Leverhulme Trust – Open Schemes and Deadlines

Established in 1925, the Leverhulme Trust makes awards for the support of research and education in most subject areas, with a particular focus on the arts, humanities and social sciences.

International Professorships

The Leverhulme Trust International Professorships are intended to help maintain the UK’s international standing as a desirable research destination that is open to talented researchers from across the world. 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. Proposals are welcome in most research areas (certain subjects are excluded).

Applications may only be made by UK-based universities. Each UK university is permitted to make only one bid per round. The Trust has allocated up to £100 million to the scheme. Grants are for a period of five years and up to £5 million is available (up to £1 million per year) for staff salaries and associated costs.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 22 May 2022 (12:00).

Major Research Fellowships

The Trust’s Major Research Fellowships are designed to enable well-established and distinguished researchers in the humanities and social sciences to devote themselves to a piece of original research that will be capable of completion within two or three years.

Applicants must be employed by a university or other institution of higher education in the UK. They should be able to demonstrate scholarship of the highest level, but need not already be of professorial standing.

Fellowships provide replacement salary costs over two or three years. Fellows may also request research expenses up to an annual maximum of £6,000.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 13 May 2022 (16:00).

Philip Leverhulme Prizes

Philip Leverhulme Prizes have been offered by the Trust since 2001 and recognise the achievement of outstanding early stage researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future careers are exceptionally promising.

Applications are considered within six broad subject areas each year, which rotate on a three-year cycle. For the 2022 competition, the selected subject areas are: archaeology; chemistry; economics; engineering; geography; and languages and literatures.

Nominees must hold either a permanent post or a long-term fellowship in a UK institution of higher education or research that would extend beyond the duration of the prize. Nominees should normally have been awarded their doctoral degree not more than 10 years prior to the nomination closing date. Prizes have a value of £100,000, which may be used over a two or three year period.

Nominations must be submitted by the deadline of 17 May 2022 (16:00).

Visiting Professorships

The Trust’s Visiting Professorships enable UK institutions to invite an eminent researcher from overseas to enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and/or students. It is the intention that the visitor will provide a degree of expertise that is not otherwise available within the UK research base.

Applications must be made by a member of academic staff based in a UK university or other higher education institution who will be responsible for co-ordinating the visit.

Funding of between £10,000 and £150,000 is available. Professorships may last for 3-12 months, although a professorship may be spread over a number of visits and over a period of up to two years if such an arrangement is justified by the nature of the programme. A maintenance grant may also be requested.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 5 May 2022.

Research Leadership Awards

This scheme provides talented scholars with the opportunity to build a research team of sufficient calibre to address a distinct research question. By doing so, the scheme aims to support the demonstration and development of research leadership skills in UK universities.

Eligible institutions are universities in the UK. Each institution is limited to one bid only.

The awards provide up to £1 million for staff salaries and associated costs (such as technical, computing or clerical staff costs; travel and subsistence costs; and consumable costs). Each grant runs for a period of four to five years.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 10 June 2022 (12:00).

Other Schemes

There are no set outline application deadlines for the Trust’s Research Project Grants and proposals can be submitted at any time.

The Early Career Fellowships have an imminent deadline of 24 February 2022 (16:00).

Applicants should submit their proposals via the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System.