Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

The ETI route is for Oxford-employed early career researchers who wish to act as PI and lead a small translational project as a step towards independence. This route is available for projects of up to £50k and 6–8 months in duration.

Below is the remit for MLSTF’s dedicated ETI route, where the ETI is the principal applicant:

• ETIs here are defined as Oxford-employed ECRs, which includes post-doctoral researchers, clinical researchers, or junior group leaders within the first few years of independence and/or on their first permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract.

• ETIs are further categorised into the two sub-groups:

1. Junior ETIs – An ECR with little to no previous experience in independent project management, line management or supervising teams, and/or within the first year of completing their doctoral studies. This sub-group applies to ECRs who seek to gain experience independently managing their research project with little supervision, learn to plan budgets, and build confidence in team management. This may include post-doctoral researchers and clinical researchers.
2. ETIs transitioning to independent researchers – an ECR with previous experience in project management, line management and/or team supervision. This sub-group applies to those ECRs who are in the process of making a transition to an independent PI and seek to establish a successful track record of project management, team supervision and capacity building, which will enable them to progress to the next stage of their careers. This may include research fellows, junior group leaders or lecturers.

• Volume of funding available through the ETI strand is up to £50K, for projects lasting 6-8 months in duration.
• ETI applicants must consult and inform the TRO at grant application stage at the latest, 3 weeks before the submission deadline [by 4 September 2026] that they are considering applying as an ETI applicant. The TRO will support the ETI to draft the most compelling proposal and provide access to the relevant training material and resources available, including the Experts in Residence. If you do not consult with the TRO prior to submission, your application will not be accepted for consideration by the MLSTF panel.
• The ETI must obtain approval from their line manager confirming support and/or permission to undertake the proposed activity stated in the application, subject to award recommendation by the MLSTF panel.
• The ETI will be required to officially identify a mentor who will support the ETI and their proposed research workplan. If you are unable to identify a mentor to support you, please contact the TRO, who might be able to assist.
• The ETI, together with their mentor, is required to carve out the expected skill sets to gain/develop during the proposal and how this application would support the ETI's future aspirations. 
• The ETI is expected to maintain constant communication with their mentor throughout the project duration, so the mentor can monitor the progress of the project against the Gantt chart and offer any help or support that the ETI might require to ensure smooth progress and completion of the project. The ETIs are also encouraged to get in touch with the TRO as soon as possible if they are experiencing any issues in their project that could affect the successful progress and completion of the award. The TRO will be able to provide support to resolve the difficulties
• ETIs must use the main MLSTF case for support application, but with the above outlined limits on funding volume and project duration.
• If an ETI has an existing MLSTF project that will overlap with the new MLSTF project, the ETI will need to make this clear in their submission. In addition, the ETI is expected to provide the details on the time commitment required for both projects and any other projects the ETI is involved in. Please note that ETIs are permitted to have a maximum of two MLSTF projects running at the at any one time.

ECRs and recent doctoral graduates often face challenges in securing meaningful involvement in projects under current funding terms, particularly when they need to cost their own time. To address this, MLSTF is introducing the Researcher Co-Investigator role within the main case for support application to enable eligible ECRs to cost in their salary as a directly incurred expense.

This route is for ECRs and recent doctoral graduates who need their own salary included in the project budget but cannot act as PI. The project is led by another applicant as lead PI, while the Researcher Co-Investigator’s salary is costed as a directly incurred expense. This route follows the standard MLSTF limits of up to £85k and 6–12 months.

Key conditions:

• Unlike via the ETI route, researchers requesting costs for their own salary cannot act as Principal Investigator (PI) and require someone else to lead the project.
• The prospective applicants are strongly advised to seek support from the TRO at the bid development stage.
• ETIs are further categorised into the two sub-groups:

1. Their salary is costed as a directly incurred expense
2. Their intellectual contribution and award ownership are formally recognised

• This is different to the ETI route described above, so the duration and the amount of funding can be the same as for the non-ETI route (up to 85K for 6-12 months in duration).

 Who is eligible?

• ECRs and Doctoral Graduates who require their salary to be included in the project budget and who have little to no previous experience in independent project management, line management or supervising teams, and/or within the first year of completing their doctoral studies. This applies to ECRs who seek to gain experience independently managing their research project with little supervision, learn to plan budgets, and build confidence in team management. This may include post-doctoral researchers and clinical researchers.
• Applicants who will provide significant intellectual input to grant writing and project design.
• Individuals intending to spend up to 100% of their time working on the proposed project.

Alternative route: ECRs who do not require salary support may still apply as lead PI through the ETI route, enabling them to lead projects independently.