UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Round 12

Apply to be hosted by the University of Edinburgh.

The information on this page is for FLF candidates who are currently external to the University of Edinburgh and wish to apply to Round 12 to be hosted by the University of Edinburgh.  

If you are a staff member at the University of Edinburgh please refer to our demand management guidance below when it becomes available.

Call opens: Expected February 2027 (based on FLF Round 11 call opening date)

UoE deadline: Various please refer to the information below

Funder deadline: Expected mid-June 2027

We encourage you to read through the information on this page and begin planning ahead. Please note, some details and dates may change once the full call is announced in February 2027.

Event: UKRI FLF -  Preparing your Round 12 Application at UoE

Date: 3 November 2026

Time: 10:00am - 11:30am GMT

Location: Online

This event will support you to plan for the writing of your proposal, as well as providing invaluable insights to navigate the discussions you will need to have with your host organisation. We’ll discuss the timeline of the University’s internal selection processes and what you need to do to make sure your application is considered.

Register on Eventbrite: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: Preparing your Round 12 Application at UoE

Call information

This cross-UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) scheme supports early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential in universities, UK registered businesses, and other research and user environments including Research Councils' institutes and laboratories.

The support will enable each fellow to tackle ambitious and challenging research and innovation and develop their own careers.

Fellows will benefit from:

  • A scheme that is committed to supporting excellent researchers and innovators regardless of their background. Fellowships can be held on a part-time basis for personal commitments and/or as part of a job share.
  • Networking across their cohort of some of the UK’s most talented researchers and innovators from different disciplines and sectors, putting them at the forefront of modern, interdisciplinary research.
  • A career boost, including time and investment for training and professional development, providing a route to an open-ended contract for academically hosted fellows (in line with organisational policies and practices).

Read the call information on the UKRI website (please note this is currently a pre-announcement. Some details may change when the full call is announced on February 2027)

Watch UKRI YouTube playlist – Meet the Future Leaders Fellows

Internal University of Edinburgh timeline

Please note, some details and dates may change once the full call is announced in February 2027.

Information Event: Register here: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: Preparing your Round 12 Application at the University of Edinburgh03 November 2026, 10am - 11:30am (UK Time)
Deadline for submission to School/Centre/Institute (check details of local process well in advance)Late November/early December 2026
Edinburgh Council school holidays 21 December 2026 to 6 January 2027
Call opening dateFebruary 2027 (TBC)
Deadline for Notification of Intent and candidates with formal nomination from School/Centre/Institute to submit for internal selection (College deadline)CMVM, CSE & CAHSS – 8 February 2027
Edinburgh Council February school holidays15 - 19 February, 2027
College panel meetingsw/c 22 February, 2027
College selection outcomes will be shared to all candidates25 February, 2027

University of Edinburgh online briefing session 

(This is a planned information session for invited participants only. Calendar invitations will be sent directly to attendees)

w/c 1 March, 2027
Candidates selected by College panels submit response to feedback and video pitch 8 March, 2027
University of Edinburgh Panel Meeting and outcome to applicants w/c 22 March, 2027

1. Secure the support of your host School or Institute

The commitment required for fellows is substantial and only applicants with the backing of a host University of Edinburgh School or Institute will be eligible for our internal selection process.

As a first step please contact your relevant University of Edinburgh School/ Institute Research Office to register your intent to apply.

Although you may have other contacts to talk to, it’s important that the person who oversees the school’s research is aware of your interest so they can advise you about internal deadlines.  

Find your School Research Office

Find your CMVM Research institute or centre

Host Schools and Institutes will have their own internal processes for selecting the applications that will receive the support of the School Director of Research or the CMVM Institute Director. Only applicants with confirmed School or Institute support will be eligible to submit to the Colleges’ internal selection process.

Please also complete the Notification of Intent form, which includes a link to an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring form.

Notification of Intent form: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships 2027 Round 12- Notification of Intent – Fill out form

*You may or may not have provided demographic data to the University of Edinburgh at another time. However, this data is limited in completeness, and things can change over time. By completing this survey, you will enable us to develop insights into how effectively our internal selection process supports our diverse research community.  Furthermore, we are required to report to UKRI on our findings, and so our EDI form reflects the data we need to provide. We do request that you please take the time (it should be no more than 5 minutes) to complete the EDI form linked to the Notification of Intent submission.

2. College level selection process

All applicants who secure the support of a host School/Institute should complete and submit the following to the relevant College Research Office by 8 February 2027 at 11:00am.

  • Summary (550 words)
  • Vision and approach (4 sides A4 + diagrammatic workplan)
    • What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?
  • Applicant capability to deliver (1650 words)
    • Why are you the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work?
  • Career development (1000 words)
    • Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others?
  • Host organisation support (1000 words)
    • How will the host organisation support your fellowship?
  • Resources (1000 words)
    • Indicate what you will need to deliver your proposed work.   

N.B. you do not need to provide a detailed costing.

College Research Office contact details for submission

College of Arts Humanities and Social SciencesCAHSS.CRO@ed.ac.uk
College of Medicine and Veterinary MedicineCMVM.CRO@ed.ac.uk
College of Science and EngineeringCSE.CRO@ed.ac.uk

Outcomes from the College processes will be shared by 25 February, 2027 to all candidates. Feedback will subsequently be provided to successful and unsuccessful candidates.


The outcomes of the University of Edinburgh internal prioritisation process will be shared by W/C 22 March, 2027

Following selection, we offer support to prepare the selected candidates’ full application for submission, allowing time for local budget approval. This includes:

  • Access to current successful Fellows at University of Edinburgh, ask them questions and learn from their experiences.
  • Proposal support: from W/C 1 March, 2027 until full submission, candidates will work with peer reviewers, their Research Funding Specialist and local research support to develop drafts of the full application and ensure financial and support commitments are appropriately considered and justified.

Candidates are expected to seek and allow sufficient time for academic peer review, particularly senior academic colleagues.


Full proposals should be submitted on The Funding Service (UKRI’s electronic grant submission portal) in advance of the UKRI deadline mid-June 2027, 4pm.

If you don’t already have a system login you need to create an account well ahead of the deadline. Follow the guidance on the UKRI FLF webpages.

Candidates who are not selected by the University of Edinburgh will receive feedback that aims to help with further development of their career plans. 


The College panels will consist of Directors of Research and the Dean of Research.

The University panel will consist of representatives from the College panels, former UKRI FLF panellists, Deans of Research (or representatives) from each College and chaired by the Vice-Principal Research and Innovation.

The criteria used will be those set by UKRI for the Future Leaders Fellowship call.


For queries about the University of Edinburgh internal selection process, please contact Anna Anderson (Clinical Research Funding Manager), Edinburgh Research Office 

Email Anna Anderson


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