Opportunities for Postdoctoral Fellowships

The British Academy International Fellowships Scheme provides support for outstanding early career researchers from all over the world to enable them to work at a UK research institution for two years. Fellowships support the development and training of postdoctoral researchers within five years of PhD across relevant disciplines. You must not hold UK citizenship and must currently be working outside the UK. Further information is available on the link below.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and the UK academic sponsor. It is essential that you make contact with your sponsor well in advance of the deadline as the sponsor must work with the applicant to develop the project proposal. If you do not have a sponsor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages (scroll to bottom of page). You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research.

The next funder deadline is 11 March 2026. If you have the agreement of a sponsor to apply, please contact the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures Research Office at llc.research@ed.ac.uk by 5 January 2026 with a short summary CV and information about your sponsor. Your CV (1-2 pages maximum) should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) fund mobility, training and career development in academia through individual mobility grants and collaborative research and training. Postdoctoral fellowships are available for two years, with the global fellowship requiring a mandatory one year return period to your home institution following the fellowship.

Fellowships support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. Fellowships help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors. Researchers must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the maximum.

Researchers must comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Individual researchers submit proposals for funding in liaison with their planned host organisation. Proposals are judged on their research quality, the researcher's future career prospects and the support offered by the host organisation. Further details are available on the link below.

The next funder deadline is 10 September 2025. We are no longer accepting applications to this round of the scheme.

The subsequent funder deadline is expected in September 2026. If you have the agreement of a sponsor to apply, please contact the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures Research Office at llc.research@ed.ac.uk by 25 May 2025 with a short summary CV and information about your sponsor. CV (1-2 pages maximum) should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and the UK academic supervisor. It is essential that you make contact with your supervisor as early as possible, as we have put in place an internal selection procedure so support to submit an application is not guaranteed. If you do not have a supervisor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages (scroll to bottom of page). You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research. 

If you have any queries about the Fellowship scheme and are considering applying through the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) at the University of Edinburgh, please contact the LLC Research Office at llc.research@ed.ac.uk.  

The 2025 round of the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme is now closed. We anticipate inviting applications for the 2026 round from candidates already in receipt of a PhD on 15 July 2026. This page will be updated once information about the scheme is released by the funder.

We anticipate requesting outline proposals and a short summary CV (1-2 pages maximum), to be sent to llc.research@ed.ac.uk by 9.00 AM BST on 15 July 2026. Please note this deadline is provisional and may change once scheme guidance is published. Late submissions will not be considered.

Your proposal should include:

• an outline of your proposed research, including methodology and timetable
• planned outputs
• dissemination plans
• a note on fit with research activities within the School and confirmation of your proposed mentor

It is recommended that you contact potential mentors in advance of applying. The proposal should be no more than two pages of A4, using a font of no less than point 11 and 2 cm margins. Your CV (1-2 pages maximum) should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded.

You should make contact with your proposed mentor before you submit your outline and it would be beneficial if they commented on your proposal before submission. If you do not have a mentor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages (scroll to bottom of page). You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research and make contact with them.

Our anticipated timetable for submission in 2026 is noted below. This is subject to amendment following announcement of the 2026 round from the British Academy:

• 15 July 2026 9.00 AM BST – Deadline for submission of project proposal and short CV.
• early August 2026 – Applicants advised if selected for full submission
• August 2026 – Applicant to develop full application with mentor
• early September 2026 – Applicant to submit full application for internal peer review
• October 2026 – Funder deadline

Please read the scheme information on the link above and ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. As the British Academy do not allow unsuccessful applicants to reapply to this Scheme, you should consider whether this is the best time for you to apply.

If you have any queries about the Fellowship scheme or the LLC process of selection, please contact the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures Research Office, at llc.research@ed.ac.uk. Up to four candidates are likely to be selected to develop a full stage application for submission to the British Academy.

Our internal deadline for outline proposals to the 2026 round of Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships has now passed, and we are no longer accepting outline proposals for this round. 

We anticipate inviting applications for the 2026/27 round from candidates already in receipt of a PhD on 25 November 2026. This page will be updated once information about the scheme is released by the funder.

We anticipate requesting outline proposals and a short summary CV (1-2 pages maximum), to be sent to llc.research@ed.ac.uk by 9.00 AM on 25 November 2026. Please note this deadline is provisional and may change once scheme guidance is published. Late submissions will not be considered.

Your proposal should include:

• An outline of your proposed research, including methodology and timetable
• Planned outputs
• Dissemination plans
• Why you consider the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures within the University of Edinburgh to be the best place for you to undertake your project
• A named mentor within the School

The proposal should be no more than two pages of A4, using a font of no less than point 11 with 2 cm margins.

Your CV (1-2 pages maximum) should include your publications to date along with your academic history, including the date your PhD was awarded.

You should make contact with your proposed mentor before you submit your outline and it would be beneficial if they commented on your proposal before submission. If you do not have a mentor in mind, please have a look at our staff research profiles on the Edinburgh Research Explorer and our staff webpages (scroll to bottom of page). You’ll then be able to find staff working in your area of research and make contact with them.

Our anticipated timetable for submission to the 2026/27 scheme is below. This is subject to amendment following announcement of the 2026/27 scheme by The Leverhulme Trust:

• 25 November 2026, 9 am – Deadline for submission of project proposal and short CV.
• mid-December 2026 – Applicants advised if selected for full submission
• December 2026 and January 2027 – Applicant to develop full application with mentor
• mid-January 2027 – Applicant to submit full application for internal peer review
• mid-February 2027 – Funder deadline

If you have any queries about the Fellowship scheme or the LLC process of selection, please contact the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures Research Office, at llc.research@ed.ac.uk. We anticipate that up to two candidates will be selected to develop a full stage application for submission to the Leverhulme Trust.