Bristol University has been awarded 14 Academic Fellowships, each worth £125,000 over five years, in a competition run by Research Councils UK (RCUK).

Of the 89 institutions that entered the competition, only the University of Manchester, Oxford University and Imperial College won more awards than Bristol.

Bristol’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eric Thomas, said: “This is an exceptional performance – all the more remarkable because of Bristol’s relatively small size.”

The Academic Fellowships scheme is designed to help researchers move from short-term contracts to permanent positions.  They are subject to the institution guaranteeing a permanent, academic position at the end of the award.

The eight Research Councils that comprise RCUK are public bodies, funded by the Science Budget through the Office of Science and Innovation.  Together they manage a research budget of over £2.5 billion a year.