UKRI Global Talent endorsement: how the endorsed funder route works
UKRI Global Talent endorsement in plain English: endorsed funders, approved UK hosts, the £30,000 grant test, your role on the grant and the HR letter.
By Mihir Thaker, Founder·Updated 4 October 2026·6 min read
Quick answer
UKRI Global Talent endorsement is a fast-track route for researchers who work on a grant from UKRI or another endorsed funder, at a UK organisation that UKRI has approved. The grant must be worth at least £30,000, cover at least two years, and take at least half of your time. You prove this with a grant database link or a funder letter plus a letter from human resources, and a decision usually takes about 2 weeks.
The endorsed funders list includes research funders outside the UK and the research itself can take place abroad, but the organisation that employs or hosts you must be a UKRI-approved organisation in the UK.
Who this guide helps
Postdocs and research assistants named on a funded grant
Principal investigators and co-investigators
Researchers recruited onto a grant after it was awarded
Industry and clinical researchers at UKRI-approved organisations
What you will know
Three things must line up: an endorsed funder, a UKRI-approved UK host and a qualifying grant.
The grant must be worth at least £30,000, cover at least two years and take at least half of your time.
A PhD or equivalent is needed only if you lead the project, not if you contribute to it.
The HR letter must confirm specific points, including fair recruitment if you were not named on the grant.
There is no Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise choice on this route.
The UKRI route is for researchers who already work on a qualifying grant
UKRI does not peer review your career. It checks three things: who funded the grant, which UK organisation employs or hosts you, and whether the grant and your role meet the published tests. It covers any research field within the scope and remit of the endorsed funder, and you must be an active researcher in an academic, industry or government research institution. For example, a postdoctoral researcher hired onto a three-year UKRI grant at a UK university could use this route.
Principal investigators and co-investigators
Postdoctoral researchers and research assistants
Specialists and other roles at graduate level or above
People named on the grant, or whose role was named on it
Your grant must come from a funder on the endorsed funders list
An endorsed funder is an organisation UKRI has accepted as a prestigious funder of research and innovation. UKRI and its councils qualify, and so do all UK ministerial departments and the devolved government departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The list also names charities, foundations and research funders outside the UK. The list changes, so check the live version for your exact funder before you rely on it.
If your funder is not listed, it can be nominated to be added
Anyone can submit a nomination
Nomination is only the first step, and UKRI may not accept it
A grant from a funder that is not on the list does not qualify
Your UK employer or host must be on UKRI's approved list
The organisation that employs or hosts you must be approved by UKRI and must be in the UK. You need a UK host, not necessarily a UK job, and you can do the research abroad. You must have at least one year left on your employment contract or hosting agreement. If your organisation is not on the list, it can be nominated to be added.
Your grant and your time on it must pass four tests
Each test is a minimum, and failing any one of them means the grant does not qualify. Principal investigators and co-investigators can combine more than one grant to reach the half-time test. For example, a co-investigator who spends 30% of their time on one eligible grant and 25% on another meets it.
The grant is worth at least £30,000
It covers at least two years
It is a one-off grant or award, or a renewable award with regular peer review
You spend at least half of your working time on it
Are you leading the project or contributing to it?
Along with the grant, your role must fit one of two descriptions. The difference matters because only the leading role needs a PhD or equivalent research experience. A research software engineer building new methods on a grant team would usually look at the contributing description.
Leading: you lead a unique research or innovation project, alone or under acceptable supervision
Leading: you have a PhD or equivalent research experience, including clinical and industrial research
Leading: you, or your job title, are on the grant application
Contributing: you help develop new technology or methodology
Contributing: you have research experience in a university, research institution or industrial setting
Contributing: you have a UK bachelor's degree, an equivalent overseas research degree or equivalent research experience
Prove the grant with a database link or a letter from your funder
If your grant appears on a UKRI-approved award database, you give a link to it in your application. The database entry must show the value, the length and the type of award. If your grant is not on one of these databases, you need a letter from your endorsed funder instead. You must provide documents for every grant you rely on.
The letter comes from the director of human resources, or equivalent, at your UK employing or hosting organisation. If you, or your role, were named on the grant application, the fair recruitment point does not apply. If you were recruited after the grant was awarded, HR must describe the recruitment process. The one-year point is required by the Immigration Rules but is not in the guidance list for the letter, so ask HR to state it.
Your job title and department
That you have accepted the job offer or hosting agreement
That at least one year is left on your contract or hosting agreement
That you are essential to the grant and make critical contributions to it
That you will spend at least half of your agreed working time on the grant
Details of the fair recruitment process, if you were not named on the grant
Most problems come from a list check or a missing line in a letter
If your application is refused, you can ask the endorsing body for a review within 28 days, and there is no fee. A review only checks whether evidence was properly considered or the process went wrong. You cannot add new evidence at review, so the pack needs to be right first time.
Assuming a funder or host is listed without checking the live list
A grant under £30,000 or shorter than two years
Less than half of your time on the grant
An HR letter that leaves out one of the required points
No fair recruitment details when you were not named on the grant
Applying as a project lead without a PhD or equivalent research experience
Questions to settle before you spend time or money.
Use these answers to check the practical risks, documents, and decisions connected to this topic.
Do I need a UK job offer for the UKRI route?
Not necessarily. You need to be employed or hosted by a UKRI-approved organisation in the UK, with at least one year left on your contract or hosting agreement.
Do I need a PhD?
Only if you lead the project. If you contribute to research, a UK bachelor's degree, an equivalent overseas research degree or equivalent research experience is enough.
Do I choose Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise?
No. Those categories are used on the fellowship and peer review routes, not on the UKRI endorsed funder route.
What if I was not named on the grant application?
You can still apply. Your HR letter must give details of the fair recruitment process that led to your appointment.
How long does a UKRI endorsement decision take?
You will usually get a decision within 2 weeks. The endorsement stage fee is £561.
Do I need letters of recommendation?
No. This route needs grant evidence and an HR letter, not recommendation letters.
UKRI route check
Not sure your grant, funder or host qualifies?
We check your grant, funder and host against the published lists and tests, and help you brief HR so the letter covers every required point.
