Which research endorsing body covers you, and which route?

Start here

Your discipline, not your job title, decides the endorsing body

Each endorsing body covers a published list of disciplines. Check your sub-discipline on that list before anything else. If your work is non-academic digital technology or arts and culture, it goes to Tech Nation or Arts Council England instead.

Side by side

How do the four endorsing bodies compare?

The three academies use identical routes, letter rules and timings. UKRI is different: it checks your grant and your host, not your career as a whole.

Overlaps

What if your field sits on more than one list?

The lists overlap. Computer science, AI and machine learning appear under both the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and so do parts of engineering. Psychology is split: experimental psychology sits with the Royal Society, social psychology with the British Academy.

• Find your exact sub-discipline, not just the broad heading.
• Choose the endorsing body whose list best describes your research, and say so in your application.

Choosing a route

Three fast-track routes and one peer review route

Check the fast-track routes first, as they rely on something you already have. If none fits, peer review is open to you with or without a job offer.

UKRI route

When does the UKRI endorsed funder route apply?

It applies if you are, or will be, working on a grant from UKRI or another endorsed funder, and you or your role was named on the grant application. If you contribute to the research rather than lead it, you can instead have been appointed through a fair recruitment process; project leads must be listed on the grant. Your UK employer or host must be on the UKRI-approved list, although you can do the research abroad. You must also be an active researcher.

• The grant is worth at least £30,000.
• It covers at least two years.
• You spend at least half your time on it.
• Your UK host is approved by UKRI.
• At least one year is left on your contract or hosting agreement.

Letters

Letters differ between peer review and UKRI

On peer review, Promise needs a letter from an eminent person resident in the UK, and Talent adds a second letter from a senior member of a reputable UK organisation in your field. Each letter must be written for this application and come with the author's CV. The UKRI route uses no recommendation letters; instead, the director of human resources at your UK organisation confirms your role, that you are essential to the grant and your time on it.

Before you apply

What the endorsing bodies will not do

The endorsing bodies do not give advice to individual applicants and do not review documents before you submit. Peer review is judged only on the evidence you send. If you are refused, a review can check whether evidence was properly considered, but you cannot add new evidence.

• Get the route and endorsing body right before you submit.
• Brief your letter authors or HR team early.
• Stage 2 is a separate application to the Home Office after endorsement.