You may be able to transfer your UKRI research grant to a country in Europe with the Money Follows Researcher scheme.
The scheme is for project leads who are moving to a research organisation in Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands or Switzerland.
It operates under an agreement between a group of Science Europe members. Check which funders are participating on the Science Europe website.
When you can request a transfer
You can request a transfer if:
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you’re the grant’s project lead
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you’re moving to an eligible research organisation in Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands or Switzerland
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the transfer will happen at least six months before the grant’s end date
The research organisation you’re moving to must be your new home organisation. It must also be equivalent to a UK higher education institution or research organisation eligible for UKRI funding.
You can transfer research grants awarded by one of the following UKRI councils:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
You cannot use the Money Follows Researcher scheme to transfer a fellowship.
How to request a transfer
You’ll need to make a case for the transfer to the council that awarded the grant. Make sure you include:
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confirmation that you meet all the requirements for making a transfer
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confirmation that you have the agreement of your current research organisation and the one you’re moving to
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justification for the salary to be transferred for the you as project lead
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confirmation that your new research organisation will enable you to successfully complete the research
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the date you’d like the transfer to happen
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details of how the transfer will affect the research project’s aims and objectives
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details of how the transfer will affect the people working on the project, whether they move with the grant or not
The council won’t approve the transfer if they think it will significantly impair the research.
Contact the relevant council to find out more about requesting a transfer.
AHRC
Email: enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org
BBSRC
Email: gfmt@bbsrc.ukri.org
EPSRC
Email: international@epsrc.ukri.org
ESRC
Email: international@esrc.ukri.org
MRC
Email: rfpd@mrc.ukri.org
NERC
Email: researchgrants@nerc.ukri.org
STFC
Email: grantspolicy@stfc.ukri.org
After the transfer is approved
UKRI will transfer the grant to the project lead’s new home organisation. It must be fully Je-S registered before any transfer can take place.
Only directly incurred costs (excluding equipment) will be transferred. ‘Directly allocated’, ‘estates costs’ and ‘indirect costs’ expenditure for the project lead are not included in the transfer, with the exception of any directly allocated salary costs for the project lead, which may now be transferred at 100% full economic cost.
Payments will be made to the new home organisation on the same basis as in the UK. This is normally quarterly and in sterling.
Last updated: 8 July 2024