There are no current funding opportunities open for Rutherford International Fellowship Programme (RIFP) Fellowships. This content will be updated when another funding opportunity is being planned.
Report on the RIFP programme to-date
A summary of programme activities up to October 2018 is presented in a new brochure which describes the scheme.
The Rutherford International Fellowship Programme is a postdoctoral fellowship scheme part-funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie CO-FUND scheme. The Programme will support up to 36 postdoctoral researchers to work within STFC departments and facilities, as well as the Diamond Light Source.
RIFP sets out to develop the next generation of leading researchers in a wide range of scientific disciplines. The Programme is designed to attract the highest-quality researchers who will be able to take advantage of the world-class facilities and departments within STFC. These facilities include the ISIS neutron and muon source, the Diamond Light Source (DLS) and the Central Laser Facility (CLF); Particle Physics, RAL Space, Scientific Computing, Accelerator and Technology Departments, as well as the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC). Fellows can be based at any of STFC’s research sites: the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the Daresbury Laboratory, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh or the Chilbolton Observatory.
Individual researchers can apply for a fellowship by outlining a programme of work they wish to perform within an STFC host department or Diamond. Fellowships are normally two years long. Researchers must have a PhD or four years equivalent research experience, and must not have worked or lived in the UK for more than 12 months in the past three years (slightly different rules apply in order to encourage researchers returning from a career break.
The first funding opportunity for Fellowship proposals took place in 2015 and has resulted in 13 Fellows being appointed; the second funding opportunity took place in 2016 when a further 12 Fellows were appointed; and a third funding opportunity took place in 2017 when 10 Fellows were appointed.
Fellowships are part-funded by the European Commission, with the host department needing to provide the remaining funding. It is therefore important that potential applicants discuss their proposed projects with the relevant STFC department in advance of applying.
If you would like to apply for a fellowship in the future you can read guidance for the previous round in the National Archive:
Last updated: 17 August 2023