Contact us
For all enquiries about the research leadership scheme please email researchleadership@theRSE.org.uk
Research leadership scheme
The research leadership scheme, funded by the Caledonian Research Fund, is a unique new scheme from the RSE, supporting Scotland’s next generation of research leaders.
In this page: Cohort 1 Nomination process Contact us
The goal of the scheme is to develop the next generation of research leaders in Scotland, equipped to lead major disciplinary research bids that address critical scientific and societal challenges. The two-year pilot scheme will provide two small cohorts with structured support to build confidence, skills and leadership capacity through a mixture of mentoring, seed-corn funding, training, and peer learning.
Specifically designed for mid-career academics with outstanding potential, the scheme will:
- Develop key research leadership skills to manage teams, develop competitive funding bids, take on research leadership roles and responsibilities, and lead on research projects.
- Deliver hands-on training, mentoring and cross disciplinary peer networking.
- Provide seed corn funding for the piloting of research projects and external funding bid development.
- Involve cohort working around the theme Building Scotland’s Green Future.
Cohort 1
The research theme for Cohort 1 is Building Scotland’s Green Future. We encourage applications from a variety of disciplines that relate to this topic.
Call opens: Monday 27 October 2025, 12 noon
Deadline: Thursday 22 January 2026, 12 noon
Cohort is formed: By end of March 2026
Cohort activities begin: Cohort 1 activities take place between Spring 2026 to 2027
Nomination process
Applications should be submitted by the nominator via the RSE’s online Customer Relationship Management system (CiviCRM) between 27 October 2025 and 22 January 2026. Please note that nominators must have a CiviCRM account to apply. Candidates will not be able to see the nomination form from their own personal CiviCRM account, so should provide nominators with both the candidate letter and CV by the submission deadline. The CV should be no longer than 2 pages. Below is a template for the Candidate Letter. There is not a template for the CV.
The RSE will accept up to three nominations per Scottish HEI.
The online application link on the webpage will become live when the scheme is open. Please follow these steps to apply:
- Create a profile or log-in here.
- Once into your profile, access and complete the online nomination form – access to the form is only available if you are logged-in. Google Chrome is the recommended browser.
Resources for nominations
Donwnload, RSE Terms&Conditions Research Leadership Scheme (218KB, DOCX)