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Early Career Fellowships
These fellowship schemes are particularly targeted at early career researchers who have completed or are completing a PhD and have typically less than 3 years' postdoctoral experience; applicants must also be without a permanent research position.
| Royal Society University Research Fellowship
The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK dedicated to promoting excellence in science. It plays an influential role in national and international science policy and supports developments in science, engineering and technology.
The Royal Society University Research Fellowship aims to provide outstanding scientists with the opportunity to build an independent research career. Those appointed are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships.
The fellowships last 5 years and must be held in a UK University or not for profit research organisation. Eligible applicants will hold a PhD (or equivalent research experience) with 2 to 7 years' full-time postdoctoral research experience. They will be an EEA citizen (European Union, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein) or have a relevant connection to the EEA. They must not hold a permanent position in an EEA university.
Application details: only electronically (e-Gap system); research proposal to be no more than 8500 characters; provide a full list of publications and copies of two most significant; 2 Referees.
2005 scheme success rate: 6%
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| The Leverhulme Trust Early Career FellowshipThe Leverhulme Trust, established at the wish of William Hesketh Lever, the first Viscount Leverhulme, offers awards for the support of research and education. The fellowships enable well-established researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences to devote themselves to a single project of outstanding originality and significance appropriate for a period of concentrated research and capable of completion within the duration of two to three years.
Early Career Fellowships provide career development opportunities for those with a proven record of research who do not hold, or have not held a full-time established academic post in a UK university (or comparable institution in the UK). Applicants should hold a degree from a UK institution (postdoctoral) and be less than 35 years of age (there are exceptions). The scheme lasts 24 months and must be carried out at higher education institutions in the UK. The Trust will contribute 50% of each Fellow's total salary costs up to a maximum of £20,000 per annum; the balance is to be paid by the host institution.
Application details: hard copy application to be sent by post; whole application to be 10 pages (A4) or less.
success rate for 2004 and 2005 was between 7% and 8%.
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| RCUK Academic Fellowship SchemeThe Research Councils are the main public investors in fundamental research in the UK with interests ranging from bio-medicine and particle physics to the environment, engineering and economic research.
The primary aim of the Academic Fellowship scheme is to provide contract research staff with stable paths into academia. The five-year fellowships are subject to the Higher Education Institution guaranteeing a permanent, academic position at the end of the award. Training provision towards an academic position must be provided by the host institution and the Fellow must undertake outreach to schools.
Award recipients should have a PhD or be of postdoctoral standing. Each five-year award is worth £125,000 in total and funds will be provided to the HEI in equal instalments across the duration of the award to best support the individual fellow.
The full application – to be completed by the host organisation - should consist of no more than 9 A4 sides of text organised under the existing headings; it must be submitted with approval at Vice Chancellor level. The assessment panel will focus on comparing priority areas and their justification. Researchers are to apply to the HEI who will advertise the posts.
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| NERC Postdoctoral Research FellowshipNERC (Natural Environment Research Council) supports fellows undertaking research in areas of environmental sciences, including freshwater, earth, atmospheric, marine and terrestrial sciences, earth observation and polar science.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate the support of their proposed host institution. NERC fellowships are open to any nationality, but applicants for any of the awards must NOT hold a permanent academic position (or equivalent) at the time of application. Applications from candidates who wish to work on a part-time/flexible basis in order to combine domestic responsibilities with a career are also welcome.
Postdoctoral research fellowships are early career development awards of up to 3 years. Applications for Postdoctoral Research Fellowships will be accepted from PhD students, but awards may not start until NERC has received written confirmation of the outcome of the applicant's PhD viva. Some post-PhD experience is an advantage and typically candidates will have one to five years of postdoctoral experience. However, NERC is committed to supporting the best candidates and in the 2004 round three of the successful fellows had yet to complete their PhD. Up to 1 year can be spent at a collaborative institution in the UK or overseas.
