Grants
Senior Research Fellowship
Grant amount:
Up to £420,000
Grant deadline:
4 March 2026
For PhD-qualified researchers in transition to lead independent groups.
Senior Research Fellowships are designed to retain excellent clinical and non-clinical researchers who have a track record of nationally competitive research, and clear plans to manage their own independent research group and become internationally recognised within the field of biomedical dementia research.
Provided to cover salary, support staff and animal, travel and running costs.
Duration: Up to four years with the possibility of a one year extension.
We hope to encourage packages which include university funding, thus committing institutions to consider tenured appointment on completion.
Deadlines
Applications open
8th of December 2025
Deadline
4th of March 2026 - 12:00 GMT
Funding outcome
July 2026
The purpose of Senior Research Fellowships is to foster both clinical and non-clinical researchers in their “transition to independence”. For a detailed description of the skills and training you will be expected to demonstrate, please read our Early Career Researcher Framework.
Senior Fellowships are intended for outstanding researchers who have already a strong track record in dementia research but have not yet achieved tenure or tenure-track status.
Prospective applicants should a have a strong track record of original and productive research in their area which shows productivity and impact across past appointments (typically at least one previous post-doctoral appointment). They should also be able to demonstrate the progress they have made in moving towards independence through i) diverse collaborations and partnerships independent of their sponsors and past supervisors, ii) receipt of small amounts of independent funding (such as a previous intermediate fellowship) and/or iii) a track record of effective management of a small number of their own laboratory staff. Researchers who hold tenure are not eligible to apply.
The lead applicant and point of contact must be based in a UK academic/research institution. However, the application can include researchers or institutions outside the UK.
Prospective Senior Fellows are required to have secured a Sponsor, a senior established investigator in the institution where the Fellowship is to be held. The Sponsor will provide the facilities required for the research programme. Senior Fellowship Sponsors are expected to hold tenure-track appointments.
Senior Fellowships must be applied for by the prospective Fellow, not the Sponsor.
See Home Office for any Visa information, if needed.
If the project requires ethical approval and/or Home Office licences, the award is dependent upon the requisite approvals being granted.
See our Eligibility Guidelines for further information.
Applications are made via our grant application website.
Grant schemes only appear on this website when the round is open and we are accepting new applications.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities and follows their guidelines for best practice in peer review. Grants are awarded entirely on scientific merit in relation to ARUK’s remit and on the basis of open competition. The quality of the application and applicants is the key determinant of outcome, although the strength of the dementia research environment within the institution is also considered.
Triage
Three expert panel members from our Grant Review Board (GRB), who are not conflicted carries out an in-depth assessment of the applications drawing on their specific areas of expertise, and score each application A triage of the applications is carried out by a sub-set of GRB members to determine which applications move forward in the review process. Scoring and Review criteria are available here.
Rebuttal Opportunity
Before final review, applicants are given the opportunity to respond to the feedback from the GRB members. This rebuttal stage allows applicants to address any concerns or questions raised by the reviewers, providing clarifications or additional information to support their application. For prospective fellows, this will be in the form of live rebuttal during the interview process.
Lived Experience Review
All Fellowship Applications, regardless of whether they involve human volunteers will also be reviewed by people with lived experience of dementia, either as patients, carers or former carers. As part of the application, applicants are required to write a Plain English proposal, which are sent to volunteers from the Lived Experience Involvement Group for comments, and for scoring. The comments are made available to applicants and the GRB members and incorporated into discussion at the board meeting.
Fellowship Interviews
As part of our review process, interviews will be conducted alongside the Grant Review Board (GRB) meeting. The interview panel will consist of a subset of the GRB members, individuals with lived experience of dementia, and the Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.
During the interview, prospective Fellows will be asked to deliver a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation outlining their work. This presentation provides an opportunity to showcase their research and discuss its potential impact.
Final Funding Approval
Based on the in-depth discussions and assessments, the GRB makes recommendations for funding.
Success rates
In the last three years Alzheimer’s Research UK has received 35 applications for Senior Research Fellowships. 7 of these projects were awarded funding.
The terms and conditions of grant differ for each grant scheme and contracts are drawn up individually once the grants have been awarded.
Monitoring
All grant holders are expected to report on the progress of their project on a regular basis. Read more about our reporting requirements on the measuring impact page.
For more information about any of the grant schemes or the application process please contact the Research Team research@alzheimersresearchuk.org or 0300 111 5555
All applications submitted to Alzheimer’s Research UK are subject to the policies found in Research guidelines and policies. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with these policies and contact research@alzheimersresearchuk.org with any queries.