Entries Open for Faraday Institution Industry Fellowship (United Kingdom)

Deadline: 30-Sep-26

The Faraday Institution Industry Fellowship supports UK-based academic and industry professionals to undertake collaborative research in electrochemical energy storage, including battery science and related chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. Fellowships fund secondments between UK universities or not-for-profit research organisations and UK-registered industrial companies, helping build long-term academia-industry partnerships.

About the Faraday Institution Industry Fellowship

The Faraday Institution Industry Fellowship is designed to strengthen collaboration between UK academia and industry in electrochemical energy storage research. The programme enables researchers to undertake joint appointments or secondments with an industrial partner. The goal is to create practical research collaborations, develop new expertise and strengthen the UK’s battery research and innovation ecosystem. Projects must fall within the Faraday Institution’s research remit and should address a defined research challenge or create the foundation for a future academic-industry collaboration. What Research Areas Are Supported? The fellowship supports collaborative projects related to electrochemical energy storage. Related energy-storage technologies and applications The proposed research should demonstrate a clear connection to energy storage and provide value to both the academic and industrial participants. Types of Applications The programme accepts single and joint applications.

Single applications: Intended for applicants who are looking for an appropriate academic or industrial partner.

Joint applications: Intended for established academic-industry collaborations that already have a defined research problem and proposed partnership.

This structure allows the fellowship to support both new collaborations and existing partnerships that are ready to undertake a research secondment. Fellowship Funding The fellowship primarily supports the salary costs associated with the researcher or, where appropriate, their Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) during the secondment.

Salary support includes applicable:

Employer National Insurance contributions Superannuation costs In addition, fellows can receive up to £1,000 for research expenses.

Eligible research expenses may include:

Consumables Travel between the host organisation and industrial partner Other eligible research-related costs Fellowship Duration Fellowships can be structured on either a full-time or part-time basis.

Full-time: 3 to 12 months

Part-time: Minimum 50% FTE, for up to 24 months

Research expenses: Up to £1,000

The secondment must involve movement between an eligible UK university or not-for-profit research organisation and a UK-registered industrial company. Who Is Eligible? Applicants must meet the programme’s academic, employment and UK residency requirements.

Applicants must:

Have the right to remain in the UK. Hold a PhD or equivalent professional standing. Hold a permanent post at either a UK university or a UK-based company. Participate in a secondment between eligible academic/research and industrial organisations. Propose research that falls within the Faraday Institution’s electrochemical energy storage remit. Applications are open to all nationalities, provided applicants meet the programme’s UK residency and employment requirements. Who Can Act as an Industrial Partner? The industrial partner must be a UK-registered industrial company. The programme does not accept self-employed consultants as industrial partners. The partnership should provide a genuine opportunity for knowledge exchange and collaborative research between the academic/research and industrial environments. Why This Fellowship Matters The transition to cleaner energy systems depends heavily on advances in battery technology and electrochemical energy storage. However, important research challenges often require collaboration between universities and industry. Academic researchers can contribute fundamental scientific expertise, while industrial partners can provide practical knowledge, application-focused challenges and routes toward commercialisation. The Faraday Institution Industry Fellowship helps bridge this gap by supporting researchers to work directly across these environments.

The programme can help:

Build long-term academic-industry relationships. Transfer knowledge between research and industry. Develop practical solutions to battery and energy-storage challenges. Strengthen the UK’s battery research workforce. Create foundations for future collaborative funding. Accelerate the translation of research into real-world applications. How the Fellowship Works The fellowship is based on a secondment model.

Step 1: Identify the Research Challenge

Applicants should identify a clear research question related to electrochemical energy storage. The challenge should be sufficiently focused to be addressed during the proposed fellowship period.

Step 2: Establish the Partnership

Applicants can either:

Submit a single application while seeking a suitable partner, or Apply jointly with an established academic-industry collaborator. The proposed partnership should clearly explain what each organisation contributes to the project.

Step 3: Develop the Research Plan

The proposal should explain:

The research problem. The scientific or technical background. The proposed methodology. The role of the fellow. The responsibilities of the academic and industrial partners. Expected research outcomes. Potential longer-term benefits of the collaboration.

Step 4: Plan the Secondment

Applicants should select an appropriate fellowship structure: Full-time for 3–12 months, or

Part-time at a minimum of 50% FTE for up to 24 months

The proposed arrangement should provide meaningful interaction between the researcher and partner organisation.

Step 5: Prepare the Budget

Applicants should distinguish between salary support and research expenses. The fellowship