International Research Grants: ERC, UKRI, Wellcome, NHMRC

Researchers outside Europe, the UK, Australia and Canada often ask which funders in those places accept their applications. This guide to international research grants covers six funders and programmes, namely the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon Europe, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Wellcome, the Australian NHMRC and the Canadian CIHR. For each one it says who can lead, how an overseas researcher can take part, what was open when we checked on 10 October 2026, and what the published success rates show.

Editverse is independent. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any funder named here. Terms change between calls, and several pages we read were undated or in conflict with each other, so confirm every figure on the funder’s own call page before you commit.

In Simple Words

Almost every major funder here pays for work done at a host organisation in its own region. The ERC lets any nationality apply but the host must be in the EU or an associated country. UKRI needs a UK lead. Wellcome, from 29 October 2026, accepts leads only in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia. NHMRC and CIHR want the lead based in Australia or Canada. For most overseas researchers the realistic routes are to relocate with a fellowship, join a team as a collaborator or co-lead, or look at the funders in your own region.

Who Can Lead on International Research Grants

Start with this table, because it decides which funders are worth your time.

Funder	Can an overseas researcher lead?	Other ways to take part
ERC (Horizon Europe)	Yes, any nationality and any residence, but the host must be in an EU Member State or associated country	Synergy Grant allows one PI hosted outside, and relocation funding is available
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships	European Fellowship is open to any nationality, with an EU or associated-country host	Global Fellowship is closed to non-EU and non-associated nationals
UKRI	No, the lead must be at a UK-eligible organisation	Project co-lead (international), capped at 30% of costs, or a self-funded project partner
Wellcome	Currently the UK, the Republic of Ireland and eligible low- and middle-income countries other than India and mainland China. From 29 October 2026, only the UK and low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia	Co-applicants can be anywhere except mainland China on Discovery Awards
NHMRC	Lead must be Australia-based for at least 80% of the funding period, with citizenship or a visa	Overseas chief investigators and associate investigators can join but cannot draw salary
CIHR	Nominated principal applicant needs a substantive role in Canada	Foreign researchers can be co-applicants or collaborators, per a 2023 FAQ

Horizon Europe and ERC Funding in International Research Grants

The ERC runs its own work programme inside Horizon Europe. ERC Work Programme 2027 was adopted by the Commission in July 2026, and it states that the 2027 programme will be the last in the current framework. The ERC says it launches its 2027 competitions between July 2026 and June 2027. Check the work programme for the numbers below, because older ERC pages disagree with it.

Grant	Who	Maximum and duration	Opens and closes
Starting Grant	PhD more than 0 and up to 10 years before 1 January 2027	EUR 1.5 million, up to 60 months	Opened 22 July 2026, closes 14 October 2026
Consolidator Grant	PhD more than 5 and up to 15 years before 1 January 2027	EUR 2 million, up to 60 months	Opened 24 September 2026, closes 12 January 2027
Advanced Grant	Established research leaders	EUR 2.5 million, up to 60 months	Opens 27 May 2027, closes 26 August 2027
Synergy Grant	Group of 2 to 4 PIs	EUR 10 million, up to 72 months	Opens 17 February 2027, closes 11 May 2027
ERC Plus	Outstanding researchers at any career stage	EUR 7 million, 48 to 84 months	Opens 1 June 2027, closes 1 September 2027
Proof of Concept	PI with an ongoing ERC grant, or one that ended on or after 1 January 2026	EUR 150,000, 18 months	Opens 12 November 2026, cut-offs 10 March and 16 September 2027

The ERC director can shift an opening by up to a month or a deadline by up to two months, so treat these as the published schedule and not a promise.

Eligibility for Overseas Applicants

According to the work programme, PIs can live anywhere when they apply, but the host institution must be in an EU Member State or associated country, and the PI must spend at least half of their time in the EU or an associated country. Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants can request up to EUR 1 million of additional funding, and a PI relocating to the EU or an associated country can request up to EUR 2 million of additional funding in total, instead of EUR 1 million. Applicants who request more than EUR 1 million of additional funding must be based outside the EU or an associated country at the call deadline.

The ERC’s non-European researchers page gives the same relocation totals, for example up to EUR 3.5 million for a Starting Grant. The 2025 Synergy results show how open the Synergy route is to non-European teams, since the ERC says more than 40% of funded projects involve a PI based outside the EU and associated countries.

Success Rates

Competition	Submitted	Funded	Rate
Starting Grant 2025	3,928	478	about 12.2%
Consolidator Grant 2025	3,121	349	about 11.2%
Advanced Grant 2025	3,329	319	9.6%
Synergy Grant 2025	712 proposals	66 teams	about one in ten, results flagged provisional

Thirteen of the 319 Advanced Grant winners, or 4%, were based outside Europe, with 9 in the United States, 2 in Australia and 2 in Canada.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships page, last updated 30 September 2026, sets out two routes. Applicants need a PhD at the deadline and no more than 8 years of research experience after it. The European Fellowship is open to researchers of any nationality, with a host in an EU Member State or associated country. The Global Fellowship is only for EU or associated-country nationals or long-term residents. The 2026 call closed on 9 September 2026, and an April 2026 announcement gave an indicative budget of EUR 399.05 million, and the call drew a record 21,627 applications. The 2027 call page shows opening on 7 April 2027 and closing on 8 September 2027, both marked as to be confirmed. We found no official MSCA success rate and no euro amount for a single fellowship.

Third-Country Participation and the Next Framework Programme

The Commission’s list of participating countries, version 4.2 of 7 October 2026 names Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and others as associated countries, with some associated only to parts of the programme. Researchers elsewhere are, in the Commission’s words, usually expected to take part at their own cost unless a call names their country or their participation is judged essential.

The successor programme is not law yet. The Commission proposed Horizon Europe 2028 to 2034 on 16 July 2025, and on 26 June 2026 the Council agreed a partial negotiating position, which calls it the tenth framework programme and leaves the budget to the wider budget deal.

UKRI Funding for Overseas Researchers

UKRI’s own international research page, updated 6 October 2026, says that for most grants the project lead must be UK-based. Overseas researchers can join as a project co-lead (international), as a team member or as a project partner who is self-funded. Some Lead Agency opportunities are funded jointly with overseas agencies.

The co-lead policy sets the terms. The UK organisation applies and pays the overseas organisation in pounds sterling. Co-lead costs are capped at 30% of the project’s overall cost at 100% full economic cost, and the cap can be raised for OECD DAC-list countries, though not for India or China. Overheads and estates costs are not normally covered, and a co-lead cannot take over as lead.

The Future Leaders Fellowships round 11 shows the relocation route. It is aimed at researchers establishing independence, funds 80% of full economic cost, runs up to seven years with four funded at the start, and does not exclude applicants by nationality or location. The fellow must still hold the award at a UK organisation, and the page suggests a Global Talent visa for those coming from abroad. The page says Closed but lists a non-academic-hosted window to 4 November 2026, so we cannot say if any route is open.

On odds, UKRI’s statistical publication of 16 July 2026 reports an overall award rate of 19% for 2025 to 2026 on 19,082 applications assessed, down from 21% in 2024 to 2025. We found no rate for overseas applicants.

Wellcome Funding Rules in International Research Grants

Wellcome is moving to a tighter rule. Its eligibility page says that from 29 October 2026 it will accept applications only from lead applicants at administering organisations in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia. Applications submitted on or before 28 October 2026 are assessed under the current rules, and the current eligibility page adds that organisations in India or mainland China are not eligible, and it also lists the Republic of Ireland. Wellcome’s own list of eligible countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia names 68 countries, based on the OECD list, and does not include India. India therefore appears to stay ineligible after 29 October, but the page is undated, so confirm with Wellcome.

