British Academy International Fellowships
The British Academy’s International Fellowship 2024 scheme is due to open on 17 January 2024. The School of Social and Political Science (SPS) has an internal panel process for this scheme, with an internal deadline of 10am on Monday, 12 February 2024. The requirements for submission to the School panel process are given below.
The British Academy International Fellowships scheme is a new programme, which replaces the previous British Academy/Royal Society Newton International Fellowships. The programme enables researchers to work for 2 years at a UK institution. The overarching aim of the International Fellowships Programme is to attract and retain emerging talent in the UK and build a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce. The objectives are to:
- Attract talented international early career researchers to establish and conduct their research in the UK.
- Support international early career researchers to pursue high-quality and innovative lines of research.
- Provide international early career researchers opportunities to acquire and transfer new skills and knowledge through training and career development.
- Foster long-term relationships through networking opportunities and the International Fellowships alumni programme.
Eligibility
The applicant must:
- Be working and have been based outside of the UK for at least one year at the deadline of the application;
- Have a PhD, or applicants in the final stages of their PhD will be accepted provided that the PhD will be completed (including viva) before the start date of the Fellowship. Confirmation of award of the PhD will be required before any Fellowship award is confirmed.
- Have no more than 7 years’ active full-time postdoctoral experience at the time of application, including teaching experience, time spent in industry, honorary positions and/or visiting researcher positions. Career breaks must be clearly detailed and explained in the application
- Not hold UK citizenship.
In addition to the scheme eligibility criteria the School requires applicants to have at least 2 peer-reviewed academic publications which are deemed of high quality, for which they had leading role.
If you would like further guidance on whether your CV and publication track record is suitable for this scheme, please speak to your mentor in the first instance and/or your subject area research convener.
The full scheme guidance can be found on the British Academy website here: International Fellowships 2024 | The British Academy
SSPS Key Stages and Dates for the BA International Fellowships
1. Mentor Identification
Applicants should be aware that SPS requires a mentor (SPS core staff) for all early-career fellowships. Applicants retain the responsibility of first identifying, contacting and securing an agreed mentor for a proposed project application. We strongly encourage all applicants to contact prospective mentors as soon as possible, and work closely with them in developing their application.
2. Notification of Expression of Interest to School
Once you have a mentor in place, email the Research Office at ssps.research@ed.ac.uk indicating your intention to submit.
3. Submission to School Panel Process
In order to ensure proposals are as strong as possible, the School will be conducting a review of draft proposals. If you wish to apply for this scheme you must send the following to ssps.research@ed.ac.uk by Monday, 12 February 2024 at 10am:
- An abbreviated CV (2 pages A4 max);
- A 1-2 page project proposal (minimum font 11, 2 cm margins for both);
- A brief mentor support statement (max 1 page A4).
The project must also have Head of Subject Area approval at this stage – your mentor can help to obtain this endorsement via email before submitting your application for consideration by the School Panel.
4. Development and submission of application to British Academy
The review panel will decide whether the School will support applications and provide feedback to successful candidates in order to strengthen their proposals. The panel will provide feedback to potential applicants by Monday, 19 February allowing them sufficient time to proceed to the next stage. Applicants will receive research office support to develop and submit their proposals for an SSPS deadline on Wednesday 28 February.
5. Submission of final draft of complete application
A final draft of your application needs to be ready by Monday 4 March to allow time for final review by the SSPS and central University of Edinburgh Research Offices and for formal University/School approval process the British Academy deadline.
