UKRI Global Talent endorsement: how the endorsed funder route works

Who it is for

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

Endorsed funders

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

Approved host

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.

Grant tests

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 won in open competition, or a renewable award with regular peer review
• You spend at least half of your working time on it

Your role

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.

Grant evidence

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.

• CORDIS EU Research Results
• ERC funded project database
• Funding and tenders opportunity portal
• UKRI Gateway to Research

HR letter

The HR letter must confirm six specific points

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 not specifically named on the grant application, HR must give details of the fair 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

Common mistakes

Check the lists and every line of the HR letter

If your application is refused, you can ask for a review within 28 days by emailing the review form to the Home Office, 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