Scheme	Amount	Duration	Who
Early-Career Awards	Salary plus up to GBP 400,000 for research expenses	Usually 5 years	No more than three years of postdoctoral experience, at least 80% of research time on the project
Career Development Awards	Annual expenditure usually below GBP 250,000, excluding salary	Usually 8 years	Mid-career researchers with no co-applicants
Discovery Awards	No fixed amount, average GBP 3.5 million	Up to 8 years	Established researchers or teams, co-applicants allowed at any career stage anywhere except mainland China

Wellcome’s scheme pages mix an apply-anytime message with round dates for October and November 2026, so confirm on the funding platform which round is open. For odds, its funding data for 2024 to 2025 gives success rates by lead location of 14.2% for the UK, 4.9% for other high-income countries and 5.1% for low- and middle-income countries. It also reports 4,289 applications and 711 awards, but says those counts are not a valid base for the rates because they include non-competitive awards. It publishes no per-scheme rate.

NHMRC Grants in International Research Grants

Australia’s NHMRC accepts applications only through its Administering Institutions, so an overseas researcher cannot apply alone. We could not open the guidelines on GrantConnect and used copies hosted by Australian universities and charities for the salary figures, so check those against GrantConnect.

Investigator Grants. Five-year grants at five levels. The 2027 guidelines give a salary and research support package of AUD 89,523 and 75,000 a year for EL1, up to AUD 207,064 and 400,000 for L3. The lead must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, a permanent resident or hold an appropriate work visa, and be in Australia at least 80% of the term (50% for emerging leaders, who may spend up to half the grant overseas). The 2027 round closed on 29 July 2026, with outcomes expected in March 2027. The 2026 round funded 234 of 1,894 applications, 12.4%.
Ideas Grants. One to five years, with no per-grant cap stated, and the 2026 round closed on 6 May 2026 per the NHMRC tracker of 28 April 2026. NHMRC’s general rule is that overseas investigators cannot draw salary, and we could not confirm the Ideas-specific wording on associate investigators. The 2025 round funded 190 of 2,347 applications, 8.1%. See NHMRC’s Ideas Grants page.
Synergy Grants. AUD 5 million over 5 years, with 4 to 10 chief investigators, and overseas chief investigators allowed without salary. The 2025 round funded 11 of 85 applications, 12.9%. A consultation in April and May 2026 proposed team-capability assessment and single-stage review from the 2027 round.
Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies. One to five years. NHMRC’s funding calendar shows the 2026 round closing at 5:00pm on 4 November 2026, with minimum data due on 7 October. Overseas eligibility is not confirmed. See the scheme page.
Development Grants. NHMRC’s CEO said they will not proceed in 2026, and the scheme is paused for review.

CIHR Grants in International Research Grants

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research runs most researcher-initiated money through the Project Grant. Its administration guide says the nominated principal applicant must be affiliated with a Canadian post-secondary institution or an affiliated institution and have a substantive role in Canada for the whole term. A 2023 CIHR FAQ says foreign researchers may apply as principal applicants, co-applicants or collaborators if they meet the definitions, but often cannot be the nominated applicant. Funds can go to team members outside Canada with institutional approval.

The Project Grant page lists the Fall 2026 deadline as 9 September 2026, so that round has closed, with decisions on 28 January 2027. We could not find Spring 2027 dates. CIHR does not state a maximum amount or duration on the pages we could read. Its Spring 2026 results show an average grant of CAD 935,663 over 4.44 years, after a 23.5% across-the-board cut to funded budgets.

Competition	Applications	Funded	Rate
Spring 2026	3,344	439	13.1%
Fall 2025	3,101	421	13.6%

A CIHR discussion paper of 23 September 2026 floats changes such as one intake a year, a letter of intent stage and a limit of one application, with a report due in early 2027, but nothing is decided. The Foundation Grant program ended after its 2018 to 2019 competition, and CIHR now runs Catalyst and Operating Grants mainly as themed targeted opportunities. We found no official source for any merger of the Canadian research councils.

