Routes into Academia
and funding for them
Doctorate
Research
Assistant
Post-doc
Fellowship
Lectureship
(see p4)
Post-doc Fellowships
A number of funders provide salary for postdoc to get experience of academic life and
establish research career.
Pros:
 Good experience, and route into academia
Cons:
 Very low success rate
 No certainty of follow on position.
See p2 for possible sources of funding
Research Assistant
Alternatively, you can be the named RA on a Research Grant led by Principal Investigator (PI)
who already has a permanent position in a university.
Pros:
 Strongly research based (little or no teaching)
 Success rates for Grants higher than Fellowships
Cons:
 Uncertain (funding will finish after (generally) 3 yrs)
 Working on someone else’s research
 Not necessarily getting due credit
See p3 for possible sources of funding
1
Funding
Post-doc Fellowships
Funder
Scheme
British
Academy
Post-doc
Fellowships
Summary
This scheme is designed to enable
outstanding early career researchers
to strengthen their experience of
research and teaching in a university
environment, which will develop their
curriculum vitae and improve their
prospects of obtaining permanent
lecturing posts by the end of the
Fellowship. Applicants are expected
to be at an early stage of their
academic career.
Amount
Deadline
Salary up to
3 years
15 Nov
(TBC)
Salary for 1
yr (or 2 yrs
part time)
No set
deadline
50% of total
salary costs
up to a
maximum of
£22,000 in
the first year.
Tenable for
2-3 yrs.
March
2009 (TBC)
up to
£170,000
over three
years;
Sept 2008
(TBC)
Applicants should have no more
than three years' active postdoctoral
experience when they take up the
award.
The awards are designed to enable
the following:

ESRC
Post-doc
Fellowships



Leverhulme
Early Career
Fellowships
Nuffield
Foundation
New Career
Development
Fellowships
to produce publications in order
to help establish a track record
in their chosen specialisation
and secure opportunities for
long term employment in the
HEI sector;
to disseminate their research
findings that have come out of
previous doctoral work to both
academics and non-academic
audiences;
to further improve their research
and related skills through
additional specialised training;
and
to carry out further limited
research based on their PhD
work and related work through
developing proposals for further
funding.
aim to provide career development
opportunities for those who are at a
relatively early stage of their
academic careers but with a proven
record of research. It is anticipated
that a Fellowship will lead to a more
permanent academic position.
Awards are made for research
projects on issues of social
significance developed and carried
out in partnership with an
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experienced social scientist; the
active participation of the
experienced partner is a key
element of the Fellowship.
experienced
partners may
claim up to
£25,000.
Grants that can include Research Assistants
Funder
Scheme
AHRC
Standard
Research
Grants
British
Academy
Research
Development
Awards
(BARDA)
ESRC
Research
Grants
Leverhulme
Project
Grants
Summary
Has been restructured recently to
offer 4 ‘routes’:
 Standard Route
 Route for Early Career
Researchers
 Route for Speculative Research
 Route for Practice-led and
Applied Research
Emphasis on encouraging ‘team’based research: ‘not intended to
support individual scholarship.’
to enable mid-career scholars to
develop a significant research
project. Applications are particularly
encouraged from scholars who can
demonstrate
that
they
are
developing an innovative line of
research, with the potential to make
a significant difference to their field
and to their career profile. Priority
will be given to applicants who have
at least five years postdoctoral
experience.
for anything from a small project
through to a large-scale survey. As
long as the suggested topic falls
within ESRC's remit, you are free to
concentrate on any research area.
Relevance to Thematic Priorities is
not one of the criteria for
assessment of applications received
and applications outside of the
themes are welcomed.
2 ‘streams’:
 Small Grants (up to £100k):
simpler and quicker assessment
process
Standard (above £100k): assessed
by full board, longer process.
Principally for the salary costs of
researcher/s to work on a specific
and discrete research project, but
the purpose of the application is to
pursue a research project rather
than to fund a particular individual or
post/s.
3
Amount
Deadline
£20k - £1m
(fEC)
Twice a
year: June
and Nov
£15k - £150k
over 3 years
Oct 2008
(TBC)
Small Grants:
£15k - £100k
Standard
Grants:
£100k £1.5m
Can apply
anytime
Up to £500k
over 5 years
Outline
application
continuous
Nuffield
Foundation
Project
Grants
Types of project:
 Research Projects: should
have implications for practice or
policy rather than simply
advancing knowledge
 Development Projects: either
involve trying something new, or
involve some facility that will be
of practical value
Programme areas:
 Child protection, family law and
justice
 Access to justice
 Older people and their families
 Open door
Up to £200k
(but average
much
smaller)
Continuous
Alternatively, if you get a lectureship soon after your doctorate, there are schemes that are
directed at early career researchers:
Early Career Funding
Funder
AHRC
British
Academy
ESRC
Scheme
Early Career
Research
Grants
Small
Research
Grants
First Grants
Summary
intended to support well-defined
research projects enabling individual
researchers to collaborate with, and
bring benefits to, other individuals
and organisations through the
conduct of research. These routes of
the Research Grants scheme is not
intended to support individual
scholarship.
Eligibility: must not have been an
investigator on an AHRC funded
project (excluding Small Grants,
Research Leave, Fellowships in
Creative and Performing Arts, and
the Research Networks and
Workshops scheme) and be within
8 yrs of PhD, or within 6 yrs of first
academic appointment.
to support primary research in the
humanities and social sciences.
Funds are available to facilitate
initial project planning and
development; to support the direct
costs of research; and to enable the
advancement of research through
workshops, or visits by or to partner
scholars. Not specifically for ECRs,
but very high success rate (approx
60-70%)
The aim of the scheme is to assist
new researchers and academics at
the start of their careers gain
experience of managing and leading
research projects. Applicants must
4
Amount
Deadline
£20,000 and
£200,000
(fEC)
Twice a
year:
5 June
2008;
Nov 2008
(TBC)
up to £7,500
3 times a
year:
15 Oct,
15 Jan,
15 April.
up to
£400,000
(fEC)
Jan 2009
(TBC)
be within six years of the completion
of their PhD, but not have been PI
on RC-funded project before. Can
dedicate no more than 40% of your
time to the project.
ESRC
Small Grants
Not specifically for ECRs, but
success rate about twice that of the
standard grants (approx 40%)
Up to £100k
(fEC)
Can apply
anytime
Up to £7.5k;
exceptionally,
up to £12k
Open
up to
£170,000
over three
years;
experienced
partners may
claim up to
£25,000.
Sept 2008
(TBC)
The Scheme has three priorities for
funding:

Nuffield
Foundation
Social
Sciences
Small Grants
Scheme


Nuffield
Foundation
New Career
Development
Fellowships
projects that develop social
science research capacity
particularly by supporting the
work of those new to social
science research;
self-contained or pilot or
preliminary projects that address
the wider objects of the
Foundation, namely a broad
concern with the 'advancement
of social well-being';
outstanding small projects in the
social sciences.
Awards are made for research
projects on issues of social
significance developed and carried
out in partnership with an
experienced social scientist; the
active participation of the
experienced partner is a key
element of the Fellowship.
5
To bear in mind when considering applying…
You’ve got a good idea…





But think of the specifics
o What will you do? (objectives, plan, timescale)
o Why now?
o Why you? (expertise, track record, contacts)
o What impact? (beneficiaries, dissemination)
o What resources do you need? Reasonable, accurate, eligible
Think which funder is most suited to your project
Look out for calls for proposals
Read previously successful proposals
Successful Proposal Bank
When it comes to writing your proposal…






Give yourself time
Be aware of the deadline – don’t leave to last minute
o at least a month to write, at least a week for approval, on
average 6 months for outcome, plus time to recruit staff etc
Satisfy
o the funder’s requirements & aims
o the scheme objectives
Read additional guidance – eg ESRC, Leverhulme
The abstract/scheme of research is critical
o Communicate enthusiasm
o Reviewers see hundreds – make yours stand out
Internal peer review
Phil Ward
13 March 2008
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