engagement and collaboration skills
• be interested in working in a governmental context
• have the ability to design and lead on knowledge exchange activity between research, policy and funder communities

Your employing organisation must provide mentorship support for early career researchers and can provide mentorship for researchers at more senior career stages where this is clearly justified.

Fellows will be required to:

• sign a fellowship agreement between the government or What Works Network host (the partner) and the relevant employing research organisation (the employer)
• meet the security and nationality checks and other clearance and declaration of interest processes required by the host (see specific fellowship positions for details), ensuring right to work in the UK by the expected start date of the award (1 May 2027). To note, your choice of employing organisation can affect visa sponsorship options and you are directed to your employing organisation for support.  Information relating to the Global Talent Visa can be found in the ‘Related content’ section.
• observe the provisions of the Civil Service code and the Official Secrets Act 1989 when hosted by a government department or other public body

It is a condition of the funding opportunity that host partners, fellows and their employers will need to have a fellowship agreement in place for the start of the fellowship. This will be provided by the host partners in line with their specific policies and procedures. A model agreement developed by UKRI is provided to potential applicants for information only and can be found in the ‘Additional information’ section.

Attendance and location requirements are set out in the work arrangement section of each of the specific fellowship positions. By applying for the fellowship, you are acknowledging and agreeing to the attendance and location requirements. In addition, fellows will be expected to undertake, and travel for, knowledge exchange activities and will be asked to attend events with the wider UKRI policy fellow cohort. Not all these activities can be planned in advance of starting the fellowship. By applying for the fellowship, you are acknowledging and agreeing to this possibility of additional travel.

Who is not eligible to apply

You are not eligible to apply to this fellowship if you have:

• already undertaken or are currently undertaking a UKRI policy fellowship
• part of the fellowship project under consideration as a grant application with any organisation

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks
• support for people with caring responsibilities
• flexible working
• alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

What we're looking for

Demand management

Demand management is not currently being applied to this funding opportunity.  However, should the level of interest exceed what can be managed within the assessment process, UKRI may introduce limits on the number of applications that can be submitted. Further details will be clearly communicated where this is the case. UKRI encourages organisations to support applicants in preparing well-planned, high-quality applications that are competitive for funding relative to the funding opportunity.

Aim

This is a Sector Transition fellowship, as described in the UKRI Fellowship Investment Framework, to support temporary, fixed-term mobility of individuals to enable the transfer of knowledge and skills between academic and policy sectors and enable new approaches and increase sector porosity.

This fellowship enables you to apply for funding for 18 months as a UKRI policy fellow to:

• be embedded in a UK or devolved government host partner, an arm’s length body or What Works Network member
• collaborate on research activity to address pressing national and global challenges

Scope

Addressing the challenges and opportunities facing citizens, society and the economy requires an integrated, thriving and inclusive research-policy system that can act as a catalyst for innovation, social and institutional change. Central to this is enabling researchers and policymakers to collaborate and build relationships that are rich, deep and can be sustained.

Opportunities that help people move between research and policy communities to share and develop their knowledge and capabilities are a key mechanism to help develop this collaborative, connected system.

UKRI fund a cohort of policy fellows. Fellows will provide research and expert advice on the host’s policy priority areas and support wider knowledge exchange between government, policy, and academia.

This high-profile initiative provides a route for you to bring your expertise to bear on critical policy challenges facing governments across the UK, as well as to generate new insights into how to best support effective collaboration and knowledge exchange that will shape your career as well as support wider change.

These fellowships are demanding and intellectually stimulating roles, providing an exciting opportunity to combine your specialist knowledge and research expertise with the opportunity to inform decision-makers at the heart of policymaking.

Fellows will be uniquely positioned to:

• provide research and expert advice on the host’s policy priority areas, including co-designing and delivering research projects and activities
• engage in knowledge exchange (KE) activities across government and academia
• join a cohort of fellows to build longer-term networks across research and policy
• build lasting connections between the policymaking and research communities
• generate and share new knowledge and insights on effective policy collaboration with the wider research community and with funders of this funding opportunity

The fellowship cohort will be organised around the key policy priority areas including, where applicable, the UK Modern Industrial Strategy sectors (IS-8) and government missions.

Three types of fellowship are offered:

Core policy fellows

Core policy fellows are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body focusing on key public policy priority areas. For Whitehall departments and arm’s length body hosts, fellowships will align with one of the s IS-8 sectors supporting objectives to drive productivity, innovation and long‑term economic growth, or one of the government’s core missions.

Modern Industrial Strategy (IS-8) sectors:

• advanced manufacturing
• clean energy Industries
• creative industries
• defence
• digital and technologies
• financial services
• life sciences
• professional and business Services

Government missions:

• economic growth
• NHS fit for the future
• safer streets
• break down barriers to opportunity
• clean energy

Gambling policy fellowships are also offered within the core policy fellowships, focusing on delivery of the government’s statutory levy on gambling operators. The fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with levy commissioners on key public policy areas for the prevention and treatment of gambling related harms.

