Grant opportunity
FCDO Senior Research Fellowships
Eleven two-year, 0.4 FTE senior research fellowships placing UK academics within FCDO teams across development, foreign-policy and global-research themes.
- Funder
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK)
- Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT
- Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT: Aug 30, 2026
- Award
- Two-year fellowship placement at 0.4 FTE; see the official call and agreement for financial terms
- Applicant
- UK academics employed by a UK institution at Associate Professor level or above who can meet the relevant security-clearance residency requirements.
- Discipline
- Health and Biomedical Sciences
- Region
- Global
- Posted
- Jun 2, 2026
Call summary
Overview
FCDO is recruiting eleven senior research fellows to work with policy teams in thematic areas including global health, AI for development, conflict, food and agriculture, critical minerals and geopolitical technology issues.
Who can apply
Applicants must be at least Associate Professor level, employed by a UK academic institution and able to meet the residency and security-clearance requirements for the relevant placement.
What it supports
- Eleven thematic fellowships
- Two years at 0.4 FTE
- Placements in London or East Kilbride
- Research-to-policy collaboration
Funding and duration
- Fellowship placement terms are provided in the official agreement and award documentation
Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT
Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT: Aug 30, 2026
How to apply
Select the relevant thematic fellowship, review its job description and submit the application through the RCC Grant Management System linked from the official FCDO call page.
Call details
Source-based overview
The fellowships place senior UK academics in FCDO teams to strengthen the use of research in development and foreign policy. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and selected fellows are expected to begin on 1 April 2027, subject to security clearance.
Eligibility
Applicants must be at least Associate Professor level, employed by a UK academic institution and able to meet the residency and security-clearance requirements for the relevant placement.
Funding and benefits
Fellowship placement terms are provided in the official agreement and award documentation
Themes and supported activities
Eleven thematic fellowships
Two years at 0.4 FTE
Placements in London or East Kilbride
Research-to-policy collaboration
Deadline and timeline
Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT: Applications close 30 August 2026 at 17:00 GMT: Aug 30, 2026.
Applicants should confirm the exact deadline time, time zone, required documents, portal steps and any institutional approvals on the official call page before submitting.
How to apply
Select the relevant thematic fellowship, review its job description and submit the application through the RCC Grant Management System linked from the official FCDO call page.
Before applying, check eligibility rules, budgets, attachments, page limits, partner requirements, cost-share conditions and whether the opportunity uses an expression of interest, full proposal, registration or nomination stage.