Application details: application to be made electronically on Je-S system; provide 3 scientific referees; space allocated to the case for support: less than 8 A4 pages; include a list of recent publications and a CV; interviews.
2005 round success rate:17%
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| EPSRC Postdoctoral Research FellowshipThe Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) offers Research Fellowships each year, giving outstanding individuals at different stages of their careers the freedom to pursue their research interests full-time.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are open to candidates from other countries as well as EU nationals and may be held full or part-time. There is no fixed age limit, but it is expected that most candidates will have recently completed, or be in the process of completing, a PhD.
Applicants should have a maximum of 3 years' postdoctoral experience and should not hold permanent academic posts. Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are available in research areas relevant to mathematical sciences, theoretical physics and the life sciences interface. A Postdoctoral Research Fellow is not eligible to apply for a Research Grant.
Apply through Je-S electronic system.
2005 round success rates: maths (12%); theoretical physics (16%); computer science 23%; life science interface (38%).
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| Royal Academy of Engineering/ EPSRC Research FellowshipThe Royal Academy of Engineering and EPSRC are jointly offering up to 10 Research Fellowships. These fellowships enable outstanding researchers from all branches of engineering who are about to finish their PhD or have up to 3 years' postdoctoral research experience, to establish an independent research career. The scheme provides funding for five years to encourage the best researchers to remain in the university engineering sector.
In addition to the direct financial support, the scheme offers: freedom to concentrate on basic research in any field of engineering; time to establish a track record in the field; the services of a mentor (a Fellow of The Academy) to offer advice and to facilitate industrial links as the research progresses; restricted teaching and administrative duties.
Application details: Send an email to research@raeng.org.uk to register interest and be notified of the next call; the application form will be on the website from July. Case for support to be no longer than 9 pages (A4); provide 3 referees and a list of publications with 10 most significant highlighted.
Success rate for 2004 and 2005 between 7 and 8%.
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| ESRC Postdoctoral Research FellowshipsThe ESRC is the UK's leading research funding and training agency addressing economic and social concerns.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards fund new researchers for one year immediately after the submission of their doctorate (or up to 2 years part-time). The awards are strictly restricted to those who have less than 1 year' postdoctoral experience, career breaks taken into account. It is open to people from all nationalities and of any age. Applicants must not be permanent staff but contract researchers will be considered if their contract runs out before the start of the fellowship.
Those returning to work after a career break will also be eligible. Applications must be made through institutions recognised by ESRC for research funding and should come with the full support of the institution and a nominated mentor who will guide the fellow.
Application details: apply through Je-S electronic system.
Case for support to be below 4000 words (for applications below £1million) or 8000 words (for those worth over £1million); provide 2 references and a list of publications which should contain the bibliography for references cited in the proposal.
2005 success rate : 25%
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| ESRC Interdisciplinary Early-Career FellowshipsInterdisciplinary Early-Career Fellowships are being
offered by the ESRC under three cross-Council programmes - RELU, the Energy Programme and the Environment and Human Health Programme.
Applications must address the interests of both the ESRC and at least one other Research Council involved in the programme under which the application is made, and proposals should be genuinely interdisciplinary in approach.
Applicants must be within six years of the
completion of their PhD at the time of application, or of equivalent professional standing.
Applications are now invited for commencement from January 2007 onwards, for periods of up to three years
in duration. Closing date for applications is 5th September.
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| Wellcome Trust Advanced Training Fellowship The Wellcome Trust is an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. The Advanced Training Fellowship enables postdoctoral researchers to obtain research training, either in a new discipline or in a new aspect of their own field.
Candidates will have a relevant connection to the European Economic Area (EEA) with at least two years' postdoctoral research experience. THe fellowship will be up to 3 years full time and will be based in an eligible UK or Republic of Ireland institution.
Candidates will submit a preliminary application form in hard copy (including 1 A4 page for proposed research outline; 1 A4 page details of research training; letter of support from head of department); full applications will then be invited and interviews will follow.
The scheme will fund salary and research expenses.
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