# Doctoral Focal Award: UKRI Venture Doctorates

**Funder:** UKRI
**Budget:** £25M total (1–3 awards expected)
**Deadline:** 21 September 2026 (Expression of interest deadline; 4:00pm UK time. Outline stage.)
**Duration:** Up to 5 annual cohorts; max 5 years FTE per studentship
**Consortium:** Optional — lead organisation required; collaborating organisations encouraged to co-lead delivery; no minimum partner count mandated, but organisations hosting students must be named as collaborating organisations
**Application:** 3-stage: expression of interest (EOI by 21 Sep 2026) → outline application → full application (invited)
**Frequency:** One-off
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/doctoral-focal-award-ukri-venture-doctorates-outline-stage/
**Last verified:** 5 August 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Funds large-scale venture doctoral training programmes integrating academic research with entrepreneurship and venture creation. Must support min. 50 students across up to 5 annual cohorts. Lead must be a UKRI-eligible organisation (or complete non-standard eligibility before award). Businesses and social enterprises may lead. Norway-based or IIASA project co-leads are not permitted. Non-full economic cost: 100% of eligible costs, no estates/indirect costs.

## Summary

The UKRI Venture Doctorates programme funds large-scale doctoral training initiatives combining academic research with entrepreneurship and venture creation, with up to £25M available for 1-3 awards. Eligible lead organisations (including businesses and social enterprises) must design programmes supporting a minimum of 50 students across up to five annual cohorts, each studentship lasting up to five years full-time. This is a one-off call with a three-stage application process, opening with an expression of interest on 21 September 2026.

## Who should apply

- Educational institutions and research organisations eligible with UKRI, or willing to verify eligibility
- Businesses and social enterprises able to act as lead applicants
- Organisations capable of designing and hosting a minimum of 50 doctoral studentships across multiple annual cohorts
- Consortia with a named lead, where collaborating organisations co-deliver studentship placements and training
- Programmes bridging academic doctoral research with venture creation, entrepreneurship skills, or translatable innovation pathways

## Key dates

- Expression of interest deadline: 21 September 2026 (4:00pm UK time)
- Three-stage process: EOI → outline application (invited) → full application (invited)
- Studentships up to five years full-time; programmes may run up to five annual cohorts

## Tips for applicants

- The EOI must clearly justify how you will recruit and support a minimum of 50 students across your cohort structure; vague scaling plans stall at outline stage.
- If you are a business or social enterprise leading, front-load evidence of capacity to deliver doctoral supervision and research infrastructure to UKRI standards.
- Name all collaborating organisations and student host sites upfront; unnamed partners create ambiguity in the evaluation of capacity and may weaken your scorecard.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does UKRI Venture Doctorates fund?

Up to £25M is available in total; 1-3 awards are expected, so individual grants will depend on the scope and scale of each proposal.

### Who can lead a UKRI Venture Doctorates application?

Any UKRI-eligible organisation (universities, research institutes) or, if not currently eligible, an organisation willing to satisfy non-standard eligibility criteria. Businesses and social enterprises may lead. Applicants from Norway or IIASA are not permitted as project co-leads.

### How many students must a Venture Doctorates programme support?

A minimum of 50 students across up to five annual cohorts; each studentship is funded for up to five years full-time equivalent.

### Is a consortium required for UKRI Venture Doctorates?

A consortium is optional, but a lead organisation is required; collaborating organisations are encouraged to co-lead delivery and must be named if they host students.

### What is the application timeline for UKRI Venture Doctorates?

The call is three-stage: expression of interest (deadline 21 September 2026), then invited outline and full applications; timelines for later stages are to be confirmed.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/ukri-doctoral-focal-award-ukri-venture-doctorates-2026-09) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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