APPLY NOW! Visiting Fellowship Programme at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, UK

The Edinburgh Futures Institute are proud to open calls for our Visiting Fellowship programme, starting in the 2025/26 academic year.

Edinburgh Futures Institute is proud to open calls for our Visiting Fellowship programme, for visits in the 2025/26 academic year. In this dynamic academic environment, our visitors will be able to interact with other fellows, researchers affiliated with the Futures Institute, our partners from the business and third sector, and our students. Fellows will be able to take part in our seminars and events programmes, and be able to access our training courses, making for a highly enriching experience. 

At the Edinburgh Futures Institute we challenge, create, and make change happen. We are focussed on tackling today’s increasingly complex issues by bringing people and disciplines together to spark the unexpected and make better futures possible. 

We catalyse collaborative, data-driven and interdisciplinary research innovation across the University of Edinburgh and six key research areas: 

• Creative Industries & Digital Humanities 
• Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence 
• Financial Services & Fintech  
• Future Infrastructure   
• Public Sector: prevention, data civics, participatory democracy, governance  
• Tourism & Festivals 

Eligibility criteria

Applicants should hold an open-ended position within an academic institution at the time of their planned visit (though relevant career experience and equivalent professional qualifications will also be taken into account). They must be based outside of the University of Edinburgh. We particularly encourage applications from those based in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries), or other applicants who represent minorities not currently well-represented in the Futures Institute. We are looking for those: 

• Who are currently working on projects and ideas that relate our key research areas;  
• Have expertise or have previously led projects related to our research areas, where a visit to the Futures Institute would lead to advancement of the work; 
• Are planning to develop an idea for a grant proposal, where a visit to the Futures Institute would benefit the development of this proposal. 

Applications will be assessed using the following criteria: 

• Demonstrable research & engagement leadership in existing/previous projects (commensurate with career stage) 
• Existing research links with academic sponsors and the wider the Edinburgh ecosystem 
• The research impact potential of the proposal, and its societal relevance 
• Plans to engage with and contribute to the Futures Institute and the wider academic community in Edinburgh 

Fellowship length and terms

Visits are expected to last 3-6 months, and must take place within an academic semester. Successful applicants will be expected to make a contribution to the local research community, through guest lectures or seminars, collaborating on grant proposals, or contributing to teaching. If successful, you will receive up to £1,500.00 per month of visit towards relocation costs, plus reimbursement of travel and visa costs (if required). Additional support can be provided to successful applicants from LMI countries. 

Academic Sponsorship

As part of the application process, applicants are expected to contact someone based at the University of Edinburgh to act as an academic sponsor, who will be the academic point of contact for the Visiting Fellow and will be expected to regularly engage with them throughout their visit. The sponsor will be contacted for a statement in support of the application, so must be named prior to submission. More information about academic sponsorship can be found below. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY