Information Density: Royal Society – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

[H1] Welcome to the Royal Society

We are the independent scientific academy of the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity.

Our mission

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[H4] Summer Science Exhibition

Explore this year's full programme and book your priority tickets now.

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[H4] Unlocking thermal energy

Report exploring how industrial waste heat can be captured, stored, transported and re-used.

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[H4] Royal Society President speaks out on challenges to science

Paul Nurse has criticised those who put ideology ahead of evidence.

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[H4] Subscribe to Open (S2O) announcement

Research published in Royal Society subscription journals to be free to access in 2026.

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[H4] Net zero by 2050

Is net zero by 2050 necessary in the UK? The Royal Society answers key questions.

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[H4] Women in STEM

Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first women elected Fellows of the Royal Society.

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[H4] Young People’s Book Prize

'The Wild Life of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals' by Mike Barfield is the winner.

[H2] Key work on climate change

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Project
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Climate change: evidence and causes

04 March 2020

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Project
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Climate change: science and solutions

19 May 2021

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Project
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Reversing biodiversity loss

Read more

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Project
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Biodiversity and climate change: interlinkages and policy options

11 October 2021

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Project
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Multifunctional landscapes

01 February 2023

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[H1] The Fellowship

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship made up of many of the world’s most eminent scientists, engineers, and technologists.

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Fellow login

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[H4]
Sir Paul Nurse

President

Sir Paul Nurse is President of the Royal Society. He started his five year term on 1 December 2025.

[H2] Search the Fellowship

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[H5] Fellows type

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Deceased

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[H4] Quarraisha Abdool Karim

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[H4] Asifa Akhtar

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[H4] Neil Alford

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[H4] Deborah Ashby

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[H4] Yasmine Belkaid

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[H4] Bernie Binks

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[H4] Robert Black

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[H4] Antje Boetius

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[H4] Philip Boyd

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[H4] John Briggs

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[H4] Morris Brown

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[H4] Edward Bullmore

[H1] Journals

Since the first issue of Philosophical Transactions in 1665, publishing has been at the heart of the Royal Society's mission to recognise, promote and support excellence in science.

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Journal content

Blog

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[H4] Royal Society Publishing achieves the ambitious goal of becoming 100% open access by 2026

Graham Anderson, Head of Sales & Marketing, provides an update on the Royal Society journals’ sustainable, long-term move towards open access.

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Graham Anderson
In Publishing

15 April 2026

2 min read

[H2] Our journals

[H3] Philosophical Transactions A

Influential themed journal issues across the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences.

[H3] Philosophical Transactions B

Influential themed journal issues across the life sciences.

[H3] Interface Focus

Themed issues covering cross-disciplinary research at the interface between the physical, life and social sciences.

[H3] Proceedings A

The Royal Society’s physical sciences research journal, publishing high-quality research and review articles from all disciplines in the physical sciences.

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[H3] Proceedings B

The Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the fast publication and worldwide dissemination of high-quality research.

[H3] Interface

Cross-disciplinary research at the interface between the physical and life sciences.

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[H3] Biology Letters

A Royal Society journal focused on the rapid publication of short high quality research articles, reviews and opinion pieces across the biological sciences.

[H3] Open Biology

A fast, open access Royal Society journal publishing high impact biology at the molecular and cellular level.

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[H3] Royal Society Open Science

A fast, open journal publishing high-quality research across all of science, engineering and mathematics.

[H3] Notes and Records

The Royal Society journal of the history of science.

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[H3] Biographical Memoirs

A unique compilation of memoirs celebrating the lives and scientific achievements of Fellows of the Royal Society.

[H2] Search our journals

Search our journals by keyword, subject, author name, publication date and other parameters.

Search our journals

[H2] Authors

Publish your research with the world's longest-running scientific publisher alongside Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Rosalind Franklin.

View benefits for authors

[H2] Librarians

We offer over 360 years of research across the whole of science, Transformative Agreements, Subscribe to Open, Open Access Memberships, subscriptions and perpetual access to suit all institutions.

View benefits for institutions

[H3] Related content

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[H4] Royal Society journal seminar collections

Author seminars associated with recent impactful journal articles.

