Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: November 30, 2026 (Oxford Criminology/Socio-Legal EOI) | December 10, 2026 (Oxford Politics EOI) | December 17, 2026 (LISS EOI) | January 4, 2027 (Midlands EOI) | January 8, 2027 (Brighton outline) | January 11, 2027 (Grand Union EOI) | January 14, 2027 (CAM EOI, provisional) | January 16, 2027 (Portsmouth EOI) | March 2, 2027 (Southampton record) | March 9, 2027 (Southampton approvals) | March 19, 2027 (Southampton submission) | March 23, 2027 (Full applications) | June 30, 2027 (Successful proposals to ESRC)
Funding Amounts: Up to nine months full-time or 18 months part-time; LISS and Grand Union cover salary plus up to £7,500 additional costs
Summary: ESRC fellowships help immediate postdoctoral researchers consolidate doctoral work through publications, networks, and research and professional skills.
Key Information: New research cannot be funded; applying to multiple DTPs results in withdrawal of all applications.
Description
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, supports researchers immediately after their PhD to consolidate existing research and advance longer-term research careers. Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) assess applications and make funding decisions on ESRC’s behalf. Programmes can support careers in academia or a clearly articulated transition to research outside academia.
Activities include publications, communicating findings, building impact networks, training, developing funding proposals, and internships or placements with research users. Research visits can support collaboration, training, and access to unavailable resources. Teaching is permitted when aligned with fellowship purposes, up to six hours weekly.