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellows

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body. The Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with policy makers to focus on natural hazards and pandemic preparedness to help solve critical national and global challenges and work to guarantee the UK’s future resilience to situations that could cause or threaten serious harm to human welfare or the environment. This would include a spectrum of potential natural hazards with a clear focus on human impact such as:

• health risks (including infectious disease)
• flooding
• loss of essential services like power, food, water, and telecoms

These fellowships are funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the COVID-19 Commemoration programme.

What Works Innovation fellowships

What Works Innovation fellowships are open to researchers at all career stages and fellows will be based within the What Works Network to increase the supply of and demand for evidence to address priorities in the hosts’ policy areas of:

• homelessness
• policing
• place

In total this funding opportunity offers 50 fellowships across the three fellowship sub cohorts.

Please click the links below for the full details of each fellowship position.

Core policy fellowships

Cabinet Office government skills evidence and impact fellowship (PDF, 118KB)

An opportunity to develop the evidence base on ‘learning in the flow of work’, a currently under-researched area, directly helping the Cabinet Office develop interventions, and influence the work of the rest of Government in this area.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social research methods, economics, behavioural science and organisation studies.

Cabinet Office (CO) impact economy evidence and evaluation fellowship (PDF, 162KB)

An opportunity to support the government’s ambition to build more effective impact economy partnerships, to deliver economic growth and tackle priority problems.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social research methods, specialist evaluation skills, impact evaluation, behavioural science and knowledge translation.

Cabinet Office (CO) local government evaluation capability building fellowship (PDF, 117KB)

An opportunity to support the Evaluation Task Force to deliver on our strategic aim of building capability and capacity in local government; ensuring local areas can understand, generate and use evidence and evaluation to inform spending and commissioning decisions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social research methods, specialist evaluation skills, impact evaluation, behavioural science and knowledge translation.

Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Industrial Strategy monitoring fellowship (PDF, 104KB)

An opportunity to directly build the capability, data and evidence to effectively monitor and evaluate the UK’s Industrial Strategy, including identifying impacts across the IS-8 growth-driving sector(s), in order to shape the direction and development of the UK’s 10-year plan to create a world leading British industrial landscape.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, data science, social research, statistics and applied mathematics.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) freelance careers in the creative industries fellowship (PDF, 117KB)

An opportunity to complement the work of the DCMS’s Freelance Champion to provide research, analysis and expertise, aligned with the UK Industrial Strategy Creative Industries Sector Plan commitments to support freelancers and similar workers.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are creative industries, economics, business and management, cultural and media studies, and cultural policy.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) youth engagement and participation in culture fellowship (PDF, 108KB)

An opportunity to build the evidence base to enhance the understanding of the drivers of youth engagement in culture, identifying barriers and enablers to young people engaging in culture, as part of the government’s ambition to break down barriers to opportunity.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, cultural studies, data science, sociology and behavioural science-youth studies.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) gambling behaviour and harm fellowship (PDF, 104KB)

An opportunity to investigate how the normalisation of gambling and peer-driven behaviours impact children and young people, specifically within the DCMS remit of gambling, advertising and digital engagement.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, sociology, behavioural science, psychology.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) circular economy fellowship (PDF, 120KB)

Research opportunity to advance Defra’s understanding of how to support the social and cultural transition towards a Circular Economy.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social research, humanities, economics and behavioural science.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) innovations in policy evaluation fellowship (PDF, 133KB)

An opportunity to support evidence-informed decision making to support the Government’s Make Energy a Clean Energy Superpower by testing and integrating the use of AI-assisted tools into the delivery of energy security and climate policy evaluations.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social science, evaluation methods, artificial intelligence (expertise or interest or aptitude in developing further skills), statistics and quantitative research methods.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) supply chain and industrial strategy fellowship (PDF, 110KB)

An opportunity to build a robust evidence base to address policy critical evidence gaps to support supply chain and industrial policy-making.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are industrial strategy, supply chains, energy, economics and trade.

Department for Education (DfE) understanding pupil-level factors and the rate of suspensions in primary and secondary schools in England fellowship (PDF, 110KB)

An opportunity to build robust evidence base on the factors associated with pupils being suspended and excluded from schools in England, helping to inform strategies and policies at local and national levels to improve pupil educational engagement and encourage educational success.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are behavioural science, psychology, economics, education and statistics.

Department for Education (DfE) understanding special educational needs fellowship (PDF, 98KB)

An opportunity to further develop the evidence base on understanding areas, levels, and complexity of special educational needs to inform government policy development and interventions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social science, research methods, social policy, education and statistics.

Department for Transport (DfT) transport poverty fellowship (PDF, 99KB)

This fellowship opportunity aims to build the quantitative evidence base around how improving transport affordability and connectivity transport barriers may enable people, particularly for those in deprivation, to better access employment, education and healthcare, which is key to supporting the government’s missions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, statistics or other quantitative social science.

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) leveraging the power of language capability fellowship (PDF, 128KB)

An opportunity to advise on how language capability in all its forms can be used to build an NHS Fit for the Future in line with the three strategic shifts as set in the 10 Year Plan. This will help the DHSC Languages Champion and senior leaders across DHSC, NHS England and DHSC’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) to develop a new strategic approach for language capability for in-government and national-facing health priorities.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are public health, health inequalities, humanities and social sciences.

