Research funding basics: scholarships and grants

Research funding for students and early-career researchers comes in three main forms: scholarships that support a person, project grants that pay for a defined piece of research, and fellowships that fund an individual researcher’s own project at a host institution. The money comes from public research councils, international programmes, private foundations, universities and sometimes industry. Each funder has its own rules, deadlines and criteria, and meeting them precisely is half the work.

This page is a neutral guide to how funding works. It does not replace the official call documents or the advice of your institution’s research office.

Types of funding at a glance

Type	What it funds	Typical applicant	Examples of funders
Scholarship or studentship	Living costs, sometimes fees, for a degree or doctorate	Master’s students, doctoral candidates	Universities, foundations, national scholarship bodies
Travel grant	Conference attendance, research stays, fieldwork	Doctoral candidates, postdocs	Universities, scholarly societies, exchange organisations
Project grant	Staff, equipment, consumables, travel for a defined project	Postdocs, group leaders, professors	National research councils, foundations
Fellowship	An individual’s salary and research costs at a host institution	Postdocs, early-career researchers	International and national programmes, foundations
Prize or award	Recognition, sometimes with money	Researchers at all stages	Societies, foundations, universities

Who funds research?

• National research councils, for example UKRI in the United Kingdom, the DFG in Germany, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund FWF, or the NSF and NIH in the United States.
• European programmes, such as the European Research Council (ERC) grants and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions within the EU’s research framework programme.
• Private foundations and charities, often focused on particular fields, regions or groups.
• Universities and graduate schools, with internal scholarships, completion grants and travel funds.
• Industry, through funded doctoral positions, collaborative projects or prizes.

Eligibility can depend on nationality, residence, career stage (often counted in years since the PhD), field and host institution. Read these rules first; an excellent proposal that does not meet them will not be reviewed.

How to find suitable funding

1. Ask your supervisor and colleagues which funders support work like yours.
2. Contact your university’s research office or graduate school; many maintain funding lists and newsletters.
3. Look at the acknowledgements in papers from your field to see who funds similar research.
4. Check the websites of national research councils and scholarly societies for current calls.
5. Set up alerts for calls and note deadlines in a calendar, including internal deadlines that are often earlier.

What makes an application fundable

Reviewers assess applications against the funder’s published criteria, usually some combination of scientific quality, feasibility, the applicant’s track record and potential, and the expected impact. A strong application:

• states a clear question and why it matters, as in a good research proposal
• explains a method and work plan that can realistically be done within the time and budget
• shows why you, and your host environment, are suited to the project
• presents a budget that is justified line by line
• follows the template, page limits and formatting rules exactly
• addresses requirements such as research data management, ethics and open access

Note: This page gives general information, not financial or legal advice. Funding conditions, amounts and deadlines change, so always rely on the current call documents and speak to your institution’s research office or funding advisers before you apply.

Writing tips

1. Start early; good applications take weeks, sometimes months.
2. Read successful applications if colleagues are willing to share them.
3. Write for an intelligent non-specialist; panels are often broader than your field.
4. Use headings that mirror the funder’s evaluation criteria.
5. Ask at least one person outside your project to read the draft.
6. Submit a day or two early; online systems can be slow near the deadline.

Conditions after an award

Grants come with obligations. Expect to report on progress and spending, acknowledge the funder in publications and often to publish open access. Some funders also require a data management plan or limit how long you can hold the award. Read the grant conditions carefully when you accept.

Smaller funding counts too

Travel grants, conference fee waivers and small project funds are easier to obtain and build your record. They can pay for presenting at a meeting, see submitting to a conference and giving the talk, or for a research stay abroad. If you are still at the start, our guide on how to apply for a PhD explains how funding and admission fit together.