Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships program

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships program – Outstanding early-career researchers can apply for Research Fellowships from the Royal Academy of Engineering every year, which will help them develop into future engineering research leaders.

About The Royal Academy of Engineering

Our overarching goal for 2025 is to harness the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age. By 2025 we will have helped to build a sustainable society and inclusive economy through:

The project’s goals include:

sustain the best early-career researchers in establishing their independence and international importance
provide long-term support promoting the pursuit of an ambitious program of engineering research and impact
create ambassadors for the Academy and advocates for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines

The Royal Academy of Engineering welcomes applications from early-career researchers worldwide who have been granted their Ph.D. in the last four years.

Funding for the project is available for five years. The Academy will only contribute up to £625,000 for each application over the course of five years, or 80% of the total economic expenses. To obtain funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Research Fellowships must be undertaken at a UK university or higher education institution or at a UK research organization.

The 2022/2023 round accepts applications for the following research fellowship schemes:

Research Fellowship
Engineering for Development Research Fellowship

The Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships Value

In addition to the direct financial support, the Research Fellowships benefits include:

an opportunity to set a research track record and in turn be in a stronger position to apply for additional funding and grow own research team
mentoring support from an Academy Fellow to offer advice on research and career development
reduction of teaching and administrative duties to devote time to research
training opportunities
networking opportunities with other Research Fellows and Academy Fellows

Eligibility for Research Fellowships

Research Fellowships must be held by one of the following qualified institutions that can show it is capable of fully supporting an engineering-focused research project and researcher: a UK higher education institution/university or a UK research organization that is eligible to receive UKRI funding. (A list of qualified research organizations is included in the application guidance notes)
Research Fellowships cannot be jointly hosted by multiple institutions
The host institution must agree to provide the Research Fellow with all the support normal for a permanent employee.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to contact the host institution to gain their formal approval before applying.
The proposed research project must be in an engineering subject area. Engineering is defined in its widest sense, surrounding a wide range of diverse fields.
Research Fellowships are aimed at early-career researchers. Scholars must have a Ph.D., which was awarded (or the Ph.D. has been unconditionally authorized) no more than four years before the submission deadline: Tuesday 20 September 2022. This period includes candidates’ work experience in academia or/and in the industry in the UK or/and worldwide. A margin of up to three months more than the four-year limit is acceptable. If candidates have had maternity/paternity leave or other extenuating circumstances (e.g. extended sick leave, national service, or caring responsibilities), this will be taken into consideration if the appropriate dates and details are provided in the application form.
Research Fellows will be employed by the host institution and are needed to devote all their working time to the Research Fellowship program work. The Research Fellowship must be the Research Fellow’s only source of employment. The Research Fellow should be based at the host institution for more than 50% of the Research Fellowship. If the Research Fellow needs to work more than 50% of the Research Fellowship outside the host institution, justification must be provided in the application form (Choice of host institution).
There are no nationality and age restrictions for candidates. The host institution is responsible for ensuring all required work permits and related costs for the Research Fellows.
Applicants who have applied to this scheme before and were unsuccessful are eligible to reapply. These applications will be regarded as new applications.
Research Fellowships must begin between 1 August 2023 and 31 October 2023. The duration of Research Fellowships is five years full-time, calculated on a pro-rata basis for part-time awards. Requests for a shorter Research Fellowship are not accepted.
There is a limit on the number of applications each host institution can submit (see Application limit).
Any applications that are incomplete or do not stick to the guidance will be rejected.
Once applied cannot be edited and updated.

How to Apply for Research Fellowships

Research Fellowships must be held at one of the following qualified institutions that can show it is capable of fully supporting an engineering-focused research project and researcher:

a UK higher education institution/university or
a UK research organization that is qualified to receive UKRI funding. (A list of eligible research organizations is included in the candidate guidance notes)

Additionally, the host institution must agree to provide the Research Fellow with all the support normal for a permanent employee. Research Fellowships cannot be jointly hosted by numerous institutions.

There is a limit on the number of applications each host institution can submit. Host institutions are likely to have an internal selection process that candidates must find out about in advance.

There are no nationality and age restrictions for applicants. The host institution is responsible for securing all necessary work permits and related costs for the Research Fellows.

Application Deadline: The Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships in the UK for 2022/2023 closes on September 20, 2022

APPLY HERE