New funding opportunity coming soon: Doctoral Focal Award: UKRI Venture Doctorates
Please see the below information from the UKRI talent and skills teams (contact for venture doctorates students@epsrc.ukri.org):
As announced in the autumn budget 2025, UKRI is providing a funding opportunity to launch in late May/early June for new doctoral focal awards which combine training in research with deep experiential learning in entrepreneurship and venture creation. Students will be expected to make a contribution to new knowledge and developing a new business.
We are looking to support a small number of large-scale venture doctoral focal awards. Applications must support a minimum of 50 students, across up to 5 annual cohorts.
Applications must be led by research organisations eligible for standard UKRI funding. Businesses, social enterprises, and other organisations which do not fall under UKRI standard eligibility can participate as collaborating partners and receive funding (co-leading delivery and hosting project co-leads or other named individual roles or as project partners or subcontractors). You are encouraged to engage with other organisations to ensure delivery of a truly integrated programme which combines academically rigorous research with deep, experiential learning in entrepreneurship and venture creation.
Your organisation can only lead on one submitted application but can collaborate on any number of applications.
UKRI has up to £25 million available. We expect to fund up to 3 awards.
As a non-full economic cost award, UKRI will fund 100% of eligible costs listed in the opportunity. Estates and indirect costs will not be funded.
Depending on the organisations involved in each consortium, the activities they are undertaking, and the nature of their involvement, part of the funding awarded through this opportunity may constitute a subsidy. Any awards made will be subject to subsidy control considerations, and this may affect the level of funding or the conditions. UKRI will work with applicants to ensure that, if successful, any awards made comply with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
Applications must:
- deliver doctoral training that strengthens links between research, innovation and enterprise and supports venture creation
- clearly support at least one of the eight high-growth sectors in the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, as well as UKRI’s mission to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth
- move beyond classroom-based commercialisation training, with spin-out creation being the intended commercial output from the outset
- be shaped by real-world commercial opportunity
- demonstrate a strong capability and track record in academic quality, venture support and attracting investment, entrepreneurship training and commercialisation
- demonstrate the capacity to support cohort-based delivery at scale
More detail will be included in the full funding opportunity.
Venture Doctorate funding opportunity timetable
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Opening date: end of May/beginning of June
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Webinars: 18, 22, 26 June 2026
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Deadline for mandatory expression of interest: 16 July 2026 4:00pm UK time
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Closing date: 01 October 2026 4:00pm UK time
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Assessment panel: week commencing 02 November 2026
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Interview panel: week commencing 07 December 2026
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Grants start: between 1 April 2027 and 1 October 2027
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New Research Council Doctoral Focal Award opportunities
In addition to the Venture Doctorates, there are two more Research Council doctoral focal award (DFA) funding opportunities coming up:
Environmental evidence synthesis, on the funding finder now, funding available to support up to two awards for students to start in 2027 (NERC with ESRC). This investment will equip the next generation of researchers with a strong foundation in evidence synthesis methodologies, providing them with the ability to critically appraise, synthesise and communicate diverse sources of information to inform effective evidence based environmental policy and practice. The awards will strengthen and grow the community of evidence synthesis specialists within the environmental and social sciences. The deadline for notification of intent to submit is 27 May 2026, announcement of successful awards end of September 2026, for students to start in 2027.
Innovating in data driven research skills, a pre-announcement is expected in May announcing funding for one doctoral focal award plus for students to start in 2027 (ESRC). This new investment will provide an opportunity to pilot innovative approaches to doctoral training and widen the UK talent pipeline, reflecting employer needs. Also, the DFA+ will deliver targeted training and capacity building to support data-driven research skills in the wider social science community, especially mid-career and senior researchers.
Notice of future funding opportunities
From June, UKRI will provide quarterly information on upcoming funding opportunities, including talent and skills.
London FAPESP week
You are invited to London FAPESP week, June 2-4th 2026! You can view the programme here and register here. There will be discussions on 6 areas of scientific collaboration:
- Energy Transition,
- Health data and Precision Medicine,
- AI and Data for Society,
- Museums, Heritage and Society,
- Sustainable Uses of Resources,
- Biodiversity, Bioeconomy, Circular Economy
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