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[H4] Royal Society journal article collections

Subject collections bringing together research across the Royal Society journals

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[H4] Publishing as an early career researcher

Our ECR resource hub provides foundational knowledge of the publishing process to help you…

[H3] Publishing blog posts

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Helen Eaton

In Publishing

13 May 2026
3 min read

[H4] Cyborg Futures

Interface Focus recently published a theme issue on ‘Cyborg Futures’. In this blog post, Guest…

Blog

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John Gittleman

In Publishing

01 May 2026
5 min read

[H4] Conservation isn’t failing—it’s just inconsistent, uneven, and often badly measured

Stuart Pimm and John Gittleman tell us about their team’s effort to assess the successes and…

Blog

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Professor Martin Siegert

In Publishing

23 April 2026
4 min read

[H4] Ice-sheet bed measurements are the key to predicting global sea level rise

In May 2025 around 80 scientists gathered in Edinburgh for a Royal Society Theo Murphy Discussion…

Blog

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Buchi Okereafor

In Publishing

20 April 2026
3 min read

[H4] The secret life of stinging cells: chromatin regulation in sea anemones

This Open Biology study uncovers how specialised stinging cells used for prey capture and defence,…

Blog

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Ciara Doyle

In Publishing

17 April 2026
5 min read

[H4] Introducing members of the Interface Editorial Board

Interface brings together research at the intersection of the physical and life sciences. Its…

Blog

[H3] Publishing videos

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[H4] What does 'Subscribe to Open' mean?

[H4] The world’s first science journal, the Philosophical Transactions

[H4] Publishing your research? How to avoid predatory journals

[H4] What is open science?

[H4] Welcome to Science in the Making

[H4] The Royal Society journals: inspirational authors and ground-breaking science

[H4] Read & Publish with Royal Society Publishing

[H4] An introduction to Royal Society journals and packages

[H1] Grants at the Royal Society

The Royal Society funding provides freedom, support and flexibility to researchers in the UK and internationally.

Log in to Flexi-Grant®

Grant

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[H4] Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship

The five-year Royal Society Wolfson Fellowships enables UK universities and not-for-profit research institutions to attract and recruit talented…

Closing 01 July 2026

[H2] Fellowships and grants for outstanding researchers
We support scientists pursuing discovery-led and applied research through a wide range of schemes and career development opportunities.
The Royal Society recognises that diversity is essential for delivering excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and wants to encourage applications from the widest range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to maximise innovation and creativity in science for the benefit of humanity.
Our work is guided by the principles of Excellence; Inclusivity; Flexibility; and Openness and Fairness.

[H2] All grants

View our full portfolio of funding opportunities, filter by career stage and location.

Explore grants

[H2] The application process

A step-by-step guide to the application and assessment process for our schemes.

Find out more

[H2] Application dates

See key dates for funding schemes, with open, close and decision dates.

View the calendar

[H2] Training and development

Find out about the tailored career development and engagement opportunities available to many of our grant-holders.

Explore opportunities

[H2] Policies and positions

View the policies and positions underpinning our grants portfolio – relevant to all applicants and award holders.

Learn more

[H1] Medals and awards

The Royal Society’s prestigious medals and awards programme recognises and celebrates outstanding contributions to science from individuals and teams.

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Climate change and biodiversity
Education and skills
Equality diversity and inclusion
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Scientific Area
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Anatomy, physiology and neurosciences
Astronomy and physics
Biochemistry and molecular cell biology
Chemistry
Computer sciences
Earth and environmental sciences
Engineering
Health and human sciences
Mathematics
Microbiology, immunology and developmental biology
Organismal biology, evolution and ecology
Patterns in Populations

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[H4] Royal Medals

These medals are awarded for the most important contributions in the physical, biological and…

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[H4] Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture

This award is made for excellence in communicating science to UK audiences.

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[H4] Royal Society David Attenborough Award and Lecture

This medal is given to an individual for outstanding and sustained public engagement with…

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[H4] Rumford Medal

This medal is awarded for important discoveries in the field of thermal or optical properties of…

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[H4] Hughes Medal

This medal is awarded to an outstanding researcher in the field of energy

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[H4] Milner Award and Lecture

This award is made for outstanding achievement in computer science by a European researcher.

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[H4] Sylvester Medal

This medal is awarded for mathematical research.

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[H4] Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize

Rising Star Africa Prize: to recognise early-career research scientists based in Africa who are…

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[H4] Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award and Lecture

This award is made to support the promotion of women in science, technology, engineering and…

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[H4] Royal Society Athena Prize

The Royal Society Athena Prize is awarded biennially to teams, working in UK academic and research…

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[H4] Copley Medal

This medal is awarded for outstanding achievements in the physical sciences in odd years and the…

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[H4] Royal Society Hauksbee Award

This award is for outstanding achievements in science by someone whose work is mostly 'behind the…

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Grants at the Royal Society

[H1] The application and assessment process

The Royal Society is committed to pursuing excellence in science and to promoting openness and fairness at all stages of the grant-making process. This page explains how to apply for Royal Society research funding, how applications are assessed, and how funding decisions are made and communicated.
This guidance applies to research funding only. There are separate instructions for schools and museums seeking to undertake engagement projects, which are detailed in the relevant scheme pages.
For any queries about application and assessment for individual schemes, please contact the relevant team for the scheme you are interested in.

