What is the Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award?
Leverhulme defines the grant as ‘for talented scholars who have launched a university career but who need to build a team to address a distinct research problem’.
The aim of the funding is to provide an opportunity for talented scholars to develop and demonstrate research leadership via direction of a research team. The research performed by this team should have the potential to significantly change the established landscape in a particular field of enquiry.
The award is up to £1 million, for staff and associated costs, and runs over a period of 4 to 5 years.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for this scheme, you must at the time of application:
- Have at least 2 years full-time experience in a research and/or teaching post in a university after the date of your PhD award.
- Be at an early stage of your academic career such that the trajectory of your research contribution has not become firmly established.
- Have a contract with a university in the UK that extends beyond the end of the grant award (i.e beyond 2024 for 4 year awards and 2025 for 5 year awards).
Which research topics can be considered?
Some research topics are not covered by the funding. These are:
- studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals
- research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications
- research areas currently identified as a priority by the research councils or other significant public funders
- 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
What does the funding offer?
Salaries for research staff
At least 75% of the resources requested must be used to fund research staff (research assistants; postgraduate students).
Research assistants should have a research degree or equivalent research experience. The tuition fees and maintenance costs of a PhD studentship or studentships may be included, provided they are set at the base rate for Research Council awards for UK students. Support for an overseas student is allowable, but requires explicit justification, addressing how their specific skills are to contribute to the project.
There will be no provision for:
- replacement teaching
- overhead expenditures
- the salary costs of the Principal Applicant
Associated research costs
These can be included up to a maximum of 25% of the total budget. This percentage is a maximum and not a target.
The following are examples of such eligible costs:
- technical, computing, clerical staff costs
- travel and subsistence costs directly related to the research activity. These can include conference attendance provided that such attendance can be shown to make a direct contribution to the research project
- consumable costs
How do I apply?
The University can only submit only one application to Leverhulme by Friday 10th May 2019. As such, each school is permitted to submit one application to a University Panel, which will then decide which will go forward to Leverhulme.
If interested, please contact your school Director of Research to advise of your interest.
Each school will submit a final application to the University panel by Monday 25th March, consisting of a detailed statement of intended research, including financial information and referees. Information on what should be included can be found in Leverhulme’s application guidance (https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RLA_help2018.pdf ).
Following this, the University panel will decide on the successful candidate, who will have until Friday 10th of May to perfect their application and submit directly to Leverhulme. Information on how to submit if successful will be given at the time.