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) tackling alcohol related harms fellowship (PDF, 128KB)

An opportunity to generate high impact evidence on alcohol consumption and shape population level alcohol policy that reduces harm and support the government’s priority of shifting the focus for the NHS from treatment to prevention.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are behavioural science, psychology, economics, statistics and social sciences.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) causal analysis of consequences of poverty fellowship (PDF, 113KB)

The aim of the fellowship is to develop robust evidence of the causal links between experience of poverty and subsequent outcomes.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are econometrics, statistics and causal analysis.

Department for Work and pensions (DWP) patterns of extra costs and need experienced by disabled people fellowship (PDF, 123KB)

An opportunity to build novel evidence on the patterns of extra costs and need experienced by disabled people, utilising a range of data sources including some newly available, or available only within DWP.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are econometrics, statistics, geospatial analysis.

Environment Agency (EA) place-based impacts of the net zero transition fellowship (PDF, 130KB)

An opportunity to advise on how the net zero transition affects places and communities, applying multidisciplinary evidence and novel methods to track how communities perceive and experience environmental changes in the net zero transition, informing evidence-based policy decisions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social sciences, behavioural science, geography and environmental science.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) energy systems fellowship (PDF, 139KB)

An opportunity to help steer FCDO sponsored activities on electricity grid infrastructure research and financing, with the aim of supporting an accelerated and equitable clean energy transition globally.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are energy systems, engineering, energy economics and policy analysis.

Food Standards Agency understanding of the risks associated with ultra processed foods fellowship (PDF, 141KB)

An opportunity to build a robust evidence base on the potential risks associated with ultra processed foods (UPFs) and policy responses at an international level, including the impact of those policies, to inform future policy development and any required risk management actions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are food science, toxicology, epidemiology, dietary science and public health.

Gambling Commission illegal gambling data innovation fellowship (PDF, 192KB)

An opportunity to develop the evidence base on illegal gambling, particularly in relation to use of data to understand trends, scale and characteristics of this market. Findings will inform policy development and operational disruption work to achieve consumer protection outcomes.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are data science, statistics, data modelling or related fields.

Home Office (HO) economic crime interventions fellowship (PDF, 103KB)

An opportunity to evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at tackling economic crime.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are psychology, criminology, sociology, economics and social sciences.

Home Office (HO) knife crime research fellowship (PDF, 94KB)

An opportunity to contribute to the evidence base on knife crime, a key priority within the Government’s Safer Streets mission.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are criminology, sociology, psychology and social sciences.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) local economic growth and devolution fellowship (PDF, 116KB)

An opportunity to build the evidence on what drives local economic growth and the contributions of English Devolution towards this key government priority using a mix of statistical, economic, human geography and political analyses and use this to influence policy.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are statistics, economics, human geography and political analysis.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) local government oversight and improvement fellowship (PDF, 108KB)

An opportunity to work at the centre of government on one of the most significant and under-examined challenges in UK public administration; how the state oversees, supports and intervenes in local government, while providing expert advice that informs strategic thinking and policy development on strengthening local government oversight, improvement and system resilience.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are government and political science, public policy and management, public administration, finance and accounting and human geography.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) AI evidence fellowship (PDF, 102KB)

An opportunity to design and develop AI-based solutions that will advance evidence use and synthesis in MoJ policy and practice decision-making.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematical sciences and information systems.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) justice delivery fellowship (PDF, 103KB)

An opportunity to apply innovative research methods to inform MoJ policy and practice decision-making in support of justice delivery

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social science, economics, data science, law and health sciences.

Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) land use and net zero fellowship (PDF, 118KB)

An opportunity to build robust evidence base on Land Use and Net Zero in Northern Ireland to inform policies and strategies, including climate action plans, LULUCF Forward Plan and a future Land Use Framework, to deliver reduced emissions and increased sequestration achieve NI’s net zero climate target.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are behaviour science, climate science, environmental and ecology science, environmental economics and soil and agricultural science.

Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE) enhanced investment zone productivity impacts fellowship (PDF, 131KB)

An opportunity to research on the productivity impacts arising from the photonics sector related interventions incorporating the respective skills, capital and clustering interventions supported by the Enhanced Investment Zone in Northern Ireland to help inform evidenced based decision making on future multi-faceted interventions.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, data science, data methods, social research and innovation studies.

Northern Ireland Strategic Investment Board NI AI adoption and net zero fellowship (PDF, 128KB)

An opportunity to advise on policy and governance design to ensure AI adoption and associated data centre and load growth accelerates, rather than undermines, Net Zero.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are artificial intelligence, digital economy, green economics and complex systems.

Public Health Wales policy modelling and population health inequalities fellowship (PDF, 149KB)

An opportunity to embed and adapt the SimPaths microsimulation framework within Public Health Wales to inform policy on economic inactivity, labour markets and health inequalities in Wales and the UK.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are computational modelling, data science, economic sciences, population health sciences and demography.

