Royal Society Short Industry Fellowships 2026 [Round 1]

Deadline: May 28, 2026

Applications are open for the first round of Royal Society Short Industry Fellowships 2026. This scheme, part of the Royal Society’s Industry programme, enables scientists employed in industry or academia and/or their postdoctoral researcher to have shorter more dynamic engagements between academia and industry, working on a mutually beneficial and collaborative project.

The Short Industry Fellowships scheme is open to talented researchers, especially early career researchers, in academia or industry in the UK.

The aims of the scheme are to:

• Support mobility of excellent academic or industry researchers (and/or their postdoctoral researcher) between the two sectors in the UK, across the natural sciences
• Enable the fellow to initiate and develop collaborative links between the academic and industry organisations, which may lead to longer term collaborations (and can seek further funding through the Industry Fellowship)
• Support the career development of the fellow and/or their postdoctoral researcher gained through the working in the other sector
• Enhance knowledge exchange in science and technology between industry and academia. Awards must involve mobility between sectors i.e. UK based private industry and a UK university or a not-for-profit research organisation.

Funding

Awards can be held full time for three to six months. Alternatively, they can be held at 50% part-time for up to 12 months, enabling fellows to maintain links with their employing institution more easily.

Funds can cover:

• The applicant’s and/or their postdoctoral researcher’s basic salary while on secondment. The employing organisation continues to pay national insurance and pension contributions
• Research expenses which may be claimed up to a value of £1,000

Eligibility

This scheme is for you if:

• You hold a PhD or are of equivalent standing in your profession;
• You hold a post in either a UK university, a not-for-profit research organisation or UK industry, which is either a permanent or fixed-term position with an end date after the expected end of the Short Industry Fellowship;
• Your research is within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research and biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics.

Application

The application deadline for the first round is May 28, 2026.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Royal Society Short Industry Fellowships.