Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships are for early career researchers with a research record, but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work. The Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, and it is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another institution.

The 2024 call will open on 1 January 2024, closing on 22 February (RGO deadline: 8 February). However, Departments usually run internal selection processes for this scheme in the autumn.

Please always refer to the funder guidance as the definitive source of information!

As usual, we’ll be running an information session for prospective applicants in October.

Date: Tuesday 3 October
Time: 10:00-11:30
Location: Online (Zoom)

This will cover:

• Aims and remit of the scheme
• Eligibility requirements
• Tips for applying
• Insights from a current Leverhulme Fellow

Register to attend via Zoom.

What is the success rate for this scheme?

This scheme is highly competitive. The success rate for the 2022 call was 18.4% nationally.

At what stage should applicants be at?

These fellowships are typically aimed at more independent researchers, but see the funder guidance for more information. You can apply as long as you've submitted your PhD by the deadline; however, most successful applicants from York have a couple of years' postdoctoral experience by the time they start the Fellowship.

Are there examples of previously successful applications?

Yes! A number of our current and former Leverhulme Fellows have kindly shared their applications. Please treat these applications sensitively, and do not share them beyond direct applicants.

1 - Chemistry

2 - Chemistry

3 - Education

4 - Education

5 - History of Art

6 - English

Who to contact for support

Your Department's Research Support Office

University Fellowship Coordinator: Taryn Bell (fellowships@york.ac.uk)

What Leverhulme Trust fund

The Trust will contribute 50% of the Fellow’s total salary costs (including National Insurance and superannuation) up to a maximum of £26,000 for three years, with the balance to be paid by the host institution. The Trust’s maximum annual contribution will be pro-rated if the Fellowship is held on a part-time basis. Each Fellow may request up to £6,000 per annum in research expenses to further his or her research activities (see the Leverhulme website for more details).

Arrangements for the remaining funding

Your department can apply to the University's Fellowships Coordination Committee (FCC) to match-fund some of the remaining salary costs (the process can be found here: /wiki/spaces/FEL/pages/9666692).

For the 2024 call, FCC has committed to match funding up to 1 Leverhulme Fellow per Department. This means that, in practice, Departments can put in as many applications as they wish, but if they have more than one successful application, they will have to cover the cost of the 2nd/3rd/etc Fellow themselves.

The Faculty/Department will provide the remaining match funding, so you will need to check with your Department and Faculty Research Support Team to ensure that they are also willing to match fund any applicant.

Selection processes

There is no University-level selection process for this scheme, with Departments, Schools and Faculties taking the lead on reviewing candidates' suitability for this scheme.

To try to support effective selection processes, we’ve compiled a short guide for Departments and Schools, to assist in choosing candidates. 

You may also wish to use our example Expression of Interest template when undertaking any Departmental/School selection process.

Administrative notes

The following information relates to funder and University processes and is intended to assist members of Research Support teams.

• The RGO deadline for applications is 8 February 2024
• Expected starting salary grade: 7.1
• If the fellow wishes to include Research expenses in their project, these should be processed through the University (i.e. included in Worktribe) rather than claimed directly from Leverhulme Trust.
• Example Worktribe costing

The FCC will cover 50% of the salary shortfall (i.e. 25% of the overall salary costs) for all Leverhulme applications. To calculate this from Worktribe, click the 'Budget' tab, and from the dropdown box on the right hand side of the screen click 'Export Budget', then download 'Staff Costs'. You will need to calculate the figures by Financial Year, not Project Year, so look for 'Academic Year (1st Aug - 31st Jul)'.

If you have any queries, please get in touch with your RGO contact.