[H2] How to apply for research funding

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1. Find a scheme

We offer fellowships and grants across disciplines and career stages - for researchers currently based in the UK and overseas. Look at what’s available. Use the filters to help focus your options and select the scheme that’s right for you.
Open, close and decision dates for all schemes are available to view.
Receive the latest information on Royal Society grants and other opportunities by signing up for our newsletters at the bottom of this page.

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2. Check your eligibility

Check that the research you are proposing to undertake falls within the natural sciences remit of the Royal Society. Any variation to this will be outlined on specific scheme pages.
Shortly before each scheme opens for a round of applications, the scheme pages are updated with any changes to eligibility criteria. It is important to consult the scheme pages to access up-to-date eligibility information for the specific round in which you intend to apply.
If you need to clarify whether you are eligible for a particular scheme, contact the relevant team.

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3. Check your host organisation’s eligibility

Check that your current/prospective host institution is eligible for the scheme you have identified by referring to the scheme notes.
All UK Higher Education Institutions that receive research grant block funding from one of the UK higher education funding bodies and participate in the Research Excellence Framework and all Research Council Institutes are eligible to receive funds from the Royal Society for research and associated activities.
Independent Research Organisations (IROs) and Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs) in the UK may be eligible for Royal Society funding if they meet our eligibility criteria. Please refer to our position on eligible organisations for more details.
Private or commercial organisations in the UK may be eligible hosts for Industry Fellowships or Short Industry Fellowships only.

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4. Read the scheme notes in full

Each scheme page contains scheme notes which give detailed information on the award, funding, references and application process. Some scheme pages will also have answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have a question not addressed in the scheme notes or FAQs, you can contact the relevant team.

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5. Discuss your intention to apply with the host institution

You should discuss your intention to apply with your current or prospective host department and research support office as early as you can; they may be able to offer you support with your application. They will also need to be available to give consent before the application deadline.
For fellowship applications, we also recommend having a discussion with the host department about the support you can expect from them if your application is successful.
If you are applying for one of our longer-term fellowships, you should discuss and agree with your host department in advance:
Space - Any office/laboratory space any equipment or access requirements.
Additional resources - Any additional support they may offer (funding, students, technical support etc).
Proleptic appointments - the possibility of a proleptic appointment now or during the course of your fellowship.
Professional development - Any plans to provide you with a mentor or with other training or professional development.
Anything else – If you secure an eight- or ten-year fellowship, you are a valuable commodity to your University.  You should therefore use your application as an opportunity to negotiate with your university
Your host organisation is not required to agree to the above, however many of our Research Fellows do secure such support on their long-term fellowships.

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6. Highlight any potential collaborations to your research office

Many Royal Society programmes support and encourage collaboration, whether this is with researchers at other UK institutions or companies, or between UK and overseas researchers.
Where collaborations are supported, these are usually funded through the UK host organisation; check the scheme notes for the specific details on collaboration eligibility and management.
When working with collaborators, there are a number of important considerations, particularly around the legislative requirements around the UK’s subsidy control regime when working with industry, and the UK National Security and Investment Act when working with researchers and organisations overseas.
‘Trusted research’ is a research and innovation sector term for protecting the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people and infrastructure from potential theft, manipulation and exploitation, including as a result of interference by hostile actors.
If you are planning to collaborate with an organisation overseas, you and your host organisation will be required to ensure that appropriate frameworks are put in place to meet national security obligations.
See the Trusted Research Guidance for Academia from the National Protective Security Authority.

The Subsidy Control Act is relevant when the grant being awarded will lead to an economic advantage being passed onto one or more of the organisations involved, meaning the funding provided may result in being classed as a subsidy. For Royal Society funding, this may be the case in any grant but most commonly when working in collaboration with industry.
We recommend you have early discussions with your research office if you are considering starting a collaboration with a company or an overseas organisation so they can help you navigate the complexities of collaboration.

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7. Consult our policy pages to inform your application

Refer to our policy pages for important information to consider before making your application. This includes guidance on the costing policy used for some of our schemes and our expected standards for academic conduct. You will be required to comply with the policies and procedures, as well as the conditions of award, if you are successful.