Public Health Wales preventing gambling‑related harms in grassroots sports fellowship (PDF, 123KB)

An opportunity to generate the first United Kingdom‑wide evidence base on gambling sponsorship in grassroots sport, informing safer funding models, ethical standards and evidence‑led gambling harm prevention policy.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social science, behavioural science, public policy, economics and data science.

Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government gambling harm prevention fellowship (PDF, 128KB)

This fellowship will play a key role in gambling harm prevention in Scotland. Fellows will be hosted in Public Health Scotland (PHS) but will also be integrated into the Healthy Living Unit in Scottish Government. This is a unique opportunity to work between the Scottish Government, the Commissioner for the gambling levy in Scotland, and PHS, the national agency for population health and reducing inequalities in Scotland. It will support the work programmes of both.

Fellows will work with senior leaders in PHS and Scottish Government, and with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, to help support the implementation of the new GB-wide gambling levy system in Scotland with a specific focus on prevention, ensuring effective and impactful use of resources. Fellows will also work with colleagues across the three nations on gambling harms to support the UK wide levy system.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are behavioural science, social and economic sciences and public health.

Scottish Government energy and economy fellowship (PDF, 115KB)

An opportunity to provide robust evidence on the interface between energy policy and growing the economy at a time of critical change in the energy system

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are economics, statistics, engineering and behavioural science.

Scottish Government health and social care transitions fellowship (PDF, 122KB)

An opportunity to contribute to the delivery of the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and to develop research on strengthening health and social care integration, by analysing how care works across the boundaries between social care and health.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are social policy, economics, social statistics and applied health research.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cyber security fellowship (PDF, 135KB)

An opportunity to strengthen the UK’s Health Security by protecting vital data and insights from advanced AI cyber threats, building an evidence-based foundation for coordinated national policy.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, cyber security and data analytics.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) social and behavioural science for health security fellowship (PDF, 109KB)

An opportunity to work with UKHSA’s Behavioural Science and Insights Unit to integrate social and behavioural science evidence into health protection policy and incident response.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are behavioural science, psychology, social science, public health and health protection.

Welsh Government agriculture, land use and food system innovation fellowship (PDF, 114KB)

An opportunity to advise how Wales can accelerate the adoption of innovative practices and technologies across its agriculture, land use and food sectors to drive sustainability, productivity and food system resilience.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are agricultural science, environmental science, food systems, economics and behavioural science.

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) pandemic preparedness framework fellowship (PDF, 121KB)

An opportunity to develop a framework for tackling pandemic priority pathogens in the animal health and environmental health sectors.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are epidemiology, veterinary science and one health.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) quantifying compound and cascading hazards to support climate resilience fellowship (PDF, 109KB)

An opportunity to develop and apply scientific expertise to enhance the evidence base and inform policymaking for a climate-resilient transition to net zero.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are climate science, climate resilience, climate modelling, atmospheric science.

Department for Education (DfE) pandemic preparedness fellowship (PDF, 97KB)

An opportunity to develop the evidence base on age-related impacts of restricted school attendance, helping inform future pandemic preparedness policy.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are public health, data science, social science, behavioural science and economics.

Environment Agency (EA) societal resilience to compound climate extremes fellowship (PDF, 108KB)

An opportunity to combine physical and social science evidence to understand and advise on compound extreme risks in a changing climate (for example, prolonged droughts followed by intense rainfall and floods), their implications on societal resilience and the management of water resources and infrastructure.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are climate science, hydrology, behavioural science and social science.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) climate resilience and anticipatory action fellowship (PDF, 131KB)

An opportunity to support evidence‑informed UK policy development at the interface of humanitarian response and climate resilience, with a focus on early warning, early and anticipatory action in fragile and conflict affected contexts and particularly focus linking anticipatory action to long term resilience.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are climate resilience, early warning systems, anticipatory action, development studies and humanitarian studies.

Government Office for Science (GO-Science) misinformation in emergencies fellowship (PDF, 107KB)

An opportunity to advise on societal and behavioural evidence to strengthen crisis response in government, focusing on the role of misinformation (false and misleading information) within the context of emergencies.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are sociology, psychology, anthropology, media studies and history.

HM Treasury (HMT) epidemiological-economic modelling for pandemic preparedness fellowship (PDF, 112KB)

An opportunity to develop and embed an epidemiological–economic model for HMT and wider UK government to strengthen preparedness, decision-making and macroeconomic analysis during future public health shocks, building on lessons from COVID-19 and the COVID Inquiry.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are health economics, macroeconomic modelling, epidemiology and public policy.

Public Health Wales (PHW) evaluating climate change surveillance systems policy fellowship (PDF, 128KB)

An opportunity to evaluate and strengthen climate change and health surveillance systems within PHW, generating evidence to inform climate resilience, public health adaptation and natural hazard preparedness across Wales and the wider UK.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are epidemiology, climate science, environmental health, implementation science and population health sciences.

