Opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships

Moray House supports a range of fellowships for postdoctoral and early career researchers. This page provides some general guidance for those interested in applying for these opportunities, as well as information on our internal processes and application deadlines.

General Guidance 

Key requirements

To apply for a fellowship at Moray House, applicants must:

  • Have the support of a sponsor or mentor: This must be a permanent member of Moray House academic staff, who will take responsibility for supporting and supervising the applicant throughout the application process. Please note that it is the responsibility of the applicant to initiate communication with their mentors – the MHSES RKEI Office cannot contact academics on the applicants’ behalf.
  • Ensure that they meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria: Applicants and their mentors should read the funder’s guidance closely to ensure that their applications are eligible, competitive, and suitable for the scheme’s remit/subject area. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please get in touch with your mentor and/or the MHSES RKEI Office for assistance.
  • Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the MHSES RKEI Office: Applicants must inform the MHSES RKEI Office of their intention to apply, and provide a 2-page CV with a research proposal for their proposed project. This will be reviewed by the MHSES Research Directorate to determine if the School is able to support the application. 

What to Include in the Expression of Interest 

The Expression of Interest must be sent to the MHSES RKEI Office using the email MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk. This email should include:

  • A completed Fellowship Expression of Interest and Research Proposal Form
  • A two-page CV (standard margins, Arial 11pt)
  • Confirmation of your eligibility for the scheme, based on key eligibility requirements listed in the scheme guidance (e.g. career stage, previous funding received, nationality, etc.)
  • The name of your MHSES academic mentor or sponsor. Your named mentor should also be cc’d in your expression of interest email.

Download the Fellowship Expression of Interest and Research Proposal Form (MS Word doc)

Scheme-specific information and internal deadlines

Moray House has internal deadlines and timescales in place for fellowship applications, which may differ depending on application volume, funder criteria, and wider University of Edinburgh demand management policies. Please click on the links for more information on this:

 

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. The Fellowship is non-renewable and tenable for three years, starting Autumn 2025 in a UK-based university or higher education institution.

Please see the British Academy website for more information on the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship funding opportunity

Internal submission deadlines

2 July 2025: Scheme opens

4 August 2025: Deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest. The MHSES Directorate will review the EOI to determine if the application will be supported by the School. 

18 August 2025: The RKEI Office will notify the applicants of the outcome and feedback on their applications. Successful applicants will be invited to prepare full applications for submission to funder. 

15 September 2025: Deadline for submission of the full application to MHSES RKEI Office. This should include:

  • A copy of the full application
  • A list of comments/feedback from at least two internal peer reviewers, with a short explanation of how the feedback has been addressed in the application. Please remember to include the names  of your peer reviewers in this document.
  • A letter of support for the application, to be reviewed and signed by the MHSES Head of School. The letter should include information on the applicant’s ability to carry out the project, how the fellowship would support their career development, and why they have chosen Moray House as a host institution.

After receiving these documents, the RKEI Office will liaise with the Head of School for internal approvals.

22 September 2025: Once Head of School approvals are in place, applicant may submit application to funder on the British Academy’s Flexi-Grant platform.


The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers. It is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another university.

We are not currently accepting expressions of interest for this scheme as the 2024/2025 round of applications is now closed. We will resume accepting expressions of interest when the call reopens.

Please see the Leverhulme Trust website for more information on the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship funding opportunity


The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships supports postdoctoral researchers who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. The goal of the fellowship is to help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors. 

There are two types of MSCA postdoctoral fellowships: the European Postdoctoral Fellowships and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. MHSES is able to support applications for the European Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Please see the European Commission website for more information on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship funding opportunity.

Internal submission deadlines

9 April 2025: Scheme opens

1 July 2025: Deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest. The MHSES Directorate will review the EOI to determine if the application will be supported by the School. 

14 July 2025: The RKEI Office will notify the applicants of the outcome and feedback on their applications. Successful applicants will be invited to prepare full applications for submission to funder.

