The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship Competition
The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships (LECF) is a prestigious national competition for early career researchers, normally no more than 4 years after submitting their doctoral dissertation. The Leverhulme Trust will provide 50% of the salary costs up to a limit of £28k per annum for each year of a 3 year fellowship. The Fellow's host institution has to find matching funds (and any shortfall in costs) and must provide a letter guaranteeing salary costs not covered by the Leverhulme Trust as a requirement for entry to the national competition.
The Isaac Newton Trust (in some subjects, jointly with the host Department) undertakes to match the salary costs up to the limit set by the Leverhulme Trust for any full- or part-time candidate successful in the national competition up to £28k pa. In order to identify which candidates can be supported with offers of matched funding, an internal competition is held. INT typically makes about 50 offers of support in the event of success nationally.
Cambridge applicants have an exceptional record of securing LECFs. 25 awards were made in the previous round (2024) to candidates wishing to carry out research in Cambridge.