Scottish Government catchment resilience fellowship (PDF, 131KB)

An opportunity to better understand and evaluate catchment resilience to inform Scottish Government policy on water, land use, natural capital and climate adaptation, helping Scotland to prepare for climate-related hazards including drought and flooding.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are climate adaptation, water resilience, catchment management, biodiversity and natural capital.

What Works Innovation fellowships

Centre for Homelessness Impact applied health economics for cost-effectiveness in homelessness prevention fellowship (PDF, 120KB)

An opportunity to apply health economic approaches to quantify the system-wide costs of homelessness and co-design a decision-support tool enabling local authorities to model cost-effectiveness, fiscal savings, and value for money from homelessness prevention interventions

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are health economics, social and public policy, statistics and data science.

College of Policing misogyny in policing ethnography fellowship (PDF, 123KB)

An opportunity to conduct ethnographic research on misogyny and sexual harassment in policing, examining organisational culture and responses to reforms aimed at strengthening the police response to violence against women and girls.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are ethnography, sociology and criminology.

Wales Centre for Public Policy assessing the impact of place-based knowledge mobilisation initiatives fellowship (PDF, 123KB)

An opportunity to evaluate place-based knowledge mobilisation initiatives, focusing on the different models in existence, and their impact on decision-making and capacity building at local and regional levels.

The academic disciplines for this fellowship are knowledge mobilisation, impact evaluation, public policy and regional studies.

We ask that you do not contact the host to discuss or endorse your application.

What you will be doing

Fellows will:

• scope and lead research-related activity with the host
• work closely with hosts to ensure alignment of priorities and that analysis is as robust and useful as possible in driving decisions
• provide advice and peer review to other aspects of the host’s work
• support capability building within host in your area of expertise
• support hosts and funders of this opportunity in the evaluation of the fellowship programme and improvement of future schemes
• actively participate in the UKRI policy fellow cohort, designed to facilitate greater knowledge exchange, capacity building and impact potential across the cohort’ of investment. This will include attending approximately six policy training workshops

Fellows will also strengthen engagement between government and academia through activities such as:

• connecting with related UKRI research portfolios, acting as a pipeline for knowledge exchange between them and hosts
• publishing outputs from analysis produced, subject to clearance processes
• knowledge exchange activities with academic institutions and other analytical and policy teams within government and intermediaries

The fellowship takes place over 18 months in three phases:

Inception phase

The inception phase should commence 1 May 2027 and be used:

• to co-produce your final fellowship scope, project and planned activities with your host
• for other preliminary activity required to support this, such as data access
• for induction into the policy fellows’ cohort and training programme
• for completing any necessary onboarding and induction process with your host department and finalising security clearance

Your time commitment during this period is expected to be 0.4 full-time equivalent (FTE). During this period, you will remain based at your employing institution but will join in-person or virtual inception meetings with your host and UKRI.

Placement with hosts

All fellows are expected to start the main placement with their host after the three month inception phase and once the project scope has been agreed. You can undertake this placement full or part time (0.6 FTE minimum) for 12 months.

During the main placement phase your activities might include:

• scoping and leading research-related activity with the host
• providing advice and peer review to other aspects of the host’s work
• supporting capability building within host department in your area of expertise
• strengthening engagement between government and academia

Line management and support will be provided by the host and each host will have specific requirements regarding place of work (see fellowship position specifications for details).

During this period, you will also be expected to take up opportunities for connection with UKRI and the wider cohort of fellows.

Knowledge exchange phase

After the placement completes you will return to your employing institution and will be supported for three months to:

• maximise knowledge exchange and impact through agreed wider engagement and publication activity
• share learnings about engaging and influencing policymakers with the wider academic community

Your time commitment during this period is expected to be 0.4 FTE. Your plan for activities for this period will be further defined and agreed with your host and UKRI.

During this period, you will continue to be expected to take up opportunities for connection with UKRI and the wider cohort of fellows. After your fellowship award completes, you will join an alumni network to support ongoing opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.

Benefits for fellows

The scheme offers an exciting opportunity to develop your career and enhance your understanding of applying research in government contexts.

Benefits for successful fellows will include:

• the opportunity to undertake cutting edge research, enhance knowledge and potentially access new and novel data
• the opportunity to inform decision-making on the most pressing policy problems of our time
• a better understanding of government analysis, operations, policymaking, data usage, and priority areas for research
• the ability to build your network of policy and analytical professionals within government and across the What Works Network
• actively participating in a cohort of policy fellows to enhance impact potential and further career development
• the opportunity to access a public policy focused mentoring offer
• the potential to influence future policy-academia collaborations
• the opportunity for publication across policy and academia, subject to clearance processes

During your placement you will have line management and support from the host partner, and throughout your fellowship you will also regularly engage with and receive support from UKRI.

In addition, if you are an early career researcher you will benefit from funded mentorship support from a more senior researcher in your employing organisation.

Duration

The duration of this award is 18 months, comprising of:

• three months inception phase
• twelve months main placement with host
• three months knowledge exchange phase

All fellowships within this funding opportunity are expected to start on 1 May 2027.