25 August 2025: Deadline for submission of the full application to MHSES RKEI Office. This should include:

  • A copy of the full application, including Part A, Part B1, and Part B2.
  • A list of comments/feedback from at least two internal peer reviewers, with a short explanation of how the feedback has been addressed in the application. Please remember to include the names of your peer reviewers in this document. 

After receiving these documents, the RKEI Office will liaise with the Head of School for internal approvals.

1 Sept 2025: Once Head of School approvals are in place, applicant may upload all sections of the application to the EU Funding and Tenders Opportunities Portal. The RKEI Office will liaise with the central Edinburgh Research Office for final checks before submission to funder.


The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)'s responsive mode New Investigator Grant supports researchers at the start of their careers to become independent researchers through gaining experience of managing and leading research projects and teams.

Proposals for this scheme can cover any research area, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort.

Please note that for this specific scheme, we can only support applications from current members of academic staff at Moray House who have both research and teaching in their contracts. 

Please see the UKRI website for more information on the ESRC New Investigator Grant funding opportunity

Internal submission deadlines

29 August 2025: Deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest. The MHSES Directorate will review the EOI to determine if the application will be supported by the School. 

15 Sept 2025: The RKEI Office will notify the applicants of the outcome and feedback on their applications. Successful applicants will be invited to prepare full applications for submission to funder.

20 Oct 2025: Deadline for submission of the full application to MHSES RKEI Office. This will be sent to the MHSES Directorate panel for a second round of review and feedback.

Your email to the RKEI Office should include:

  • A copy of the full application, submitted as PDF in Funding Service format (as exported from the Funding Service Portal)
  • A list of comments/feedback from at least two internal peer reviewers, with a short explanation of how the feedback has been addressed in the application. Please remember to include the names of your peer reviewers in this document.
  • Letters of support from any partner organisations working with you on the proposed project
  • A letter of support for the application, to be reviewed and signed by the MHSES Head of School. The letter should include information on the applicant’s ability to carry out the project, how the fellowship would support their career development, and why they have chosen Moray House as a host institution.

After receiving these documents, the RKEI Office will submit them to the MHSES Directorate for review and feedback. 

3 Nov 2025: The RKEI Office will communicate feedback from the MHSES Directorate to the applicants and liaise with the Head of School for internal approvals. Applicants will have 2 weeks to make final adjustments and amendments to the application before submission to funder. 

10 Nov 2025: Once Head of School approvals are in place, applicant may submit application to funder on the UKRI Funding Service platform.


The following internal deadlines apply to any applications to fellowship schemes not listed elsewhere on this page. These deadlines represent the minimum notice that we expect. For more specific guidance, please contact the MHSES RKEI Office with details of the exact scheme you are hoping to apply for. 

Contact the RKEI Office

At least 9 weeks before submission deadline: Deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest. The MHSES Directorate will review the EOI to determine if the application will be supported by the School. 

At least 5 weeks before submission deadline: The RKEI Office will notify the applicants of the outcome and feedback on their applications. Successful applicants will be invited to prepare full applications for submission to funder.

At least 2 weeks before submission deadline: Deadline for submission of the full application to MHSES RKEI Office. This will be sent to the MHSES Directorate panel for a second round of review and feedback.

Your email to the RKEI Office should include:

  • A copy of the full application
  • A list of comments/feedback from at least two internal peer reviewers, with a short explanation of how the feedback has been addressed in the application. Please remember to include the names of your peer reviewers in this document.
  • A letter of support for the application, to be reviewed and signed by the MHSES Head of School. The letter should include information on the applicant’s ability to carry out the project, how the fellowship would support their career development, and why they have chosen Moray House as a host institution.
  • (If required by the funder) Letters of support from any partner organisations working with you on the proposed project

After receiving these documents, the RKEI Office will liaise with the Head of School for internal approvals.

Submission deadline: Once Head of School approvals are in place, applicant may submit application to funder on the funder’s application platform.


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