Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Awards

Apply to be hosted by the University of Edinburgh. The information on this page is for LT RLA candidates who are currently external to the University of Edinburgh and wish to apply to be hosted by the University of Edinburgh.  If you are currently a staff member at the University of Edinburgh please refer to our demand management guidance on SharePoint below:

Leverhulme Trust Leadership Awards 2025 (University of Edinburgh login required)

Call open date: 3 February 2025

University of Edinburgh internal demand management deadline: 28 March 2025, 11am.

Funder deadline: 30 May 2025

This opportunity is aimed at talented early career scholars to develop and demonstrate research leadership by supporting the career development and the project management of a modest team or group and through the development of their own intellectual leadership, leading to research that may significantly change the established landscape in a particular field of inquiry. 

Applicants can apply for up to £1m for 4-5years. For further details on what the Leverhulme Trust offers, please visit the Leverhulme Trust website. 

To be eligible to apply for a Research Leadership Award at the time of application, you must:

• Have had at least two years full-time or equivalent experience in a research- or teaching post in a university after the date of your PhD award
• Already hold a permanent academic appointment at a UK university at lecturer level or equivalent, or be nominated for the award by a UK university that undertakes to offer a contract for the duration of the award, with the expectation that a permanent role would be offered by the end of the award. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK and be resident in the UK during the tenure of the award.
• Be at an early stage of your academic career such that the trajectory of your research contribution has yet to become firmly established. This means that you must not:
  • Have held an equivalent award or fellowship that provided funds to establish an independent research group
  • Have held project grant funding in excess of £100k in a single award. 
    • Personal funding that exceeds £100k in a single award is allowable (i.e. Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, etc) provided the award had no provision for managing staff. 
  • Have led a team of research staff, or managed PDRA staff. 

Applicants at Senior Lecturer, Reader/Associate Professor or Professor level or equivalent are not eligible to apply. 

Further guidance on eligibility criteria is available within the FAQ document on the Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Awards website. Please read this guidance carefully. If you are not sure about your eligibility, please contact your local school research office. 

You will be asked to confirm your eligibility for the award in a 300-word statement. 

You must secure the support the support of your host School or Institute. The commitment required for grant holders 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.

Timeline

Once they have secured the support of their host University of Edinburgh school or centre, applicants are asked to provide a detailed internal application (maximum 5 page) of the intended research, including the following:

• Title of project.
• Main aims of the research and the proposed methodology.
• The extent to which the proposed work can be seen to bring about a fruitful reshaping of the disciplinary landscape.
• How and why this research is a good fit for the institution. Please include here a short support statement from your school/institute that demonstrate the strategic importance of your research for the institution. This statement should be part of the 5 page document, and should be signed off from the Head of School. 
• The record and promise of the group leader. Please include a short statement outlining your eligibility for this scheme, as per the call requirements. Please include any correspondence with the Leverhulme Trust clarifying your eligibility, as appropriate (the correspondence can be in addition to the 5 page document). 
• The structure and activities of the research team.
• Why Leverhulme is the most suitable funder for this project 

Please note that the panel will consider applicants who either already have a permanent academic appointment at lecturer level or equivalent, or whose Schools are committed to offer them a contract for the duration of the award, and signal the expectation that a permanent role would be offered by the end of the award.

Key links

Call information on the Leverhulme Trust website: Research Leadership Awards | The Leverhulme Trust

View previously awarded grants to this scheme: Grant listings | The Leverhulme Trust

If you have any queries, please contact: 

Ina Lindsay, Research Bid Development Manager, Edinburgh Research Office Ina.Lindsay@ed.ac.uk