The scheme, launched in 2018, is a £900 million fund designed to support 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 goal is to establish the careers of world-class research and innovation leaders across UK business and academia.
Future Leaders Fellowships are intended to provide an individual working within a business, who has outstanding potential, with the funding and support to turn high impact research and innovation-focused ideas into reality.
Businesses who successfully apply to this fund businesses could be awarded funding of up to £1.5 million over four years. This could help them to attract or retain a talented innovator with untapped potential, develop a significant new or enhanced research or innovation capability and build networks and collaborate with other organisations.
The scheme 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. To provide more flexibility, Innovate UK has this year introduced a Reduced Hours Fellowship. This means that successful applicants can spend between 60 and 100 per cent of their working time on this award, freeing up as much as 40 per cent of their time to focus on other activities within the business.
A stated objective of the FLF scheme is to provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.
Outline proposals are required for each applicant intending to submit to Round 5 of this scheme. The deadline for receiving these is 4pm on 30th April 2020. Full applications for Round 5 must be submitted by 4pm on 2nd June 2020.
For more information and to apply go to Future Leaders.
