Postdoctoral Fellowships

The British Academy is inviting proposals from early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to pursue an independent research project, towards the completion of a significant piece of publishable research.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early-career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award-holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.

The Fellowship is non-renewable and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).

Eligibility 

The applicant must be a researcher from the humanities and social sciences and be based at an eligible university or research organisation for the duration of the Fellowship. Suitable institutions include any UK university or recognised research organisation based in the UK. British citizens and any nationals from the EEA are eligible, regardless of where their doctorate was obtained.

Anyone of any nationality who has a doctorate from a UK university is eligible. If an applicant does not meet the prior categories, they may be accepted if they can demonstrate ‘strong prior association’ with the UK academic community.

Eligible applicants are expected to be at an early stage of their career. Applicants are expected to have completed their Viva Voce examination between 1st April 2024 to 1st April 2027. The applicant must already be of postdoctoral status at the time when the Research Awards Committee meets.

Additionally, no applicant who has been appointed to a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in their career, whether in the UK or overseas, will be eligible. This includes positions held before the award of a doctorate.

Please check last round's scheme guidance notes further information regarding exemption from this criterion. All exemption requests must be approved by The British Academy team prior to the application submission. Please email [email protected] to apply for an exemption.

Value and duration

The scheme is covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) regime. Currently, the Academy funds 80 per cent of salary costs, directly allocated and indirect costs under FEC. The Fellowship is tenable for three years, starting from Autumn 2027 in a UK-based university or higher education institution.

Referee 

Applicants must be supported by one self-nominated referee, who will be asked to fill in a questionnaire via Flexi-Grant®. The referee should normally be the external examiner or, if not available, someone else who is as external to the applicant as possible.

The referee may not be the applicant's proposed mentor, doctoral supervisor, an internal examiner, or someone based at the same institution that you propose as your host organisation.

Application process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is Wednesday 30 September 2026 (17:00 BST).

If you have any questions about the Postdoctoral Fellowships or the application process, please see last year's scheme notes and frequently asked questions, or email [email protected].

Scheme guidance

Ahead of the round opening, please read through our scheme guidance notes and application guidance notes carefully before completing an application.

Frequently asked questions

Please refer to our FAQs page for answers to the most frequently asked questions about the scheme.