Leverhulme Trust: Research Leadership Awards Grant

Leverhulme Trust: Research Leadership Awards Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Leverhulme Trust
Amount: £800,000 - £1,000,000
Last Updated: December 16, 2025

Summary

The Leverhulme Trust's Research Leadership Awards support early-career scholars in establishing research teams to tackle significant research challenges. The grants, lasting 4 to 5 years, prioritize funding for research staff and students, with at least 75% of resources allocated for this purpose. Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years of relevant experience and a contract with a UK university extending beyond the grant award. Notably, proposals focusing on applied medical research are excluded.

Overview

Background For talented scholars who have launched a university career but who need to build a team to address a distinct research problem. The aim is to support talented scholars who have successfully launched a university career but who need to build a research team of sufficient scale to tackle a distinctive research problem. This creates an opportunity for the development and demonstration of research leadership; that is, for the direction of a modest team or group, whose research may significantly change the established landscape in a particular field of inquiry. Duration Each grant runs over a period of 4 to 5 years. What the Trust offers Support for research staff and students At least 75% of the resources requested must be used to provide funding for research staff (research assistants; postgraduate students). The expectation of the Trust is that the applicant will dedicate a minimum of 0.8 FTE to the award. Research assistants should have a research degree or equivalent research experience. The tuition fees and maintenance costs of one or more PhD studentships may be included, provided they are set at the base rate for Research Council awards for UK students. Support for an overseas student is allowable but requires explicit justification, addressing how their specific skills are to contribute to the project. The additional costs of overseas student fees will need to be waived or covered by the institution. There will be no provision for overhead costs. Associated research costs These can be included up to a maximum of 25% of the total budget. This percentage is a maximum and not a target. The following are examples of such eligible costs: technical, computing, clerical staff costs travel and subsistence costs directly related to the research activity. These can include conference attendance provided that such attendance can be shown to make a direct contribution to the research project consumable costs Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Each institution is limited to one bid only. To be eligible to apply for the Research Leadership Awards scheme you must at the time of application: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 awardBe at an early stage of your academic career such that the trajectory of your research contribution has yet to become firmly established.Have a contract with a university in the UK that extends beyond the end of the grant award (i.e. beyond 2027 for 4 year awards and 2028 for 5 year awards)Please note: the competition is not aimed at candidates who are established professors, senior staff who already have a portfolio of grant funding or those that already lead a team.

Ineligibility

Proposals are welcome in any research area, with the exception of the following:studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals and research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applicationsExcluded because substantial funding is available from other sources for applied medical research, and the Trust’s priority is to support investigations of a fundamental nature.research areas currently identified as a priority by the research councils or other significant public funderspolicy-driven research where the principal objective is to assemble an evidence base for immediate policy initiativesresearch where advocacy is an explicit componentresearch aimed principally at an immediate commercial applicationproposals in which the balance between assembling a data bank or database and the related subsequent research is heavily inclined to the formerThere will be no provision for:the salary costs of the Principal Applicant replacement teaching overhead expenditures*You must not: Have held an equivalent award or fellowship that provided funds to establish an independent research groupHave held project grant funding in excess of £100k in a single award*Have led a team of research staff, or managed PDRA staff.