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8. Apply through Flexi-Grant®

All applications must be submitted through our grants management system, Flexi-Grant®
You can find this overview of Flexi-Grant and FAQs related to using the system. The process is also detailed within the scheme notes. If you experience any technical difficulties, contact grants@royalsociety.org
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. This also means that all host organisation declarations must be received by the closing date
Register and login

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9. Request approval from host organisation

For all single-stage applications and for stage 2 of two-stage applications; the Research Office (or equivalent) must approve your application and carry out financial checks, and the Head of Department or equivalent (if applicable) must also give their consent for you to hold your award within their department.
Some schemes will require a statement of support from the Head of Department (or equivalent) and/or nominated referee.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all third-party statements of consent and support are submitted before the application deadline.

[H2] How your application is assessed

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All applications are checked for eligibility

The Royal Society Grants Team will initially check all applications against the published eligibility criteria before they are submitted for panel assessment. If your application is found to be incomplete or ineligible, it will be closed, and you will be notified.

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Eligible applications are assessed by a Selection Committee

The Royal Society uses Selection Committees (also known as Panels) to assess applications and to make recommendations on funding.
For some schemes, the assessment process may include an independent peer review and/or interview stage. The assessment stages will be listed in the individual scheme notes.
Panels are chaired by a Fellow of the Royal Society and membership generally comprises a pool of scientists with expertise and experience appropriate to each scheme.
Each application is assessed by at least two Panel Members with the most relevant scientific expertise.
Following Panel assessments, a shortlist is drawn up with oversight from the Panel Chair. Depending on the scheme, shortlisted applications can either be recommended for funding (usually after discussion at a Panel meeting) or sent out for independent peer review. For scheme-specific information about the assessment stages, please check the scheme notes.
Membership of Panels is on a fixed-term basis and appointments are approved by the Grants Committee, which also approves the recommendations for funding made by each Panel.
For further information on the selection Panels, please see our Standing Committees page.

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Eligible applications are assessed against our published criteria

Applications are primarily assessed based on scientific merit of the individual(s) and the research proposed . Note that criteria for success is specific to each scheme and will be detailed in the individual scheme notes.
We regularly review and revise policies and processes to embed equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles in all aspects of the grant making process and ensure all applicants have an equitable chance to succeed as per assessment criteria.

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When a scheme involves independent peer review

If the scheme you apply to has an independent peer review stage, this will be detailed in the scheme notes.
Established researchers with expertise directly relevant to the field of your application are identified and/or agreed by the Panel members.
These independent peer reviewers have the necessary technical knowledge to assess the feasibility, novelty, and significance of the proposed work. They are asked to score and give constructive feedback on the application based on the published assessment criteria.
Independent peer reviewers are instructed to treat applications with strictest confidence.

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When a scheme involves a candidate interview

If the scheme you apply to has an interview stage, this will be detailed in the scheme notes. Candidates who are invited to interview will be provided with guidance on the purpose and format of the interview.
Interviews usually take place at the Royal Society but may be held online for some schemes or through a hybrid format to meet the needs of the candidate’s personal circumstances. You will be interviewed by members of the Panel.
You may be asked before the interview to prepare a short presentation and will be briefed on the subject and purpose of the presentation.
After each interview, the quality of the candidate’s answers will be assessed by the Panel and used to inform their funding recommendations.

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How final decisions are made and communicated

Applications reaching the final stage of a scheme’s selection process will be scored by the Panel and ranked using all available information (including independent peer review and interview score, if applicable).
If more applications reach the required standard for funding than we have places available, funding will be awarded in rank order from highest to lowest until all the places are allocated. One or more applications from the remaining ranked list may be placed on a reserve list.
The selection panel will make their final recommendations for funding which are approved by the Grants Committee before decisions are announced.
The date when decisions are announced is scheme-specific and detailed in the individual scheme notes.
You will be notified by email of any funding decision. Successful applicants will receive an award letter, including the details of the offer.
Whenever possible, feedback is given to unsuccessful applicants. For most schemes, feedback from independent reviewers can be provided on request.
Personalised feedback is not always possible, for example, in schemes with very high numbers of applications.

[H3] Related content

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[H4] Search all Grants

Search all Grants from the Royal Society.

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[H4] Flexi-Grant ®

Ready to apply? Visit our grants management system.

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[H4] Grants policies and positions

Policies, positions and further information on grants funded or promoted by the Royal Society.