Choosing Among International Research Grants

Your situation	Look first at	Why
Early-career, willing to relocate to Europe	ERC Starting or Consolidator Grant, MSCA European Fellowship	Any nationality, with an EU or associated-country host
Early-career, willing to relocate to the UK	UKRI fellowships, Wellcome Early-Career Awards if you are at a UK host	Both need a UK host organisation
Established, no plan to move	ERC Synergy Grant, UKRI project co-lead role	A partner role without leaving your institution
Health researcher in Australia	NHMRC Investigator, Ideas, Synergy	Lead must be in Australia, with citizenship or a visa
Health researcher in Canada	CIHR Project Grant	Lead must have a substantive role in Canada
Based in India, mainland China or the Middle East	Funders in your own region	Lead rules exclude you at most funders on this page, and our guides to Saudi Arabia research grants, UAE research grants, Singapore research grants, Hong Kong RGC grants and India research grants cover your options

Preparing a Proposal for International Research Grants

Western funders ask for the same core pieces, though their criteria differ. Our guides on grant writing and the NIH proposal cover the structure, and these steps adapt it.

Pick the funder before you draft, and read its eligibility rules for lead, host and residence first.
Write a one-page summary that a reviewer outside your field can follow, and test it on a colleague.
Build a budget justification that matches the funder’s cost rules, such as ERC lump sums, UKRI full economic costing or NHMRC support packages.
Show feasibility with preliminary studies and a team whose roles match the work, as our research team guide describes.
Plan the statistical analysis, participant protection and knowledge translation sections early.
Fix the research timeline around the funder’s decision dates, which run from months to a year.
Plan how you will credit the funder, using our funding acknowledgment guide.

Pre-Submission Checklist for International Research Grants

Confirm the call is open and note the time of closing and its time zone.
Confirm that your nationality, residence and host meet the funder’s lead rules.
Get the host organisation’s written support and its internal deadline.
Save a dated copy of the call document you wrote against.
Check the amount, duration and cost rules against your budget.
Check ethics, data and open-access conditions.
Map every review criterion to a section of your proposal.
Register early on the funder’s submission system, because some need several days to activate accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions About International Research Grants

Can I apply to the ERC from outside Europe?

Yes, as a PI of any nationality and residence, but the host institution must be in an EU Member State or associated country, and you must spend at least half your time there. Synergy Grants allow one PI hosted outside.

Can an overseas researcher lead a UKRI grant?

For most grants the lead must be UK-based. An overseas researcher can join as a project co-lead (international), with costs capped at 30% of the project, or as a self-funded project partner.

Does Wellcome fund researchers in India?

Under the current rules, no. Organisations in India and mainland China are not eligible. From 29 October 2026 leads must be in the UK or in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia, and Wellcome’s country list for those regions does not include India.

Can a non-resident hold an NHMRC Investigator Grant?

Not as a distant lead. The chief investigator must be in Australia at least 80% of the term and be a citizen, permanent resident or hold an appropriate work visa.

What are my odds?

Published rates run from about 8% to 19% across the schemes and funders we found, and lower for some groups, such as Wellcome’s 4.9% for applicants from other high-income countries. Rates differ by scheme, so check the relevant statistics.

Can Editverse guarantee funding?

No honest service can. Awards rest with reviewers and funders. We can edit and structure your proposal so that it answers the published criteria.

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Professional Support for International Research Grants Applications

Funded proposals answer a specific call document, line by line. Editverse grant services start from the call you send us. The packages below were built around NIH, NSF and EU Horizon criteria, so for ERC, MSCA, UKRI, Wellcome, NHMRC or CIHR you send the guidelines and we audit or write against the criteria and weights they state.

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For anything the packages do not cover, read about our grant proposal development services or request a free quote and tell us the funder and your deadline. Prices shown are current catalog prices and scope is confirmed before work begins.

Conclusion on International Research Grants

International Research Grants from Europe, the UK, Australia and Canada are open to overseas researchers mainly through relocation, partnership or collaboration. The ERC and MSCA European Fellowship accept any nationality with an EU or associated-country host, UKRI wants a UK lead, Wellcome narrows its rule on 29 October 2026, and NHMRC and CIHR want the lead in-country.

Before you draft, read the lead and host rules, confirm what is open, check your odds against the published rates and speak to your host organisation about its deadline. Then write for a reviewer outside your field, and keep the budget inside the funder’s own rules.

Sources

Funder pages read on 10 October 2026. Many were undated, and NHMRC guideline copies came from university or charity sites. Always confirm against the current call.