Funder: University of Cambridge
Due Dates: October 30, 2026 (Recommended department deadline) | November 5, 2026 (INT ranked applications) | February 16, 2027 (Research Operations Office) | February 18, 2027 (Leverhulme national competition)
Funding Amounts: Three-year fellowship: Leverhulme provides up to £56,000 in year one and £28,000 annually in years two and three; INT matches up to £28,000 annually in years two and three.
Summary: Cambridge’s internal competition offers Isaac Newton Trust matched salary funding for early career researchers pursuing independent research through Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships.
Key Information: Each Cambridge host department may nominate only its top two candidates for INT matched funding.
Description
The Isaac Newton Trust (INT) runs Cambridge’s internal competition for matched funding to support applications to the Leverhulme Trust’s national Early Career Fellowship programme. The programme supports early career researchers, normally within four years of submitting their doctoral dissertation, to undertake an independent research project during a three-year fellowship. INT support is conditional on success in the national competition.
The internal competition identifies Cambridge candidates who can receive offers of institutional salary support for the fellowship’s second and third years. Host departments rank their candidates, and eligible applications are considered by academic School Panels. The scheme forms part of INT’s work to promote learning, research, and education at the University of Cambridge. The Trust is a registered charity founded in 1988 by Trinity College.
