Rothamsted International Fellowship Scheme:
Call summary
Key information
General enquires about the Rothamsted International Fellowship Scheme should be sent to
rothamsted.international@rothamsted.ac.uk.
Next deadline is 09:00 UK time (GMT) on 21 December 2015.
Summary
Rothamsted International (RI) is a charity supporting sustainable agriculture in developing countries. It
was launched in 1993 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the foundation of Rothamsted.
The principal aim of the RI Fellowship Scheme is to support the exchange of skills and technologies
between scientists from developing countries and Rothamsted Research. It is expected that RI
Fellowships will benefit agricultural and environmental sustainability, thereby improving food quality
and production in developing countries.
The main objectives of the RI Fellowship Scheme are to:
 promote the exchange of vital scientific research skills to help agricultural and
environmental needs in developing countries;
 assist in individual and institutional capacity-building;
 foster long-term partnerships between overseas research organisations and Rothamsted
Research.
Scientific Scope
Fellowship proposals must be in agricultural, environmental, mathematical or computational
sciences, and must be aligned with Rothamsted’s Research Strategy
(http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/Content/pdfs/RRes_Strategy.pdf). The proposed research should be
in a field of direct relevance to development issues of the Fellow's home country.
Length of tenure
Fellowships must be between six to twelve months in duration. Cases can be made for split awards
where returning to the home institution is integral to the research; the scientific value will be assessed
against the additional travel costs.
Eligibility
The Candidate must meet the following criteria.
 be of doctoral status, with at least two years post-doctoral experience. Candidates without
Higher Degrees must have equivalent research experience to be considered eligible for the
scheme. Applications will not be considered where the main objective of the visit is research
leading to a higher degree for the Candidate.
 The Candidate must be a citizen of a developing country, or have been based exclusively
within a developing country. Please note that developing countries are defined as the
countries listed on the DAC list of ODA recipients
(http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%20ODA%20Recipient
s%202014%20final.pdf – also available in the Downloads section).
 It is essential that the Candidate returns to employment in their home country where the
work conducted in the fellowship can be applied. Candidates who have extensive and/or
continuous employment in a developed country are not likely to be awarded an RI
Fellowship. If the Candidate has previously travelled overseas to carry out research, there
must be evidence that the skills gained have been applied in their home country.
 The Candidate should know their Rothamsted Project Leader (either directly or indirectly), or
have been highly recommended.
Projects must have the support of the Head of Department and Head of ISPG.
Assessment criteria
 Eligibility and quality of the Candidate.
 Scientific merit of the proposal.
 Clarity of aims and feasibility of experimental design.
 Relevance to Rothamsted’s Research Strategy.
(http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/Content/pdfs/RRes_Strategy.pdf).
 Scope for future collaborations between the Candidate and the Rothamsted Project Leader.
 Impacts on the Candidate’s home country.
Candidates should have detailed discussions with the Rothamsted Project Leader to determine the
nature of the project, as well as with the Director of their home Institute/University, prior to the
submission of a Fellowship Application. It should be noted that, in some countries, Fellowship
Application Forms must be routed formally via the Director of the candidate's institution. Failure to
do so can result in refusal to travel abroad and, perhaps, dismissal.
Financial details
The fellowship provides funding for:
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an accommodation and subsistence allowance of £1,250 per month;
one return journey between the home country and Rothamsted;
Institute research costs, up to a maximum of £5,000 per annum.
The Fellowship does not provide funds for dependants, nor is Rothamsted International accommodation
suitable for families.
Assessment process
Applications should be completed jointly by the candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader.
Applications must be submitted by the Project Leader at Rothamsted Research. Application forms
are not available for candidates to download from the Rothamsted International website and forms
should not be completed by the candidates without supervision from the Rothamsted Project leader.
The completed application must be submitted as a Word document to
rothamsted.international@rothamsted.ac.uk by the deadline published on the Rothamsted website.
Proposals are reviewed by the Rothamsted International Fellowship Panel (RIFP), which meets annually
to evaluate applications. Decisions are communicated to applicants within one month of the Fellowship
Panel meetings.
If accepted for a Fellowship, it is important that the Fellow discusses the project in greater detail
within their own Institution and with their Rothamsted Project Leader. These discussions will help
ensure that relevant preparations (including the transport of biological material) and the targeting of
project objectives are realistic and of value to the developing country concerned.
Timeline
Pre-award timeline
Candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader establish contact
Candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader check eligibility criteria
Candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader develop project idea within the scope of the RI Fellowship
Scheme
Rothamsted Project Leader obtains the application form
Candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader complete the application form – Sections A-C are jointly
completed by the Candidate and Rothamsted Project Leader; Section D is completed by the
Candidate’ Section E is completed by the Rothamsted Project Leader
Rothamsted Project Leader submits the application form to
rothamsted.international@rothamsted.ac.uk by the deadline stated on the website.
Eligibility check is performed by RI staff
Eligible applications are reviewed by the RI Fellowship Panel; ineligible applications are returned to
the Rothamsted Project Leader
Decisions are communicated to applicants within one month of the RI Fellowship Panel meeting
Successful Candidates are offered an RI Fellowship