UKRI Policy Fellowships 2026

Applications close on 10 September, and the full job description can be found on the UKRI website.

These are Sector Transition fellowships, as described in the UKRI Fellowship Investment Framework, to support temporary, fixed-term mobility of individuals to enable the transfer of knowledge and skills between academic and policy sectors, enable new approaches and increase sector porosity.

Relevant areas include:

Gambling Commission

An opportunity to develop the evidence base on illegal gambling, particularly in relation to use of data to understand trends, scale and characteristics of this market. Findings will inform policy development and operational disruption work to achieve consumer protection outcomes.

DCMS gambling behaviour and harm

An opportunity to investigate how the normalisation of gambling and peer-driven behaviours impact children and young people, specifically within the DCMS remit of gambling, advertising and digital engagement.

Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government gambling harm prevention fellowship

This fellowship will play a key role in gambling harm prevention in Scotland. Fellows will be hosted in Public Health Scotland (PHS) but will also be integrated into the Healthy Living Unit in the Scottish Government. This is a unique opportunity to work between the Scottish Government, the Commissioner for the gambling levy in Scotland, and PHS, the national agency for population health and reducing inequalities in Scotland. It will support the work programmes of both.

Fellows will work with senior leaders in PHS and the Scottish Government, and with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, to help support the implementation of the new GB-wide gambling levy system in Scotland with a specific focus on prevention, ensuring effective and impactful use of resources. Fellows will also work with colleagues across the three nations on gambling harms to support the UK-wide levy system.

Gambling harms research grants scheme

Expressions of interest closes 17 July, opportunity closing date 8 December

Applications must be team-based and must bring together diverse people, expertise, experiences, places, and wider stakeholders. This includes people with lived and learned experience from gambling and gambling-related harms.

Partnerships with non-academic higher education institutions and people across the third sector, community groups, industry, the public sector, people with lived experience and the public are important. These can contribute to diverse, innovative and cutting-edge research.

This opportunity aims to deliver high-quality research projects and build capacity in the research ecosystem. UKRI welcomes applications addressing any question or challenge that deepens understanding or supports solutions for the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms.

More details on the UKRI website.

Video games and gambling-related harms

Funding call ends 23 July 2026

Apply for funding to explore the relationship between gambling and video games and produce evidence-based insights to:

• inform strategies and interventions to prevent, treat or reduce gambling-related harm
• shape policy, regulation and best practice
• promote safe and responsible video games

More details on the UKRI website.

ESRC React Awards (pilot): outline

Funding call ends 8 October 2026
This funding opportunity is using a two-stage application process: an initial outline application, with shortlisted applications then invited to submit a full application.

This is a responsive funding opportunity. You should apply when your application is ready for submission and not wait for a closing date. Your outline application will be processed when it is submitted, and we aim to provide a decision on whether you will be invited to submit a full application within 10 working days.

You will have a wide scope and freedom to propose the research activities that will most robustly address the identified evidence need and meet the project objectives. Activities may include but are not limited to:

• Research
• Analysis
• Evidence synthesis
• Rapid evidence reviews
• Urgent data collection
• Urgent analysis of existing data resources

More details on the UKRI ESRC webpages.

AFSG (Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling)

LEAF grants support people with lived/living experience of gambling harm, enabling active participation in research, training, conference travel, and other related capacity-building opportunities.
Applicants must have lived/living experience of gambling harm themselves or as an affected other. Applications are limited to a maximum of £2000 per individual, per annum. This scheme is administered by the Lived Experience Research Hub team in conjunction with GamLEARN

More details can be found on the AFSG website.