Call for Expressions of Interest for digital Research Technical placements

STEP-UP invites expressions of interest for its career placement and bridging scheme.

The scheme provides funds to support people working in any discipline and on any aspect of research data, software, and computing infrastructure, to undertake a short-term (1-3 month) visit to a dRTP team at Imperial College London, King’s College London, UCL or the University of Westminster for:

  • development of technical and professional skills and capabilities,
  • knowledge exchange and spread of good practice,
  • bridging time between funded project activities through an opportunity to develop technical expertise.

To apply, please see the link to the application form at the bottom of the page.

On this page

Who can apply

Applicants must be either:

  • A researcher, Research Technical Professional/Techinician or digital Research Technical Professional already employed at Imperial College London, King’s College London, UCL or the University of Westminster.
  • A PhD student or postdoctoral researcher in the UK who will not be otherwise employed at the time of the placement.

All placements must take place within a dRTP team at one of the four STEP-UP partner organisations - Imperial College London, King’s College London, UCL or the University of Westminster.

You can apply without a host team identified and STEP-UP will suggest matches. Alternatively if you have already informally identified an opportunity to work together, please state that in your application.

Due to funding structures we regret that we are unable to support applicants who will be employed as a member of staff at an organisation other than one of the four STEP-UP partner organisations at the time they undertake a placement. We are also unable to support placements hosted at other organisations.

If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply under this scheme, please feel free to get in touch with the project team.

To make an application, please see the link to the application form at the bottom of the page.

Funding available

STEP-UP can provide up to £15,550 per placement, to cover 80% of applicant salary and oncosts, plus any fees for the applicant during the placement (visa fees/bench fees). This sum cannot be used to cover overheads and indirect costs. Placements can last up to 3 months, and can be part- or full-time.

Where the applicant is in employment at a STEP-UP institution at the time of the placement, STEP-UP will transfer this support to their employing institution, which undertakes to cover the remaining 20% of salary and oncosts, plus all overheads and any balance of costs not covered by STEP-UP funds, if applicable. No funds are transferred to the host institution.

Where the applicant is not employed at the time of the placement, STEP-UP will transfer this support to their host institution, which undertakes to cover the remaining 20% of salary and oncosts, plus all overheads and any balance of costs not covered by STEP-UP funds, if applicable.

Placement conditions

Placements will be administered via existing HR mechanisms at employing or host universities, either (1) a visiting researcher scheme, (2) a secondment contact or (3) a temporary worker contract. The mechanism will be decided on a case by case basis. If the applicant is already in employment, then during the hours covered by the scheme, the applicant would not be carrying out the duties of their employing institution contract, with the exception of minimal contact hours.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed by the STEP-UP board based on the anticipated strengthening of the dRTP’s career in the medium or long term, i.e., the skills to be learnt are in demand.

STEP-UP intends to support a variety of different visit lengths and contract mechanisms, and a variety of different professional roles and career stages.

Timeline

This call will remain open throughout 2026 or until funds are committed. Applications will be reviewed monthly. Placements must be completed by October 2027. We expect the placement to start within 3 months of the funding being approved.

Applying does not guarantee that we will be able to find you a suitable host team. We will contact you after the review meeting with a host/applicant match, or let you know that we have no suitable matches.

FAQs

  • I am a dRTP but I am currently unemployed. Am I eligible to apply to the placements scheme?
    Yes, you are eligible. Your application must show how gaining 1-3 months’ training would help you build your career - these placements are focused specifically on supporting skills and career development opportunities and are not designed to provide short-term employment.

  • I have a part-time postdoc position. Can I apply to this one for the remaining part of my time?
    Yes you can. You can apply to undertake a placement at one of the four STEP-UP partner institutions (Imperial College London, King’s College London, UCL and University of Westminster) whether you work at one of these four institutions or elsewhere in the UK.

  • I am a PhD student and will finish a year from now. Can I apply now and - if successful - start the placement after that, or do I need to apply closer to the date?
    We expect the placement to start within 3 months of the funding being approved. Please apply closer to the date but we can’t guarantee there will still be funding available.

  • I am a Research Fellow at one of the partner institutions and am interested in a placement within the research computing team at my own institution. Can I apply?
    Yes, you can, but please make sure your application shows how this will help you build a dRTP career. This funding can’t be used to support research careers.

  • I am a dRTP. Can I only apply if I already work at one of the partner universities?
    For people who are in employment full time as a dRTP at the time of the placement: yes, the scheme is only open to dRTPs at these universities. If you are in part-time employment or unemployed, it’s open to anyone based in the UK, to come and do a placement at one of those four universities.

Application form

Placement application form

Information provided will be used solely for assessing eligibility, suitability, and matching of proposals. Data will be stored securely and shared only with the STEP-UP review board and relevant administrative teams for processing.

The STEP-UP placement scheme collects and processes personal data (e.g. name, contact details, job role, placement preferences) solely for the purpose of administering the placement programme. This includes matching participants, facilitating communication, and evaluating the scheme.

All data will be stored securely and accessed only by authorised members of the STEP-UP team. We will not share your identifiable information with third parties without your explicit consent, unless required to by law or institutional policy.

We may use anonymised and aggregated data (e.g. feedback, participation metrics, demographic summaries) for internal evaluation and for dissemination purposes, such as academic publications, blog posts, or conference presentations. No individuals will be identifiable in any published material, unless you give your express consent.

You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your data at any time. To do so, or to ask any questions about how your data is used, please contact the STEP-UP team at info@step-up.ac.uk.

By submitting your application, you consent to the use of your data as described above.

Contact

For more information, contact us