Research Project Grants

The aim of these awards is to provide financial support for innovative and original research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). The grants provide support for the salaries of research staff engaged on the project, plus associated costs directly related to the research proposed.
Proposals are favoured which:

reflect the personal vision of the applicant;
demonstrate compelling competence in the research design;
surmount traditional disciplinary academic boundaries;
involve a degree of challenge and evidence of the applicant's ability to assess risk.

Value and Duration

The great majority of awards involve a spend of up to £250,000 over a duration of two to three years. If compelling evidence is provided, awards may be made for sums between £250,000 and £500,000 for research over a period of up to five years. The assessment procedures for these large grants are especially stringent, and can involve site visits and discussions with applicants.

Topics

Applications for research on any topic within the entire array of academic disciplines are eligible for support. However, an exception is made for areas of research supported by specialist funding agencies and, in particular, for medicine. In such cases, applicants should consider an application to these alternative funding bodies as being more appropriate. Specific attention is paid to the reasons given by applicants in justifying their choice of the Trust as the most appropriate agency for the support of their project.

Institutions

Eligible institutions are universities, other institutions of higher and further education in the UK, and registered charities in the UK. The scheme is also open to institutions or organisations of similar status in developing countries where, in the opinion of the Trustees, the provision of research funding is seriously limited.

Joint applications from more than one institution and applicant are welcomed. However, a Principal Investigator must be designated as the lead applicant, having agreed to take responsibility for directing the grant. The Principal Investigator's employing institution must also agree to administer the grant, if awarded. The applicant will therefore already be employed by the eligible institution or be an academic who has maintained close links with that institution following retirement. Applications can be submitted by those holding contract research posts, provided that their appointment continues for a period at least equal to the span of the requested award.

Costs

Research project grants provide (i) salaries for research staff and (ii) associated research costs.

(i) Salaries for research staff
At least 75% of the resources requested must be used to provide funding for research staff (research assistants; postgraduate students) who will work specifically on the project with the applicant, the award being payable directly to the institution at which the applicant is employed. 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 his or her specific skills are to contribute to the project.

The Principal Investigator and co-applicants may apply for the costs of staffing replacement. To be eligible for these, applicants must be currently employed full-time on a continuing basis by their eligible institution. An applicant's study leave entitlement and recent periods of leave will be taken into consideration in the assessment of the proposal. A maximum of a total of one year's staff replacement over the course of a three year grant - and pro rata for shorter grants - may be awarded. The replacement should not be someone currently studying for a research degree. The staff replacement should normally start at the most junior point of the lecturer scale of the institution concerned.

Awards are not made to cover the salary costs of the applicant, or those of the co-applicants.

(ii) 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 associated costs:

Technical, computing, clerical and secretarial staff costs or services.
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.

Please ensure that applications do not include any of the ineligible costs listed here.

Applications for continuation of funding for an existing Leverhulme Research Project grant, or continuation of funding for a research fellow currently active on an existing Leverhulme Research Project grant will not normally be considered.

Application Procedure

It is the experience of the Trust that when applicants are putting together the details of the budget for their proposals, they often contact us with questions. In response to these enquiries we have assembled a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), together with appropriate answers. It is recommended that applicants read the FAQs before constructing the budget for their application.

Please explain why you believe the Leverhulme Trust to be best suited for the support of your research proposal.

For Outline Applications which successfully pass initial review, the applicant will be invited to prepare a Full Application.

************IMPORTANT NOTICE************

There are no closing dates for the submission of an Outline Application but there will typically be a period of up to 12 weeks between receiving an email acknowledging your submission and receiving notice of a decision.

Please note that this indicates the average timescale for the assessment of Outline Applications, and it is not possible for the Trust to guarantee a response within this period, although every effort will be made to do so. There may however be occasions when a longer period is required due to the complexity of particular applications, the topic in question, or the extent of an assessor's current commitments.

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Outline Application Form

To complete an outline application please click the link below, which will take you to the Trust’s Grant Application System.

- Outline application form

Timing for Full Applications

Closing dates:	Anticipated announcement of decision:	Earliest possible start date:
1 September	early December	1 January
1 December	mid March	1 May
21 March	mid July	1 September

Contact

If your query is not answered in the information above, please contact Matt Dillnutt regarding outline applications (020 7042 9873); or Nicola Thorp regarding detailed applications (020 7042 9872).