Early-career researchers from higher education and research institutions can now apply for the Early Career Fellowships scheme under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), managed by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology in the UK. This scheme awards fellows, potentially including those traveling with dependents, opportunities to conduct research in UK institutions and advance their careers.
About the Scheme
The ISPF Early Career Fellowships scheme will enable early-career researchers to collaborate internationally and gain access to new research environments, facilities, knowledge, and expertise, creating lasting benefits for the Early Career Fellow (ECF), as well as the UK and international research communities, through sustainable collaboration.
The scheme supports fellows to participate in a UK institution to conduct research related to the four overarching themes of the ISPF.
- Resilient planet – leading the green industrial revolution to protect the planet.
- Healthy people, animals and plants – researching and innovating for secure and healthy populations.
- Transformative technologies – developing responsible technologies to secure our place in tomorrow’s world.
- Tomorrow’s talent – nurturing talent to drive inclusion, research and innovation.
Why you should apply
In addition to the opportunities to conduct research at UK institutions to develop your career, the scheme provides:
- minimum £29,619 per annum bursary payment plus relevant London weighting if applicable.*
- £10,000 per 12 months (pro rata for shorter fellowships) for research-related expenses.
- other allowable costs, such as IELTS exam fee if applicable (for fellows without a valid Test of English); Return economy-class travel from home country to the UK; Visa and insurance / NHS surcharge costs and Ad hoc costs (heavy baggage allowance, etc.)
Please refer to the participating institution's website for more details on the ECF benefit packages.
Who can apply
The application for the ISPF Early Career Fellowships scheme is now open for early career researchers from eligible countries/ territories. Vietnamese fellows must:
- Be a permanent resident of Vietnam
- Be an Early Career Researcher (see definition below) and have a letter of acceptance from the hosting lab or a department .
- Not currently in receipt of financial support or funding towards any other programme in the UK from any other sources.
- Meet the English language requirement of the UK HEI (Higher Education Institutions) if applicable.
- Have a background or a proven interest in the proposed research area. Indicate their preference for research areas and institutions in the case of applying to multiple institutions.
- Be willing to demonstrate future contributions to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement through the benefits achieved after completing the fellowship programme.
- Agree to maintain contact with the British Council for purposes of monitoring and evaluation during and after their fellowship.
- Demonstrate a plan and a passion to engage other early career researchers from their home country.
- Employees of the British Council, the UK government or Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish governments are not eligible to apply for this programme.
Definition of Early Career Researchers (ECRs):
- Have completed or are close to completion of their PhD, potentially waiting for their final viva voce examination, which must be passed prior to taking up the award.
- ECRs will not have held a permanent academic post or a permanent post with a research-related element, or one which allowed them to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a principal investigator.
- Time spent in teaching-only roles or academic-related roles does not affect ECR status, provided no research element was part of the role.
- If a researcher does not hold a PhD but has research experience equivalent to a PhD holder and works in a field where a PhD is not a prerequisite for established research activity, they can still be considered eligible.
- Participants from for-profit organisations cannot be funded.
- As we move toward greater inclusivity for ECRs from a wide range of backgrounds, we are no longer counting years spent in a specific career stage. Career breaks and alternative trajectories to an early academic career are all considered outside the definition of career stage
How to apply
Please apply directly to the participating institutions and review the application requirements on the website of each institution. You can make more than one application, but you will need to apply through each institution separately.
Learn more about the participating institutions:
| Middlesex University |
Research areas (but not limited to): 1. Digital twinning for: crisis and resilience, decarbonisation in transport, Net-Zero, environment, healthcare (particularly stroke care), built environments, smart manufacturing, telecommunications, energy grid, and green hydrogen. 2. Next-gen telecommunication networks: Beyond 5G and 6G, and IoT smart solutions. 3. AI and computer vision: AI in telemedicine, AI-powered nature disaster prevention, AI-enabled colour-enhanced systems for early cancer/disease detection management, AI for stroke care, and AI for infectious diseases 4. Quantum computing and cybersecurity: for digital twinning, for 5G and 6G 5. Digital technologies for governance, modelling the damage-reducing effects of flood warnings, climate change, water hazards, resilience and wellbeing of communities and key livelihood systems, geomorphological response to flooding 6. Digital technologies and AI to support environmental biotechnology, microorganisms in sustainability, bioengineering, e-waste and household waste treatment and management, circular economy, wastewater surveillance, urban pollutants 7. Robotics and automation 8. Digital twin and AI to support optimisation of cognitive load humans |
Deadline for applications:
These vary depending on the institution. Please check the deadlines with your chosen institution carefully to avoid any disappointment.
Please ensure you check and meet all the eligibility requirements before applying. After applying, you will next hear directly from the university about the status of your application.
About the International Science Partnerships Fund
The International Science Partnerships Fund is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It puts research and innovation at the heart of our international relationships, supporting UK researchers and innovators to work with peers around the world on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech, and talent. The fund is managed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies, which includes: UK Research and Innovation (comprising the 7 research councils, Innovate UK and Research England), the UK Academies, the British Council, the Met Office, the National Physical Laboratory, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Universities UK International.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
British Council is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to continuing to attract and nurture talented people from the widest pool to remain internationally competitive in research and innovation. We believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to flourish and succeed. This includes avoidance of bias due to disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex (gender), and age.
The British Council is committed to equal opportunities and diversity and will consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests for support to encourage underrepresented groups to engage in ISPF activity, so long as sufficient justification is provided.