Routes into Academia
and funding for them
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
Funding
Post-doc FellowshipsFunder / Scheme / Summary / Amount / Deadline
BritishAcademy / Post-doc Fellowships / 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. / Salary up to 3 years / 15 Nov (TBC)
ESRC / Post-doc Fellowships / Applicants should have no more thanthree years' active postdoctoralexperience when they take up the award.
The awards are designed to enable the following:
- 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.
Leverhulme / Early Career Fellowships / 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. / 50% of total salary costs up to a maximum of £22,000 in the first year. Tenable for 2-3 yrs. / March 2009 (TBC)
Nuffield Foundation / New Career Development Fellowships / 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. / up to £170,000 over three years; experienced partners may claim up to £25,000. / Sept 2008 (TBC)
Grants that can include Research Assistants
Funder / Scheme / Summary / Amount / Deadline
AHRC / Standard
Research Grants / 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
BritishAcademy / Research Development Awards (BARDA) / 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. / £15k - £150kover 3 years / Oct 2008 (TBC)
ESRC / Research Grants / 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 Grants: £100k - £1.5m / Can apply anytime
Leverhulme / Project Grants / 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. / 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
- Child protection, family law and justice
- Access to justice
- Older people and their families
- Open door
Alternatively, if you get a lectureship soon after your doctorate, there are schemes that are directed at early career researchers:
Early Career FundingFunder / Scheme / Summary / Amount / Deadline
AHRC / Early Career Research Grants / 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. / £20,000 and £200,000 (fEC) / Twice a year:
5 June 2008;
Nov 2008 (TBC)
BritishAcademy / Small Research Grants / 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%) / up to £7,500 / 3 times a year:
15 Oct,
15 Jan,
15 April.
ESRC / First Grants / 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 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. / up to £400,000 (fEC) / Jan 2009 (TBC)
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
Nuffield Foundation / Social Sciences Small Grants Scheme / The Scheme has three priorities for funding:
- 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.
Nuffield Foundation / New Career Development Fellowships / 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. / up to £170,000 over three years; experienced partners may claim up to £25,000. / Sept 2008 (TBC)
To bear in mind when considering applying…
You’ve got a good idea…
- But think of the specifics
- What will you do? (objectives, plan, timescale)
- Why now?
- Why you? (expertise, track record, contacts)
- What impact? (beneficiaries, dissemination)
- 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
- 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
- the funder’s requirements & aims
- the scheme objectives
- Read additional guidance – eg ESRC, Leverhulme
- The abstract/scheme of research is critical
- Communicate enthusiasm
- Reviewers see hundreds – make yours stand out
- Internal peer review
Phil Ward
13 March 2008
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