Data

There is more securely accessible linked administrative and digital data available for research than ever before. Where relevant, applicants and hosts are encouraged to consider whether using existing UKRI‑supported data resources could add value to the fellowship.

This includes administrative data available through the ADR UK Data Catalogue and smart data accessed via Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK), which provides secure access to data from everyday digital interactions through six national data services. Further datasets, infrastructure and data services supported across UKRI are free at the point of use and may support interdisciplinary and policy‑relevant research.

Outputs and reporting

You will be expected to produce outputs for academic and non-academic audiences based on your work as agreed during the inception phase.

Please note that in some cases published outputs will be subject to clearance by your host, but that all hosts are committed to supporting opportunities for fellows to publish as part of this fellowship.

In addition to standard UKRI reporting requirements, you may also be asked to submit additional information to support wider UKRI strategic objectives and scheme evaluation.

Funding available

Core policy fellowships

The full economic cost (FEC) of your fellowship can be up to £180,000.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships

The FEC of your project can be up to £280,000 (inclusive of an additional £100,000 budget for research and collaboration costs). Funding for the Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships is an initiative funded by DCMS as part of the COVID-19 Commemoration programme.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

What Works Innovation fellowships

The FEC of your project can be up to £220,000 (inclusive of an additional £40,000 budget for research and collaboration costs).

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

All fellowships

We recognise that the maximum FEC for the project may impact clinical applicants particularly. If you are a clinical applicant and the maximum FEC for the project presents a barrier to participation in the funding opportunity, please contact ukripolicyfellowships@ukri.org to discuss potential flexibility available.

With the fellowships being co-designed at inception phase all applications must include a mandatory budget of £15,000 flexible funding to support only the following:

• research-related costs, including but not limited to participant recruitment, transcription, software
• impact enhancement funds including but not limited to networking, organising and attending events such as conferences and workshops
• unforeseen placement-specific travel and subsistence costs (not including typical travel to the host or to UKRI events, as is known at application stage)
• placement-specific mentorship
• specific training requirements or that are identified during the fellowship (inc. the inception phase)

The £15,000 flexible funding cannot be used to fund core fellowship costs, including staff costs and travel and subsistence known at the point of application.

In addition to the £15,000 flexible funding, applications to the What Works Innovation fellowships must include a research and collaboration budget of £40,000 and applications to the Natural Hazards and Resilience Fellows must include a research and collaboration budget of £100,000.

This additional research and collaboration budget for What Works Innovation and Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellows must be used for additional co-production, collaboration and research needs within the fellowship. Expenditure plans for the research and collaboration budget will be determined during the inception phase and should be co-designed with the host. These plans should be shared with UKRI by the end of the fellowship inception phase. Please note:

• this budget could be used to cover directly incurred staff costs (that is, research assistants), or other directly incurred costs for research and collaboration such as surveys, interviews, secondary data analysis, participation in steering groups and so on, once determined with the host at inception stage
• expenditure of this budget should be in line with UKRI Terms and Conditions and directly support the objectives of the UKRI Policy Fellowships Programme
• the research and collaboration budget cannot be used to support the core costs of the fellowship. For example, fellow’s salary costs

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The fellow is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page:

1. Confirm you are the fellow
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
• insert each new image on a new line
• use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text
• tables
• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service
• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors
• references are formatted as appropriate to your research
• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

UKRI must receive your application by 10 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

UKRI will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

UKRI will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the hosts so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how the host uses personal information please see the specific fellowship position.

Personal data provided in applications may be shared with any grant co-funders for the purpose of awarding, administration and evaluation of grants. This includes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who provide co-funding to the Natural Hazards and Resilience Fellowships, part of the UKRI Policy Fellowships programme.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member needs to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email ukripolicyfellowships@ukri.org

Include in the subject line: the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number.

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Institutional matched funding

There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.

This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

Publication of outcomes

The outcomes of this funding opportunity will be published on the UKRI website.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers
• policymakers
• the public
• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Copy and paste the title and the summary stated in the specific fellowship position that you are applying to. For example:

Fellowship title: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) innovations in policy evaluation fellowship

Summary: an opportunity to support evidence-informed decision making to support the Government’s Make Energy a Clean Energy Superpower by testing and integrating the use of AI-assisted tools into the delivery of energy security and climate policy evaluations.

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• fellow
• professional enabling staff

Only list one individual as fellow for each proposal, to whom correspondence will be addressed. Enter the name of the fellow and details of the fellow’s employing research organisation and department.

Early career researchers should include the name of a more senior researcher (mentor) from the fellow’s employing organisation and assign them the role of professional enabling staff.

On submission of the proposal the fellow does not necessarily have to be located at the employing organisation that will administer the grant, however the administering employing organisation will be required to submit the fellowship proposal. The fellow will take intellectual leadership of the project and manage the fellowship; this individual will be the contact person for UKRI correspondence. The named fellow is responsible for ensuring that successful proposals are undertaken and completed in the manner specified.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 1,100

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed fellowship will:

• meet the objectives of the fellowship opportunity applied for; this should include the specific fellowship position applied for with one of the selected group of host partners, demonstrating a clear understanding of the analytical needs of the host partner
• be timely, given current trends, context, and needs
• facilitate more effective engagement and collaboration with policymakers, enabling the use of research by policymakers to inform government decision-making across a range of policy priorities
• enhance the relationship and improve the flow of evidence and insights between government, academia and other relevant stakeholder organisations, maximising knowledge exchange

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the ’How to apply’ section.

References may be included within this section.

Approach to co-design

Word limit: 1,100

How are you going to approach the co-design of the fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you will approach the co-design of the fellowship so that you:

• engage your host partner effectively and ensure meaningful collaboration
• can effectively achieve the fellowship objectives and ensure mutual benefit
• capitalise on the added value of co-designing the fellowship with a host partner
• comprehensively identify any risks to the success of the fellowship and outline how you will manage them

References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Applicant capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual to deliver the objectives of this funding opportunity?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you have the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the fellowship, including:

• that you hold a doctorate or can demonstrate evidence of equivalent research experience
• the subject matter or methodological expertise relevant to the requirements of the specific fellowship position applied for with one of the selected group of host partners
• the ability to design and lead activities that support effective knowledge exchange between research, policy and funder communities, recognising the opportunities and challenges that present
• the ability to work collaboratively and effectively at pace to deliver shared goals
• the ability to communicate complex information and analysis to a non-academic audience
• for applicants who wish to make a case for equivalency of post-doctoral level of research expertise, you should demonstrate your experience whilst working in a professional research role, whether or not you are also engaged in a doctorate programme

You also need to show evidence of how you have:

• the relevant experience commensurate with career stage (prior policy experience is not required) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career
• contributed to the development of a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the ‘How to apply’ section.

The word count for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include specific achievements and choose past contributions that best evidence your ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the following R4RI module headings. You should use each heading once, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills you bring:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation, users and audiences, and towards wider societal benefit

You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Impact, knowledge exchange, outcomes and outputs

Word limit: 1,000

What will you do to ensure that you achieve the objectives of the fellowship, effectively generating and tracking impact, knowledge exchange, outcomes and outputs?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Describe how you will design your approach to generate and track impact so that it uses proven mechanisms or processes for embedding and tracking the progression of:

• developing impact, knowledge exchange, outputs and outcomes
• embedding and developing impact and knowledge exchange after the funding has ended
• communicating and disseminating impact, knowledge exchange, outcomes and outputs

We also expect you to describe how you will:

• realise the added value of co-designing the project with a host partner in achieving broader impact, knowledge exchange, outputs and outcomes and the potential benefit on both the research community and the capabilities of the host partner you will be co-designing the fellowship with
• utilise participation in the cohort of Policy Fellows to enhance impact potential

Please note that personal impact should be described within the ‘Career development’ question.

Career development

Word limit: 1,000

Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Ensure that you have identified:

• your motivation for applying to both the funding opportunity and the specific fellowship position with a host partner selected
• how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills
• career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity
• how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field); reflect on the value that the ability to co-design the fellowship with a host partner will offer your career development
• how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement, knowledge exchange or outreach
• how you will utilise participation in the cohort of Policy Fellows to benefit your career development

Organisation support

Word limit: 1,000

How will your employing organisation support your fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Ensure the head of department (of the employing organisation) provides you with a supporting statement (which they have written), that includes:

• the name and title of the head of department providing the statement and supporting the application from the employing organisation and, if you are not currently employed at the organisation, confirm that you will be accepted into the department for the purpose of undertaking the fellowship
• how the proposed fellowship fits with your department’s wider research programme
• how your employing organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected
• the names of any mentors and describe the mentorship support being provided, where applicable
• what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided by the employing organisation and how does this strengthen your application, if applicable
• how your employing organisation will support you to disseminate learnings, maximise knowledge exchange and impact, and ensure continuing commitment to the Policy Fellows alumni network

The statement of support provided by your host organisation should be copied and pasted into the text box. You cannot upload a statement of support to this section.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your fellowship and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s known resources, in particular:

• project staff
• travel costs, to include travel to the host office (in line with the requirements outlined in the host specification), one UKRI cohort induction event (likely to be held in Manchester or London) and two UKRI cohort training events (likely to be held in Manchester or London)

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.

Research-related, impact and dissemination costs are not expected to be requested within the application, as the project will be co-designed with the host partner following award. Flexible funds should be requested for this purpose, as set out below, with expenditure plans for these funds agreed with the host partner during the inception stage of the award.

