Managed External Calls

Mental Health Research UK PhD Scholarships

Mental Health Research UK has announced a competition for three PhD Scholarships beginning September 2026. They are inviting application for PhD scholarships under three different areas:

• Ivan Baines PhD scholarship: optimizing pharmacotherapy in the treatment of young people experiencing psychosis
• John Grace QC PhD scholarship: transdiagnostic approaches to schizophrenia and related conditions
• Clair Chilvers PhD scholarship: epidemiology to impact mental health

Please see  Mental Health Research UK Application Guidelines or visit the website (Our Research | Mental Health Research UK). Please note that MHRUK does not fund health services research, research into autism, or research that involves animals.

For each individual scholarship MHRUK will only accept one application per university. As this is a limited submission call the below College internal selection process will be used.

Intent to submit deadline	By Fri 4 April 2025
Deadline for applications	Weds 23 April
Review	25 April to 9 May
Inform applicant of outcome	By Friday 9 May 2025
MHRUK deadline	Friday 30 May 2025

Only one application per primary supervisor per scholarship can be submitted for internal review. Applicants should notify Kimberley Trim (k.trim@imperial.ac.uk) of their intent to apply by Friday 4 April.  Applicants should complete the Mental Health Research UK Application form and submit to Kimberley Trim by 5pm, Wednesday 23 April.

 The application form includes:

• Research proposal (4 pages max.)
• Title of research project
• Lay summary (250 words)
• Description of the project and methods to be employed.
• CV for supervisor 1 (1 page)
• CV for supervisor 2 (1 page)
• Additional questions (2 pages max.)
• Impact
• PPI strategy
• Project fit with research within the team/department.
• Inclusivity
• Training needs

Applications will be reviewed by a college panel and applicants informed of the outcome by Friday 9 May.  Please direct queries to Kimberley Trim (k.trim@imperial.ac.uk).

 Huo Family Foundation

The Huo Family Foundation have released a limited submission funding opportunity, “Effects of the Usage of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in Children and Young People”. Further information can be found here: Special Projects – Huo Family Foundation. Imperial is permitted to submit one application to this opportunity.

An internal process will be run to select Imperial’s application to this opportunity. Interested applicants should submit the following to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by 15 April 2025:

• A completed Huo family application form
• A two-page outline describing:
• research aims and questions
• your approach, methods and how you will address challenges, and expected outcomes
• Research environment and contributions to positive research culture
• Due to the funding restrictions a confirmation of departmental support to apply via an email from the HoD or their representative

 

Outcomes of the internal process will be communicated on 1 May 2025, the deadline for submission to the Huo Family Foundation is 23 May 2025.

Any queries, please contact Mark Bambury

Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowships

The Royal Academy of Engineering have launched this year’s Research Fellowships scheme: Research Fellowships.

 

The Academy welcomes applications from early-career researchers worldwide who have been awarded their PhD in the last four years. The scheme is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and provides funding for five years. Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £625,000 over the five-year period, at 80% of full economic costs. Applicants must have a PhD, which was awarded (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) no more than four years before the submission deadline: Wednesday 17 September 2025.

The College is permitted to submit up to 4 applicants to RAEng, but 2 of those must be from an under-represented group.

 

Departments are permitted to submit 2 applications each to the internal process (to be submitted by the HoD or their delegate) to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by Monday 9 June at 1700.

 

Applicants should include the following papers:

• Completed RAEng Research Fellowship Application form 2025 and any permitted supplements (e.g. figures and Gantt chart, see form for full details)
• Up to 3 letters of support from collaborators
• Letter of support from HoD

Please note that Worktribe costings ARE NOT REQUIRED at this stage and should not be requested from Research Services, they will only need to be completed by candidates selected to submit to RAEng.

 

Timeline for this opportunity:

Process Announced	24 March 2025
Departments select their two candidates	24 March – 9 June 2025
Departments Submit candidates to RO	9 June 2025
Central Shortlisting	12 June – 27 June 2025
Final Selection Interviews	Provisionally 9 July 2025
RAEng Deadline	17 September 2025

Please note, there are two changes this year:

• Unlike previous rounds, the 2025/26 round would only include the Research Fellowship scheme and the Engineering for Development Research Fellowship (EDRF) scheme has been removed. However, they will continue to accept applications under the EDRF umbrella in the current round and they would be treated no differently to Research Fellowship applications.
• Applicants can now apply if they hold a permanent academic position, previously, holding a permanent academic post would make a candidate ineligible.

 

Any queries, please contact Mark Bambury

Google PhD Fellowship Program

The Google PhD Fellowship Program supports exceptional PhD students worldwide with funding, mentorship from Google researchers, and opportunities to advance innovative research in computer science and related fields, with applications for the 2025 program opening on 10 April and closing on 15 May.  Further details can be found on the scheme FAQs page:  Google PhD fellowship program. Imperial is only permitted to submit three applications to this opportunity, so the below internal process has been put in place to select those three.

