Research Leadership Awards
Limited submissionForecasted
Research Leadership Awards support early-career scholars at UK universities to build research teams, tackle distinctive problems and develop leadership through work that could reshape a field of inquiry.
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Funder: Leverhulme Trust
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2028 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to £1 million over 4–5 years
Summary: Supports early-career scholars at UK universities to build research teams, tackle distinctive problems and develop research leadership.
Key Information: Each institution may submit only one bid; applicants must not have previously led research staff or managed PDRAs.
Description
The Leverhulme Trust’s Research Leadership Awards support talented scholars embarking on a university career who need a team of sufficient scale to tackle a distinctive research problem. The scheme develops award holders’ intellectual and practical leadership through managing a modest research group and supporting team members’ career development. It aims to enable research that may significantly reshape an established field of inquiry.
Awards support research staff and students, alongside teaching replacement or the award holder’s salary where appropriate, and associated research costs. Proposals are welcome across research areas, subject to the Trust’s exclusions for clinical, disease-related, immediate policy or commercial work, explicit advocacy and database-dominated projects. The next competition is the Centenary Research Leadership Awards; requirements are expected to remain broadly similar to the 2025 round but will be updated nearer the time.
