Current Fellowship Schemes

The School will support up to 4-5 applications to the scheme with the funder deadline in February 2021, and because it is demand managed, applicants must check the school's Demand Managed Calls page for details.

The NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship scheme is being reinstated for 2020. Closing at 16:00 on 2 December 2020

Please note that this call is not demand managed but to apply you need to:

• By 9AM, 23rd November 2020 - Submit a draft application (exported from JeS) and a draft letter of support to researchorg.geos@ed.ac.uk 

Call details

The NERC Knowledge Exchange (KE) Fellowships are intended to enable the sharing and flow of knowledge and expertise between NERC funded researchers and their stakeholders, partners and/or user communities with the aim of generating impact from NERC funded research in the priority areas detailed in the NERC delivery plan. KE Fellows can work anywhere between 20% and 100% of their time on a work plan of their own choosing.

Approaches could include:

• strengthening existing partnerships
• developing new relationships that lead to collaborative projects
• identifying the knowledge needs of business, NGOs and policy makers and feeding these into UKRI-NERC to inform the development of future strategy and funding opportunities
• researching new market opportunities
• providing briefings and reports suitable for policymakers and business users
• public engagement.

Eligibility

Normal fellowship eligibility applies and is in Section C of the NERC research grant and fellowships handbook. Research Organisation eligibility rules are in Section C of the handbook. 

Proposals from applicants with diverse backgrounds and experience are encouraged, and there are no limits on amount of postdoctoral experience. 

NERC research and fellowship grants for all schemes may be held at approved UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), approved Research Council Institutes (RCIs) and approved Independent Research Organisations (IROs). Full details of approved RCIs and IROs can be found on the UKRI website.

For more information please visit: https://nerc.ukri.org/funding/available/schemes/kefellows/ 

Call details

UKRI have issued a call for applications to Round 6 of the Future Leaders Fellowship.  This cross-UK Research and Innovation scheme supports early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential in universities, UK registered businesses, and other research and user environments including research councils' institutes and laboratories.

The support will enable each fellow to tackle ambitious and challenging research and innovation and develop their own careers.

Fellows will benefit from:

• A scheme that is committed to supporting excellent researchers and innovators regardless of their background.  Fellowships can be held on a part-time basis for personal commitments and/or as part of a job share.
• Networking across their cohort of some of the UK’s most talented researchers and innovators from different disciplines and sectors, putting them at the forefront of modern, interdisciplinary research.
• A career boost, including time and investment for training and professional development, providing a route to an open-ended contract for academically hosted fellows (in line with organisational policies and practices).

Eligibility criteria

Future Leaders Fellowships support applicants from diverse career paths.  These fellowships are for early career academics and innovators who are transitioning to or establishing independence. Senior academics and innovators are not permitted to apply. As the FLF aims to enable the fellow to transition to or establish their research/innovation independence, applicants who have already achieved research/innovation independence (e.g. by securing funding aimed at this career stage, or by already managing their own significant programme of work within a business) will not be competitive. There are no eligibility rules based on years since PhD or whether the applicant currently holds a permanent/open-ended academic position or job role.

Further information on eligibility can be found on the UKRI website

University of Edinburgh Internal selection process

There are two stages to this call – the outline proposal stage and the full proposal stage.

All three Colleges will run an internal selection process for the outline proposal stage, with a University-level approach applying to the full application stage.  For your College process at outline proposal stage, please see relevant information below.

Outline Proposal Stage

• Monday 2^nd November 2020 – Colleges to inform ERO of confirmed nominated candidates.  
• 4pm Monday 30^th November 2020 – ERO deadline for final checks on outline proposal.  Applicants please liaise with their Research Funding Specialist at the earliest opportunity; last-minute applications may not be checked, with the risk that the funder may reject the proposal.

School process

The College deadline is 9.00am on 2^nd November 2020. By this time the School should have selected the preferred applicant and confirmed the nomination to College. The College will then inform ERO which applicants have been selected by each School to submit Outline applications to UKRI.

• 16 October 2020 - 4pm: Deadline for Outline proposal emailed to researchorg.geos@ed.ac.uk.  Please use Outline Proposal stage form
• w/c 19 October 2020: School panel to select proposal to go forward and proposers will receive general feedback.
• 30 October 2020 - 4PM Deadline for final Outline proposal to be submitted to researchorg.geos@ed.ac.uk. The application should include a PDF copy of the Outline JeS form, a draft two-page Case for Support, applicant CV and HoS statement (at this stage briefly outlining the suitability to scheme and confirmation of commitments to tapered salary support and open-ended appointment).
• 2 November 2020 (9am deadline): School to confirm to College the details of the preferred applicant, with a reserve applicant if one has been selected.

A reminder of the current scheme objectives and requirements:

• To develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK.
• To foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic/business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between disciplines, organisations and sectors.
• To provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators.
• To provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes.
• Significant support from the hosting organisation(s) is expected, including a tapered salary commitment from year 3 leading to an open-ended position during or at the end of the Fellowship.

Prospective applicants should liaise with the School's Research Office and the Research Funding Specialist throughout.