THE BRITISH ACADEMY
1) Call for Proposals Newton Advanced Fellowships
The British Academy, the Royal Society, and the Academy of Medical Sciences are calling for Newton Advanced Fellowship applications under the Newton Fund. The Newton Fund is an initiative that aims to develop the long-term sustainable growth and welfare of partner countries through building research and innovation capacity, and forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance commitment.
Newton Advanced Fellowships provide mid-career researchers with an opportunity to develop the research strengths and capabilities of their research group or network through training, collaboration and reciprocal visits with a partner in the UK. Applications are welcome from the following Newton Fund Partner Countries: Brazil, China, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey (opportunities vary – please check the scheme notes for each discipline).
Closing date: 18 March 2015, 5pm 2015 (UK time).
Awards last for up to three years and are available to support researchers across the natural sciences including engineering, clinical or patient-oriented research, social sciences and humanities. Up to £37,000 is available each year for:
A salary top up (maximum £5,000) for the principal applicant from the Newton Fund Partner Country.
Research support (up to £15,000) to cover costs for studentships, staff, consumables or equipment.
Travel and subsistence (up to £12,000) to cover travel costs of the UK partner to the international partner and/or travel of the international partner to the UK.
Training (up to £5,000) to support the career development of the applicant and their research group or network.
Applicants must be no more than 15 years post PhD; hold a contract (permanent or fixed-term, depending on partner country requirements) in an eligible university or research institute outside the UK, which must span the duration of the project; and have a UK-based collaborator as their co-applicant.
For more information on this call, eligibility and how to apply, visit: www.britac.ac.uk/newton-advanced-fellowships
2) Newton Mobility Grants
The British Academy is also calling for applications for Newton Mobility Grants under the Newton Fund. The Newton Fund is an initiative that aims to develop the long-term sustainable growth and welfare of partner countries through building research and innovation capacity, and forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance commitment.
Applications are welcome from the following Newton Fund Partner Countries: Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and Vietnam. This scheme helps strengthen the research and innovation capacity of researchers from Partner Countries by facilitating exchanges of researchers. Applicants should be researchers from academic establishments or government-funded research institutes.
Grants are offered up to a maximum of £10,000 for a period of one year and are available to support researchers across the social sciences and humanities. Applications must include a researcher from the UK and a researcher from an eligible partner country. Awards will cover costs for travel, subsistence and research expenses. The grant must be based around a joint research project.
Closing date: 18 March 2015, 5pm 2015 (UK time).
Newton International Fellowships Scheme
Aim of the award
The Newton International Fellowships Scheme is delivered by the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences. The Scheme has been established to select the very best early stage post-doctoral researchers from all over the world and enable them to work at UK research institutions for a period of two years. The Scheme covers researchers in all disciplines covered by the two academies – physical, natural and social sciences, and the humanities.
Objectives of the Newton International Fellowships Scheme
- To ensure the UK engages with the best post-doctoral researchers, across all disciplines of physical, natural and social sciences, and the humanities, from around the world.
- To provide an opportunity for post-doctoral researchers at an early career stage from any country outside the UK to work at a UK research institution for two years.
- To foster long-term relations between Newton Fellows and the UK research base through the establishment of an alumni programme for former Fellows of this Scheme. The alumni programme will include the possible provision of further funding for Newton Fellows for up to 10 years for follow-on activities, to enable links with UK based researchers to be maintained and developed. This is expected to facilitate, in the longer term, improved access to international centres of excellence for UK-based researchers.
Eligibility requirements
The applicant must:
- 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;
- Applicants should have no more than 7 years of active full time postdoctoral experience at the time of application (discounting career breaks, but including teaching experience and/or time spent in industry);
- be working outside the UK;
- not hold UK citizenship;
- be competent in oral and written English;
- have a clearly defined and mutually-beneficial research proposal agreed with a UK host researcher.
Applicants should ensure that they meet all the eligibility requirements, which are explained in the scheme notes.
Level of grant and tenure
Newton Fellowships last for two years. Funding consists of £24,000 per annum for subsistence costs, and up to £8,000 per annum research expenses, as well as a one-off payment of up to £2,000 for relocation expenses. Awards include a contribution to the overheads incurred, at a rate of 50% of the total award to the visiting researcher.
Applicants may also be eligible to receive follow on Alumni funding following the tenure of their Fellowship to support networking activities with UK-based researchers.
Newton Fund
This is the first year that additional Fellowships will be supported through the Newton Fund, specifically for applicants from Newton Fund partner countries. This new initiative aims to develop long-term sustainable growth and welfare of partner countries through building research and innovation capacity, and forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance commitment. Newton Fund countries include Brazil, China, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.
This is in partnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society.
Applying for this scheme
- Application forms available from 7 January 2015
- Applicant deadline 25 February 2015
- Referee deadline 4 March 2015
- Results announced end of August 2015
- Awards available for start date 1 October 2015
About 40 Newton International Fellowships are offered each year. The success rate in 2014 was 8%.
For more information, visit the website: www.newtonfellowships.org and http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/Newton_Mobility_Grants.cfm
