BU Research Blog

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships  (FLF) round 11 will open soon and like every year, we would be delighted to support via BU new talent to apply to these very prestigious fellowships.  The scheme aims to develop the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business. This scheme is looking for early career researchers and innovators who are either:

• looking to establish or transition to independence
• developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting.

UKRI are offering funding to support ambitious research or innovation programmes across UKRI’s remit. The fellowship will enable fellows (from the UK or abroad) to tackle ambitious research and develop their careers.

There is no minimum or maximum award value.

Your project can last for up to four years, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years.

The external deadline for this call is 16^th June 2026

BU internal competition:

We are running an internal demand management process at BU to ensure we support and encourage submissions from the highest standard of candidates. BU is capped at a maximum of 3 applications.

The focus is to ensure candidates are eligible and have a high chance of success, providing them with comprehensive advice and support, to develop a high-quality programme of research and proposal for submission. Applications are welcome from internal academics (both as prospective fellows or mentors of prospective fellows) and external academics to be hosted by BU.

Prospective applicants should complete an Expression of Interest form and send to Research Development by 5pm on 11th February 2026. A panel of subject experts and Deans of Research will review each EoI and selected applicants will be notified by 28th February.  All documents relating to this internal competition are available on the I Drive here: I:\RDS\Public\FLF Round 11. If you cannot access the link or the Documents, please contact Eva Papadopoulou.

Selected applicants will then be supported to progress with their application and receive internal and external support as required.

A briefing on this call will be held on  21st January 2026 at 11am, via Teams, including an overview of the scheme and a Q&A session with experienced panelists and reviewers.

Please email Eva Papadopoulou if you would like to attend or have any queries.