 

AMS Springboard

The Academy of Medical Sciences have launched their annual Springboard competition, and  The college is permitted to submit up to 4 applications to this scheme, so an internal selection process has been established.. Details of the scheme can be found here: AMS Springboard

The eligibility form must be submitted first to confirm eligibility before applying. The deadline is 14 March—submit completed forms to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk. [AMS College Application Form 2025 - Eligibility Q's.docx ]

The main application form is due by 27 March 2025—submit completed forms to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk. [AMS College Application Form 2025 - Internal Selection.docx ]

 

The eligibility form should be completed and submitted first and is designed to help applicants confirm their eligibility prior to completing the application. The latest date for submission of eligibility forms is 14 March, completed forms should be sent to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk.

 

The main application form is also attached, a reminder that the submission deadline for applications is 27 March 2025, completed forms should be sent to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk.

The timeline for the process is as follows.

Process Step	Timing
Drop in webinar (Webinar Teams link)	1600-1700 3 March 2025
Deadline for eligibility statements (AMS College Application Form 2025 - Eligibility Q's.docx )	14 March 2025
Deadline for applications (AMS College Application Form 2025 - Internal Selection.docx )	27 March 2025
Selection panel	10 April 2025
College informs AMS of their candidates	25 April 2025

details:

• Introduction to scheme and how to apply – Mark Bambury, Springboard RO Contact (10 minutes)
• Advice for Applicants – Matthew Pickering, Springboard Champion (10 minutes)
• Perspectives from a Fellow – Leticia Monin Aldama, current Springboard Fellow (10 minutes)
• Q&A – 30 minutes
• Webinar Teams link (1600-1700 3 March 2025)

Any queries, please contact Mark Bambury using UKRI AMS Springboard in the subject line.

UKRI Proof of Concept

UKRI has released a pre-announcement for Proof of Concept funding. Details are available here.

There are no institutional limits at the intent to submit stage, but UKRI will impose limits on full proposals after assessing demand post-deadline.

Due to expected high demand, the College is launching its internal selection process now to ensure a fair review and provide selected candidates ample time to prepare their applications.

Step	Deadline	Requirements
UKRI Intention to Submit	3 March 2025	Candidates must complete the mandatory intent to submit form to UKRI to be eligible to submit to UKRI if selected through the College process. Please use the named Head of Commercialisation as the contact for the answer to question 8.
Notify Commercialisation Team	5 March 2025	Candidates intending to submit to the internal process should notify the relevant faculty contact (see below) of their intention to submit and details of their proposed project
Internal Submission Deadline	26 March 2025	Candidates should submit the documentation listed below to iaa-queries@imperial.ac.uk
Internal Submission Deadline	28 March 2025	Heads of Department or their delegate should send a list of all approved project leads to iaa-queries@imperial.ac.uk
Internal Review and Selection Panel	28 April 2025	Proposals will be reviewed by members of the UKRI IAA Review College
Successful Candidates Notified	2 May 2025	Successful candidates will be informed and feedback provided
UKRI Submission Deadline	29 May 2025	Deadline to submit full proposals to UKRI

Candidates should submit the following documents to iaa-queries@imperial.ac.uk by 16:00 Wednesday 26 March 2025:

• Completed case for support form UKRI Proof of Concept - Internal Form

Head of Commercialisation Team Contacts:

Faculty of Engineering	James Chan	james.chan@imperial.ac.uk
Faculty of Medicine	Anne Roques	a.roques@imperial.ac.uk
Faculty of Natural Sciences	Heather Barcombe	h.barcombe@imperial.ac.uk
Business School	James Chan	james.chan@imperial.ac.uk

Applicants should inform their departmental management (Head of Department or their delegate) of your intention to submit prior to the internal deadline, we will not accept applications from individuals who are not included in the official departmental list of approved applicants which will be submitted separately by the Head of Department or their delegate.

Any queries, please contact iaa-queries@imperial.ac.uk using UKRI POC Query in the subject line.

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Singapore CREATE AI for Science

As part of Imperial Global Singapore (IGS) and the CREATE Programme, the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) AI-for-Science (AI4S) Funding Scheme seeks to support collaborative teams of scientific domain and AI researchers, to pursue cutting-edge basic science in Singapore which will significantly advance the development of AI methods and tools for scientific research and leverage these AI solutions to make a transformative step-change in scientific discovery.

The AI4S grant scheme will provide funding support of up to SGD$10 million (per award) for 3 to 5-year projects. Projects must pursue cutting-edge basic science, that will advance knowledge in scientific discipline(s) and AI methods and tools for scientific research

Imperial academics with strong collaborations with Singapore partners (e.g at NUS, NTU, SMU, A*STAR) can apply as international Co-Leads and Team PIs but must be prepared to spend at least 20% of the grant period resident in Singapore.  The grant will cover the costs of this residency period, and departments will be reimbursed equivalent to PI time costed at 100% FEC.

Deadlines

• Internal Pre-Submission:                 23 January 2025 23.59 GMT
• Stage 1 Whitepaper:                           13 February 2025 16.00 SGT / 8.00 GMT
• Stage 2 Full Proposal:                        TBC likely May 2025

 

Full details on the grant call are available in the accompanying call documents.

