12 universities selected to lead £54 million fund aiming to attract world’s top researchers into the UK
Universities including the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and Queen’s University Belfast, have been selected to join the Global Talent Fund, a £54 million scheme aiming to attract 60-80 top researchers into the UK.
The Global Talent Fund covers eight priority sectors including advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, creative industries, professional and business services, and clean energy.
The 12 universities selected to join the Global Talent Fund, and receiving an equal share of the £54 million fund, over 5 years, starting in 2025/2026, are:
University of Bath
Queen’s University Belfast
University of Birmingham
University of Cambridge
Cardiff University
Imperial College London
John Innes Centre
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
University of Oxford
University of Southampton
University of Strathclyde
University of Warwick
The fund, administered by UKRI , will cover 100 percent of eligible costs, including relocation and research expenses. There is no requirement for institutions to match funding . The initiative also covers full visa costs for researchers and their dependants, removing many of the financial and administrative barriers to relocation into the UK for leading researchers.
Lord Vallance, the UK’s Science Minister, comments: “Genius is not bound by geography. But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries.”
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge, adds: “The University is grateful for this award of funding. The Fund will bolster emerging and accelerating research areas, in line with the goals of the government’s Industrial Strategy. This investment will be pivotal in securing and supporting international academic expertise and strengthening the strategic opportunities the University is seeking to catalyse for both the University and the UK more widely. We look forward to the opportunities this will unlock.”
