Leverhulme International Professorships
To help maintain the UK’s international standing as a desirable research destination that is open to talented individuals from all countries
Applications are encouraged from universities seeking to recruit excellent research leaders of any nationality, currently working outside the UK, in order to fill strategically important positions in this country. The Trust has allocated at least £100 million over five years to fund these grants. Grants are for a period of five years.
Each UK university is permitted to make only one bid per round.
It is expected that the university:
- will offer a permanent appointment to the Professorial candidate and, where possible, to staff appointed on the grants and
- will offer an ongoing package of support after the end of the grant.
The 2023 round will be the final call for the scheme.
Value
Up to £5 million for staff salaries and associated costs.
This figure should not be considered as a target and bids that do not request the maximum sum available will be considered on an equal footing with those that do.
Duration
Funding for the Professorships will run over a period of 5 years with the expectation that the candidate will be appointed permanently.
Before beginning your application, please read the information below or download it as a PDF Guidance for Applicants.
Eligibility
Eligible institutions are universities in the UK.
There are no restrictions on nationality of the professorial candidate but they must be working outside the UK at the time of application.
Applications cannot be made retrospectively. Universities are expected to be actively engaged in the recruitment process at the time of the grant. Where an employment contract has already been signed, the candidate cannot be considered in this competition.
Criteria
The Trust invites applications for professorial candidates who will conduct research of outstanding originality and quality, and by their appointment, also contribute significantly to the university’s strategic aims and objectives. This may be an appointment to consolidate or reshape an existing area or field of study or to allow the university to branch out into new areas or disciplines. Applicants are therefore invited to be bold in compiling their bids.
Please note carefully the types of research that the Trust does not fund, in particular:
- studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals and/or research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications
- policy-driven research where the principal objective is to assemble an evidence base for immediate policy initiatives
- research where advocacy is an explicit component
- research aimed principally at an immediate commercial application
- proposals in which the balance between assembling a data bank or database and the related subsequent research is heavily inclined to the former
The Trust will provide a ruling on eligibility if there is uncertainty as to whether a topic is eligible for consideration for this scheme.
What the Trust offers
Up to £1 million per annum is available for 5 years.
Salaries
At least 75% of the resources requested must be used to provide funding for staff. This may include:
- Salary for the professorial candidate
Up to £250k p.a. may be requested to support the salary package of the candidate, including visa and relocation costs. Any additional remuneration is the responsibility of the recruiting university. - Salaries for research staff
This can include academics, research assistants and postgraduate students relocating as part of the team and/or those that will be recruited in the UK.
Associated costs
This includes technical, administration or computing staff costs or services, travel and subsistence, consumables, up to a maximum of 25% of the total budget.
Exceptionally, items of equipment may be included up to a total value of £250k.
Costs may be distributed unevenly across the five years to allow for front loading of expenditure.
Please note that the Trust does not make grants on a full economic costing basis.
How to apply
Each UK university is permitted to make only one bid per round.
When completing the application form, please refer to the Guidance for Applicants.
Once a university has selected their chosen candidate, they should email the applicant’s name, departmental affiliation and email address to Katharyn Lanaro at grants@leverhulme.ac.uk. Access will then be granted to the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System. The recommended browser to use is Google Chrome.
The Applicant must be a responsible academic in the UK University, usually the PVC or DVC Research or equivalent.
The Applicant is expected to take responsibility for the administration of the grant and to provide annual progress reports to the Trust.
As part of the application process Institutional Approval of the content is required, including the finances requested by the organisation. This approver may not be the Principal Applicant.
The Trust will report results to applicants by the end of October 2022.
Where necessary, expert advice will be sought in confidence from senior academics, although the Trust Board itself will be responsible for making final decisions.
Universities that secure a Professorship will then negotiate final details with the individuals concerned. It is expected that grants will start within 12 months of the award date. Where no agreement can be reached in practice, grants will lapse and funds will revert to the next round of the competition.
Universities should also be aware that if the Professor leaves the university within the 5-year grant period, it should not be assumed that grants can be transferred to another university, or that funds can be retained by the university. Further to this, in the event of an early termination of the grant and where more than 25% of Associated Costs have been spent at the point the grant finishes, funds may be required to be repaid by the University.
Key Dates
- Currently closed
- Opens: 1 May 2023
- Closes: 22 November 2023
- Decision: March 2024
The 2023 round will be the final call for the scheme.
Making an Application
Contact
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