Flexible funding, as detailed in the funding opportunity guidance, must be included in the fellowship costs for all applicants to this funding opportunity, however due to the nature of the fellowship being co-designed at the inception phase, it does not need to be justified here. The flexible funding should be included as a lump sum of £15,000.  The flexible fund can be used for:

• research-related costs, including but not limited to participant recruitment, transcription, software
• training and development requirements including but not limited to specialist software, methodological and data skills, professional development, policy awareness
• impact enhancement funds including but not limited to networking, organising and attending events such as conferences and workshops
• additional travel and subsistence

The additional research and collaboration budget, as detailed within the funding opportunity guidance, must also be included in the fellowship costs if applying for a What Works Innovation fellowship or a Natural Hazards and Resilience fellowship. Due to the nature of the fellowship being co-designed at the inception phase, it does not need to be justified here. The research and collaboration budget should be included as a lump sum of either £40,000 (What Works Innovation Fellowships) or £100,000 (Natural Hazard and Resilience Fellowships). This budget can be used for:

• directly incurred staff costs (that is, research assistants), or
• other directly incurred costs for research and collaboration such as surveys, interviews, secondary data analysis, participation in steering groups and so on

Clearly state the proposed FTE for each of the three phases. Additionally input the average of the three phases. For example, this will be 0.8FTE if working 1.0FTE during the main placement, or 0.53FTE if working at 0.6FTE during the main placement.

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Further information for completing this section can be found in the Resources and Costs Justification Guidance document in the ‘Additional information’ section.

Alternate fellowship positions

Word limit: 250

Provide the details of up to two potential alternate fellowship positions in the priority order you would wish to be considered for.

If not successful at obtaining the specific position you are applying to, there may be opportunity to be considered for up to two alternative positions advertised within the Policy Fellowships scheme. If you wish to be considered for potential alternative positions, please state the titles of these in your response. For example: 1, GO-Science misinformation in emergencies fellowship; 2, Scottish Government health and social care transitions fellowship.

Career stage

Word limit: 500

Please justify your suitability to the scheme as either an early or mid-career researcher (unless applying for a What Works Innovation fellowship which is open to all career stages).

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Your response should justify suitability to the scheme as an early or mid-career researcher (unless applying for a What Works Innovation fellowship which is open to all career stages) as per the career stage descriptors in the ‘Who is eligible to apply’ section of the Funding finder text.

Declaration of interest

Word limit: 500

Declare any conflicts of interest or previous interaction with the host departments you are applying to work with.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide details of any conflicts of interest or previous interaction with the host departments you are applying to work with. If this is not applicable, enter ‘N/A’ in the text box.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.

Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessments of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.

You will be asked about:

• which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to
• who you intend to collaborate with and how
• if your project requires an export control licence

Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process. In the case of unusually high demand, an initial sift prior to shortlisting may be carried out.

Shortlisting

We will invite a panel of academic and non-academic experts to assess the quality of your application. The experts will assess the application based on the criteria in the UKRI Funding finder guidance and the additional essential criteria in the fellowship position specifications, with proposals scored out of 10 to inform shortlisting. Shortlisting outcomes will be dependent on both:

• receiving a competitive score
• on the number of interview slots each fellowship host partner is able to offer

You will be informed of shortlisting outcomes during the week commencing 16 November 2026.

Interview

For shortlisted applications, representatives of the relevant host department will conduct interviews with applicants assessing applications on both the essential and the desirable criteria in the fellowship position specifications, before making funding recommendations to UKRI. UKRI will make the final funding decisions.

Interviews are expected to take place in the week commencing 18 January 2027 and will be managed by the host departments or What Works Networks.

Timescale

We expect the funding decision will be communicated by February 2027.

Feedback

Host partners conducting interviews will provide feedback to all applicants who are interviewed.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment, including to correct language, spelling, grammar and formatting. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with the host departments so that they can participate in the assessment process.

For more information on how host departments use personal information, please refer to the specific fellowship position.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• vision
• applicant capability to deliver
• approach to co-design
• impact, outcomes and outputs
• career development
• organisation support
• resources and cost justification

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your application please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact ukripolicyfellowships@ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries more efficiently, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Additional info

Background

The UKRI Fellowship Investment Framework sets out distinct, outcome-focused fellowship types. This is a Sector Transition fellowship to transfer knowledge and skills across academic and policy sectors, and enable new approaches and increase sector porosity.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Supporting documents

Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) – UKRI Policy Fellowships 2026 (PDF, 353KB)

Resources and Cost Justification Guidance (PDF, 115KB)

UKRI Policy Fellowship V2 2026 exemplar Fellowships Agreement (DOCX, 76KB)

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 25 June 2026. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Register for the webinar

Global Talent visa

UKRI Policy Fellowships are eligible for a Global Talent visa under the ‘exceptional promise’ category for future research leaders.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Fellowship agreements

The conditions of this funding opportunity require that a fellowship or secondment agreement be agreed between the host partner, the fellow and the fellow’s employing research organisation.

The fellowship agreement shared under ‘Additional information’ is an exemplar that can be used by host partner and the fellow’s employer as a basis for their agreement. This exemplar has been developed in consultation with UKRI Legal, central government departments and functions, and the university sector. We advise potential applicants and their employing research organisations to review the exemplar in advance of submitting an application to this funding opportunity as it is representative of the type of agreement that will need to be signed by the fellow, the fellow’s employing research organisation and the host before the fellowship can commence.

While the agreement has been made available for use by all hosts some hosts may amend the fellowship agreement in accordance with the conditions and requirements specific to the host and the specific position or may have their own specific secondment agreement that they are required to use.