• AI4S Grant Call Information Sheet
• Attachment 1 - AI4S Call Application Form for Stage 1AI4S Grant Call Information Sheet
• Attachment 2 - AI4S Full Proposal Template
• Attachment 3 - AI4S Challenge Grant Call IGMS Application Guide
• Format of Curriculum Vitae

Any questions please contact Alex Page (a.page@imperial.ac.uk) in the International Relations Office or Professor Azra Ghani (a.ghani@imperial.ac.uk), Academic Director of IGS.

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Rosetrees Trust Interdisciplinary Award 2025

The 2025 Rosetrees Interdisciplinary Award aims to support cutting-edge research investigating environmental impacts on public and human health. We are looking for proposals that investigate how factors such as air pollution, climate change, and exposure to environmental toxins, carcinogens and microplastics affect health from birth to adulthood. The winning project will win up to £330,000 paid over 3 years. The College is permitted to submit one bid to this opportunity.

Please note funding from Rosetrees does not include any overheads.

Research must be interdisciplinary and could involve collaborations between clinicians/clinician scientists, surgeons/surgical scientists, discovery scientists, and environmental/ toxicology/ epidemiology and public health experts, focusing on understanding the underlying disease causative mechanisms and developing novel strategies for prevention, mitigation, and intervention.

Further information about eligibility and what the composition of the two lead investigators can be found in the attached guidance and FAQs.

Interested applicants should submit the following to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by 1600 Thursday 6 February 2025.

• A completed Rosetrees IDA 2025 - Internal Application
• A supporting data document with preliminary data that supports your application, maximum of 1 page of A4, font size 11.
• Confirmation from the relevant heads of department (or delegates) of the lead applicants that they approve participation as Rosetrees do not award any overhead contribution, email is fine.

The deadline for submission to Rosetrees is Wednesday 5 March 2025 and requires mostly the same information as we are using for the internal selection process, but will also need a letter of support.

 

AXA Chair and Fellowship

For further detail contact researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk

There is one opportunity a year to put someone forward for an AXA Chair or Fellowship position (note Fellowship calls are for specific research areas). Imperial is only permitted to submit one candidate per call, and the process is managed centrally. More information about these opportunities can be found on the AXA Chair position webpage or the Fellowships webpage

AXA Chair

Next call expected to launch September 2025

The Chair scheme is primarily to attract an individual to the College and Departments should initially approach researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk stating the individual that they wish to attract and the strategic benefit to the College of pursuing an application. If the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) is convinced of the strategic need, and the College has not met its application limit, the department will be informed of the next steps to continue the process. 

AXA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Next call expected to launch Spring 2025

Interested candidates' Departments should initially approach researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk stating the individual that they wish to put forward/attract, how they meet the AXA chosen research area, why AXA is the best route to support them, and the strategic benefit to the College of pursuing an application. The deadline for initial contact is 10^th April 2024.

If the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) is convinced AXA is an appropriate fit for the candidate, and the College has not met its application limit, the department will be informed of the next steps to continue the process.

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NERC 'Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Science Research' rounds (July and January closing dates)

For further detail contact researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk

In 2015, NERC introduced a Demand Management quota system, whereby institutions whose 6-round success rate for the former Standard Grants (response mode, including New Investigator grants) fell below 20% received a cap on the number of proposals they could submit for that financial year's rounds. For more information view the NERC Demand Management webpage.

Imperial has achieved a success rate above 20% over the grant rounds included the NERC calculations, and therefore will not have an institutional cap imposed for the July 2025 and January 2026 rounds. However, to increase the quality of proposals being submitted to avoid future restriction, an internal review group will continue to aid in the support of bids. Submission to the internal review group therefore remains mandatory.

For further details of how to submit your proposal to the internal NERC Proposals Review Group and the key dates for the next upcoming round, please visit our dedicated NERC Internal Demand Management page.

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EPSRC Strategic Equipment Outlines

For further detail please contact Mark Bambury.

EPSRC have relaunched their strategic equipment call as a responsive mode opportunity for which the College is permitted to submit up to 6 applications in the period to 18 June 2025.

Funding is for either:

• purchase and set-up of infrastructure
• resources to support existing infrastructure

The full economic cost (FEC) of your infrastructure must be at least £400,000.

The resources to support existing equipment applications must have a maximum duration of two years.

Interested parties should complete the EPSRC Strategic Equipment Outlines Application Proforma (.docx).

The completed form should be submitted to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk, outlines will be considered at the College’s Research Advisory Group (RAG).

Outlines will be considered three times across 2024/2025 as per the following timetable.

Round	Deadline for Internal Submission	RAG date for Assessment
1	2 October 2024	22 October 2024
2	8 January 2025	29 January 2024
3	17 March 2025	7 April 2025

Applications should be submitted to EPSRC no more than four weeks after approval to submit by RAG.

Additional information can be found on the EPSRC Strategic Equipment process webpage

Below are the calls that have been pre-announced and are expected to need management. A process for these calls will be announced as soon as possible.