Queen’s strengthens global leadership through Global Talent Visa achievements
Queen’s University Belfast has achieved two major milestones, strengthening its position as a leading Global Talent Visa (GTV) institution and reinforcing its ability to attract internationally recognised researchers to Northern Ireland.
The University’s Illuminate Fellowship Scheme has been approved for fast-track Global Talent Visa endorsement by the Royal Society, following a successful application led by the International Staff Support team. This recognises the strength of Queen’s fellowship provision and enables Illuminate Fellows to benefit from an accelerated pathway to the prestigious Global Talent Visa. Queen's is one of only six UK universities to have a Home Office approved fellowship.
In addition, Invest NI has secured Endorsed Funder status, following approval from UKRI and the Home Office. The process for Invest NI to become an Endorsed Funder was initiated and supported throughout by the International Staff Support team. This creates a major route for global research and innovation talent to contribute to Northern Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem and places Queen’s Invest NI–funded projects on an equivalent footing with other publicly funded UK research programmes already recognised under the Global Talent route. In 2024/25, Invest NI helped deliver £631m of investment into the NI economy.
These achievements build on Queen’s exceptional track record. The University was one of only 12 UK institutions to be awarded a share of the £54m Global Talent fund, that was linked to the institutional embedding of the Global Talent Visa as a way to attract international research talent. The most recently released figures (2024) show that the University accounted for over 90 per cent of all Global Talent Visa endorsements granted in Northern Ireland, further highlighting the University's leading role in supporting international researchers.
Catharina Bartholomew, International Staff Support Officer, People and Culture Directorate, and Global Talent Visa lead at Queen’s, commented:
“This success reflects the collaborative efforts of colleagues across the University, including the International Staff Support team, Research and Enterprise, Research Finance, the KTP team and individual Schools and others, working together to attract and support global research talent.
“Together, these milestones further enhance Queen’s global reputation and its commitment to welcoming and enabling world-leading researchers to Northern Ireland.”
For further information, contact internationalstaff@qub.ac.uk.