Funding opportunity

Daphne Jackson Trust fellowship

• Opportunity status: Open
• Funders: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• Funding type: Fellowship
• Publication date: 1 July 2026
• Opening date: N/A
• Closing date: Open - no closing date

Last updated: 15 September 2026 - see all updates

UKRI invest in Daphne Jackson Trust fellowships. These fellowships are for researchers and research technical professionals looking to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for family, health or caring reasons.

The fellowships are flexible, part-time and include a personalised retraining programme in a supportive UK university or research establishment, giving fellows the confidence and skills they need to make a successful return to research careers.

The fellowships are administered by the Daphne Jackson Trust and not by UKRI.

Who can apply

Daphne Jackson Trust fellowships are retraining fellowships open to researchers and research technical professionals across the UKRI remit.

Eligibility requirements can be found on the eligibility page of the Daphne Jackson Trust website.

Further information about the fellowship types, including the Research Fellowships and the Research Technical Professional Fellowships, is available on the types of fellowship page of the Daphne Jackson Trust website.

How to apply

You will need to apply to the Daphne Jackson Trust. Information about how to apply is available on the application process page of the Daphne Jackson Trust website.

You can view current fellowship opportunities on the current opportunities page of the Daphne Jackson Trust website. Sponsored fellowships are also advertised on university websites and on jobs.ac.uk.

Alternatively, if you know the area of research you would like to return to or have identified a potential host institution or supervisor, you can apply for a Daphne Jackson Trust fellowship at any time. You should contact the trust for advice.

Contact details

The Daphne Jackson Trust is based in the Department of Maths and Physics at the University of Surrey:

The Daphne Jackson Trust
Department of Maths and Physics
University of Surrey
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 7XH

For all enquiries, call 01483 689166 or email djmft@surrey.ac.uk.

Additional info

The Daphne Jackson Trust works in partnership with UKRI, universities, learned societies, charities and industry, to support those wishing to return to a research career.

The fellowships are funded by organisations such as UKRI and learned societies. The Daphne Jackson Trust does not provide the funding but acts as a facilitator between the funder and the fellow, providing the infrastructure and dedicated staff to recruit and retrain fellows and administer the awards.

Updates

• 15 September 2026
  Content updated throughout, including updated links to further guidance on the Daphne Jackson Trust website.
• 27 March 2026
  Removed details of alternative funders and Je-S information as this is no longer relevant.
• 12 March 2026
  Link to the UKRI and The Daphne Jackson Trust joint statement added in the 'Related content' section.
• 12 March 2026
  Paragraph about training courses updated to include more information in the 'Additional info' section.
• 12 March 2026
  Fellowship length amended from two years to three years.