Fellowships

• be based at a UK university or research institution
• be able to demonstrate they played a leading role in defining and delivering previous research projects, and be first author on at least one peer-reviewed output (published or in press)
• not hold a permanent position or have a previous/current fellowship that funds their salary to lead their own independent research with principal investigator status
• not have previously participated in in vivo animal research or relied on others' in vivo research results for their research or publications. The use of discarded animal tissue in previous research is allowed.

Humane Research Fellowships are suitable for applicants who are pioneering research methods to replace the use of animals and animal-derived biomaterials in their research of human diseases. This includes projects to: 

• develop a novel animal-free model or technique to replace animals in research. This could be in vitro, ex vivo, in silico or a combination of these
• modify an animal-free model to actively drive the replacement of animals in research, rather than just applying an existing model to extend prior animal-free studies  

• Collaborators can be based in the UK or overseas. They must be named and their role described in the Fellowship application.
• Collaborators must not receive payment from the Humane Research award, apart from payment for laboratory services the collaborator may provide.
• Fellowship award recipients must not use the results of collaborators' animal-based research within their THRT-funded project.

• the full costs of the Fellow’s salary for up to 5 years
• research consumables
• research facility costs*
• technician support*
• training costs*
• attendance at conferences*
• equipment such as a laptop or specialist software to deliver the research*
• publication costs
  

Humane Research Fellowships do not cover:

• use of animals, animal tissue, or any consumables that are not animal-component free. Please read our Use of Animals in Research Policy to learn more
• indirect costs such as university overheads or living expenses

Please read our Fellowship application guidelines to find out more about the costs our funding covers and any limitations that apply.

You can apply for a Humane Research Fellowship via our grant portal, which you will find on this webpage.

We will be running a two-stage process:

Ahead of making your application, please read our Use of Animals in Research Policy and our Fellowship application guidelines.

Our board’s science sub-committee and members of the Trust’s independent scientific advisory panel will assess each application on a range of criteria. This includes:

• the applicant’s previous research experience and impact 
• the applicant’s leadership skills, such as experience mentoring or supervising MSc or PhD students, lecturing, organising events 
• scientific merit of the proposed research and its potential impact on animal replacement and human health 
• the applicant's knowledge of the research area and proposed methodologies
• the applicant's implementation plan and use of resources 
• the applicant's plans for how they will use the Fellowship to develop as a leader in animal-free methods in their area of research

• provide the facilities required for the research programme  
• have oversight of the Fellow and their research programme 
• contribute actively to the further development and training of the Fellow

• carry out the research project as set out in their submitted proposal
• commit to not using animals or animal-derived products for the duration of the Fellowship Award. This includes the use of stock products purchased using other funds
• commit to not applying for funding from other funders to conduct research involving animals or animal-derived products for the duration of the Fellowship
• commit to continued development during the course of their Fellowship in areas such as leadership skills, communication and engagement
• provide progress reports at the end of each year and a final report at the end of the project
• acknowledge the Trust’s support in any project-related publicity, including on the institution’s website

Please read our Fellowship application guidelines to learn more about the expectations we have for the researchers we fund.

• The Trust will make payments quarterly in arrears.  
• The award-holder must detail salary, fees, consumables, and other expenses in each invoice.  
• These should be in accordance with the costings the award-holder set out in their application.  
• The award-holder must sign-off each list of consumables to confirm it contains no animal-derived products. 
• Since the Trust requires award-holders to provide end-of-year and final reports, we may withhold Q4 and final payments until we have received and approved the reports.