Overview of EPSRC's Fellowship Scheme
EPSRC fellowships support talented and ambitious researchers to deliver research excellence and lead our research base in the evolution of a modern working culture.
Our fellowships provide applicants with the flexibility and freedom to design a package that fits their career ambitions, research needs and personal development requirements.
An EPSRC fellowship can focus on discovery science, innovation, instrumentation/technique development or software engineering, or a combination of these. Applications for Open Fellowships can be across any topic in the EPSRC portfolio. Post-doctoral opportunities vary across our themes as detailed within the applicant guidance document. We will also run calls that can be found on our fellowship opportunities page.
The difference between a Research Grant and a Fellowship
|
Fellowships |
Research Grants |
| Personal award | For a Principal Investigator with option for one or more Co-Investigators |
| Can be applied for without holding an academic position | Investigators must be academic employees (lecturer or equivalent) of an eligible organisation |
| Institutions are required to offer a high level of support to fellows (e.g. provision of additional staff for research group, enhanced training and support, reduction in other academic duties etc) | Institutions may or may not offer additional support (e.g. doctoral students, additional funding etc) |
| Allows for personal development to expand current role and responsibilities and enhance leadership | Normally focussed on research deliverables |
| Flexibility to undertake training | |
| Fellows are expected to act as ambassadors and advocates of their research area | |
| Flexibility to allocate time to drive research culture change in non-technical areas | |
| Significant time commitment (50%+) | Grant contributes to the investigators’ salaries but it’s not usually 100% |
| Can reduce other responsibilities for fellow within their host institution (e.g. teaching and administration) | Investigators named on research grants usually have other administrative loads within their institutions |
| Provides flexibility for fellow to transfer award to another institution | Grant is bound to the recipient institution |