Fellowships

Fellowships

Most of the Research Councils and the major charities offer some kind of fellowship scheme to postdoctoral candidates.  These schemes provide a salaried period of anthing from 1 to 5 years for an academic to concentrate on research activity and to develop their skills.  They are often aimed at academics in the early stages of their postdoctoral career who have demonstrated clear potential as a researcher and are intended to develop and enhance this potential.  There are, however, also a number of more senior fellowships aimed at those with a proven track-record in research to enable them to sustain the quality of their research and to develop their skills further.

The fellowships are normally focused not on a specific project but on a programme of work to be outlined in the application.  This programme may include specific training in advanced research techniques but may also be focused on enhancing the academic's publication record.  The fellowships normally allow the holder to engage in small amounts of teaching and supervision, particularly those fellowships aimed at early career academics.

It is normally up to the applicant to identify an institution at which the fellowship is to be held, although the institution must obviously agree to the terms of the fellowship and offer the necessary support.  Where the fellowship is aimed at those in a pemanent academic post it is normally the expectation that the fellowship will be held at the same academic institution at which they hold the post.

Early career fellowships normally require that the fellow has a nominated mentor at the institution.

Below is a list of some of the major fellowships offered and the appropriate links:

AHRC Fellowships - Value: up to £120,000; Duration: 3-9 months; Deadline: Open.

BBSRC David Philips Fellowships -  tenable for 5 years; pays salary plus research expenses; open to scientists with 2-6 years of postdoctoral experience; applications once a year closing in Sep.

BBSRC Research Development Fellowships - tenable for 1-3 years; pays salary plus research expenses; open to academics with a minimum of 5 years in an academic post; applications once a year closing in Sep.

BBSRC Professorial Fellowships - tenable for up to 5 years; pays salary plus research expenses; open to world class scientists with a track record in new and innovative research; applications once a year in Sep.

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships - tenable for 3 years, normally from Sep-Oct; pays salary costs plus limited research expenses plus mentor's costs, estates and indirect costs; application is a two-stage process with outline submission by Oct with those who pass this initial stage being asked for a full application by end of the following Feb; host institution is expected to support fellow with a departmental mentor, with research facilities and accommodation; in return the fellow may engage in some teaching and administration.

British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships - tenable for 1 year; pay salary costs of replacement lecturer; provide established scholars with a period of research leave to finish a major piece of research; application once a year closing in Oct.

EPSRC - detail to be added

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships - tenable for 1 year FT, 2 years PT; pays salary and limited research costs plus mentor costs; open to staff within 3 years of completing their PhD; applications can be made at any time; host institution is expected to support fellow with a departmental mentor (who may not be his/her former PhD supervisor), with research facilities and accommodation, and with additional research costs not covered by the fellowship; in return the fellow may engage in some teaching and supervision.

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships - tenable for 2-3 years; pays 50% of salary plus up to £6000 research expenses; normally open to those under the age of 35 who have not held a permanent academic position and who have a PhD or have submitted their thesis by the closing date for applications; Deadline: Mar 2011.

Leverhulme Research Fellowships - Value: up to £45,000; Duration: 3-24 months; Deadline: tbc 

NERC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships - tenable for up to 3 years; pays salary plus some research expenses; normally aimed at those with 1-5 years postdoctoral experience who do not hold a permanent academic post; applications once a year closing in Autumn.

NERC Advanced Research Fellowships - tenable for up to 5 years; pays salary plus some research expenses; open to those with at least 2 years of postdoc experience; applications once a year closing in Autumn.

Royal Society University Research Fellowships - tenable for 5 years with possibility of extenmsion for 3-5 years; pays 80% salary, estates and indirect costs plus research expenses (up to £13000 for first year and £11000 thereafter); open to postdoc candidates in the eraly to mid stages of their career who have not held a permament academic post and who are an EU citizen or have a relevant connection to the EU; application once a year closing in Nov.