Applying for fellowships to join IGC

Fellowships are prestigious funding awards which facilitate a researchers journey towards independence. A variety of schemes and funders are available (both national/continental funding agencies and charities), with different eligibility criteria; these broadly fall into two categories.

The first are those which are termed ‘early career’ or ‘postdoctoral;’ in which a researcher develops their own line of research within an established research group.

Some of example of this are as follows:

• CSO Postdoctoral Fellowship
• MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
• EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Wellcome Early Career Award

The second are ‘independent’ fellowships in which a researcher establishes their own research group. Some of example of this are as follows:

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship
• MRC Early Independence: Career Development Fellowship
• Wellcome Career Development Award
• CRUK Career Development Fellowship

The Institute of Genetics and Cancer encourages enquires from those looking to apply for fellowships (both internal and external candidates). Home to world-leading researchers and state-of-the-art facilities, the Institute offers an ideal environment to embark on your journey toward research independence. Benefit from mentorship by senior academics and a supportive, welcoming community of peers. We offer community groups for both postdoctoral researchers and early-stage principal investigators. Additionally, our professional services team—including Research Managers, a Data Manager, and PPIE Managers—provides substantial support in developing your funding applications.

The University of Edinburgh, consistently ranks among the top universities globally for research output, provides a rich and multidisciplinary environment for collaboration and intellectual exchange. The University provides strong support for funding applications, translation, academic training and career development. Edinburgh offers a vibrant cultural scene, surrounded by stunning natural scenery, which contributes to an excellent quality of life.

The University of Edinburgh places a strong emphasis on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), with policies and practices that support inclusion, family-friendly career development, health and wellbeing support and professional development tailored to diverse career paths.

The University of Edinburgh provides support to help international researchers transition successfully into their new roles. This includes visa advice, assistance with relocation, and cultural adaptation resources, ensuring that fellows from around the world feel welcomed and integrated. If you are at all interested in applying for fellowships at IGC you are encouraged to reach out informally to academics working here.

The formal process for applying to have your fellowship hosted at IGC is detailed below.

External candidates are encouraged to informally reach out to the Head of School, Theme Leads and senior academics to discuss their research interests and proposal.

Following this initial discussion fellowship candidates should send the documents listed below to IGC Research Manager Daniel Toddie-Moore (D.Toddie-Moore@ed.ac.uk) who will collate for review and consideration by the IGC Executive Committee, and can also answer informal enquiries. This should be, at minimum, 20 weeks before the first fellowship call deadline they are targeting.

Documents to be submitted:

1. Narrative CV, a
2. Brief (maximum 2 page) project proposal
3. A list of publications (current and in progress) and funding previously awarded

These will be reviewed by the IGC Executive, and a response provided within 6 weeks. For some schemes, including Future Leaders Fellowships, internal demand management is required due to an Institutional cap. We will publish deadlines for these schemes separately.

Internal candidates should send the same materials as above to the Institute Director and their Theme lead (via Daniel Toddie-Moore,  D.Toddie-Moore@ed.ac.uk) and arrange a discussion on their plans. Documents should also be sent to the IGC Research Managers and IGC Exec (via Daniel Toddie-Moore) for their information.

In both instances if institutional support is gained an academic mentor will be appointed and recommended theme proposed. Candidates will work with their research manager to develop a list of schemes to target, and with their academic mentor to develop their research proposals for those schemes.

External candidates interested in applying for Fellowships that would be based within a research group at IGC should identify a host PI that they would like to work with, and contact them at least 16 weeks before any grant deadline. The supporting PI should ensure engagement with the Edinburgh Research Office (via Intent to Submit form) to ensure appropriate preparation and costing and IGC Research Managers for support.

Internal candidates should reach out to the PI they wish to work with to discuss the possibility of applying for a fellowship to work in their lab.

If a candidate is supported the host PI will inform their Theme Lead.

If a letter of support from the Head of School/Institute Director is required then both internal and external candidates (or their proposed supervising PI) should send a draft letter of support, a one-page project plan and a narrative CV to the Institute Director and IGC Research Managers.

Online Guides | Support for Researchers | Support for Researchers

Fellowships | Support for Researchers | Support for Researchers