Opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships
Moray House can support applications for a number of postdoctoral fellowships, including the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship Scheme, the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships and more.
Please see below for information on some currently available opportunities and internal deadlines. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
ESRC Responsive Mode New Investigator Grant
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)'s responsive mode New Investigator Grant supports researchers at the start of their careers to become independent researchers through gaining experience of managing and leading research projects and teams. Grants can range from £100,000 to £300,000 for a period of up to five years.
Proposals for the New Investigator Grant can cover any research area, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort.
Learn more about the New Investigator Grant
Eligibility
This grant is open to applicants of any nationality, as long as you are based at an approved research organisation in the UK. You should be able to provide reasoning as to why you would be considered an early career researcher in your application.
This scheme has an invited resubmission-only policy, so applicants cannot resubmit an amended proposal. You can submit a new proposal with a significant change of focus with fresh or significantly modified objectives and/or an entirely revised methodological/analytical approach to a research question.
Submission timetable
The University of Edinburgh has a rigorous internal demand management process for this call. Since developing an application to the University’s internal demand management stage is a significant investment of time for candidates and their mentors, Moray House asks prospective candidates to first to send a short expression for our internal sifting process.
Our internal deadlines for the 2024 Call for Application are as follows:
| 28 July 2024 | Candidates should send a 2-page outline of their proposed research, a 2-page CV, and confirmation of support from an academic mentor to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk. Please remember to CC your confirmed mentor into the email. |
| 11 Aug 2024 |
Candidates will be informed if their application outlines have passed the internal sifting process. Successful candidates will be invited to submit a full application. For the full application, candidates should contact two internal peer reviewers from Moray House to invite comment and feedback. Feedback from peer reviewers should be addressed and incorporated into the full application. |
| 1 Sept 2024 | Candidates send the full application to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk for internal review by the Directorate of Research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact at Moray House. |
| 9 Sept 2024 | Candidates will be informed if their applications have passed the internal review and given feedback. |
| 22 Sept 2024 | If successful, candidates should incorporate the feedback provided into their applications and return the revised application to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk to undergo the Edinburgh Research Office’s selection process. |
| 7 Oct 2024 | Candidates will be informed if their applications have been selected for submission to funder. If successful, candidates should make revisions and incorporate any feedback into their applications before final submission. |
| 13 Oct 2024 | Candidates complete their revisions and submit the final application to the RKEI office for final approvals. Once this is received, the application can be submitted to the UKRI’s Funding Service Portal. |
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. The Fellowship is non-renewable and tenable for three years, starting Autumn 2025 in a UK-based university or higher education institution.
The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.
Learn more about the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Eligibility
This grant is open to all British citizens or nationals from the European Economic Area, regardless of where your doctorate was obtained. Researcher of other nationalities may also apply, as long as they have a doctorate from a UK university.
Please note that while there is no age criterion for these awards, the British Academy defines an “early-career researcher” as one who already has postdoctoral status and is within three years from the date of your successful Viva Voce examination.
Submission timetable
The University of Edinburgh has a rigorous internal demand management process for this call. Since developing an application to the University’s internal demand management stage is a significant investment of time for candidates and their mentors, Moray House asks prospective candidates to first to send a short expression for our internal sifting process.
Our internal deadlines for the 2024 Call for Application are as follows:
| 4 Aug 2024 | Candidates should submit a 2-page outline of their proposed research, 2-page CV, and confirmation of support from an academic mentor to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk. Please remember to CC your confirmed mentor into the email. |
| 11 Aug 2024 |
Candidates will be informed if their application outlines have passed the internal sifting process. Successful candidates will be invited to submit a full application. For the full application, candidates should contact two internal peer reviewers from Moray House to invite comment and feedback. Feedback from peer reviewers should be addressed and incorporated into the full application. |
| 1 Sept 2024 | Candidates submit the full application to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk. This will be sent for internal review by the Directorate of Research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact at Moray House. |
| 16 Sept 2024 | Candidates will be informed if their applications have passed the internal review and given feedback. |
| 22 Sept 2024 | If successful, candidates should incorporate the feedback provided into their applications and return the revised application to MHSES-RKEI@ed.ac.uk for internal approvals. |
| 26 Sept 2024 | Upon receiving internal approval, candidates should submit their applications to the British Academy’s FlexiGrant portal by 26 September 2025. |
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships supports postdoctoral researchers who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. The goal of the fellowship is to help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors. There are two types of MSCA postdoctoral fellowships: the European Postdoctoral Fellowships and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Learn more about the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships
MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowships
This scheme is aimed at researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. Fellowships must take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
Global Postdoctoral Fellowships
This scheme supports the mobility of researchers outside Europe. Fellowships will be spent in a non-associated Third Country for the first 1-2 years, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.
External candidates looking to apply for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship should contact their prospective academic mentor at Moray House directly. Moray House academic staff looking to support/host an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship should notify the RKEI Office of their intent to host/support an application by 17 July 2024.
Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships
The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers. It is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another university.
Fellowships are tenable for 3 years on a full-time basis. The Trust will support requests to hold the award part-time over a proportionately longer period for health-related reasons, disability or childcare commitments.
Learn more about the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships
Eligibility
Applicants must hold a degree (any degree) from a UK higher education institution at the time of taking up the Fellowship and must hold a doctorate by the time they take up the Fellowship. They must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or comparable UK institution.
Submission timetable
The Call for Applications for the 2024 Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship is now closed. More information about the next 2025 Call for Applications and Moray House internal timetables for this will be published at a later date.