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Applying for a FellowshipResearch Staff Conference 2012

Rebecca Stokes

Research Policy Officer

Research and Graduate Services

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• Types of Fellowships

• What does a good Fellowship application look like?

• Application process

• Preparation:

• Eligibility

• Planning and time management

• Proposal, CV, publications

• A war of attrition!

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Types of Fellowships• Examples from all the major funders and some institutions (www.jobs.ac.uk;

www.researchresearch.com)

• Very Early Career (0-3 years post doc eg EPSRC postdoctoral fellowships; REng Research Fellowships; LT ECR)

• Early/Mid Career (1-3 years post doc; 2/3 – 8 years post doc eg EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowships; BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship)

• Research Leadership awards (overlap with mid-career eg LT Research Awards)

• UoN Fellowships (Anne McLaren 0-4 years post-doc; NARF 0-6 years post-doc)

• Many schemes were redefined in 2011 (for example LT ECR are now 0-5 years post doc and for a 3 year duration; ESRC Future Research Leaders).

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What does a good Fellowship application look like?

• Equal weighting to the quality of the project and the quality of the applicant – it is not a grant proposal

• The research project must be excellent, and

• The independent research potential of the applicant must be shown including:

• The ability to lead a research team

• The potential to win independent grants

• The passion and self-belief of the applicant needs to jump off the page.

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Application process

• Normally multi-stage and can take 6-9 months from the call opening to interview.

• For 2 stage calls:

• Filtering at the first stage will normally be based on the quality of the candidate, not the research proposal.

• At the second stage, a full application including the outline of the proposed research project will be sent to specialist reviewers for input, before decisions are made by a funding panel or shortlisting panel.

• Interviews: time to prepare; mock interviews; non-specialist panel; be prepared to sell yourself!

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Preparation (1): Eligibility – don’t get thrown out on a technicality!

• Check your eligibility, for example with respect to:

• Thematic area; nationality/residency requirements; where fellowship can be held; experience; limits on institutional submissions

• If in doubt check with the funder – if you aren’t eligible, don’t apply

• Having confirmed eligibility spell it out if reviewers are likely to feel there are any doubts/complications eg explaining career breaks

• Adhere to seemingly pedantic administrative requirements. Calls are highly competitive, so don’t give an administrator a chance to put your application in the bin before it even reaches a reviewer.

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Preparing (2): Proposal; CV; Publications

• Do you have a feel for whether your application will be competitive? Check the profiles of previous recipients and speak to colleagues

• Is your research proposal of the highest possible standard? Is it taking your work in a ground-breaking new direction?

• Emphasise publications where you have been lead author, that are in highly rated journals or have been highly cited. Prioritise published vs submitted vs in preparation.

• Stress activities that highlight your leadership qualities, independence and experience of supervision.

• Stress why this Fellowship is key in providing a launch pad for your career? Why that host institution? Why are you important to them?

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Preparing (3): Planning and time management

• Give yourself time to draft, share, discuss and revise

• Seek advice from senior colleagues and former/current fellows (whilst ensuring you maintain independence)

• Other people will need to contribute to your application – give them time to do a good job (supporting statement, costing, impact statement)

• If you are planning to move institution, go and visit and develop relationships

• How many funders will you target in one cycle? Check timelines for recruitment and block out time to prepare for interviews.

• Juggling multiple applications and the underpinning priority of conducting excellent research.

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A war of attrition!

• Be strategic and plan your career – a Fellowship may be a key part of your long-term plan

• If you meet the eligibility criteria, have a great research proposal and a strong CV, don’t be put off by low success rates – someone has to be funded!

• BUT be prepared to not succeed the first time. Continue to progress your research and develop your CV. Use the experience of applying and relationships you have built to improve future applications.

Nurturing Talent: Early Career Research Fellowships

Through ‘Impact: The Nottingham Campaign’ the RKTB goal is

two-fold:

• to double the number of Fellowships that the University offers annually.

• to strengthen the current programme by lengthening the Fellowship term.

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