How to apply for a Research Fellowship
Research Fellowships are for researchers who have had a career break of two years or more, for family, caring or health reasons, and now want to return to their research career. They combine an individually tailored research project with mentoring and training.
There are two routes to apply for a Research Fellowship:
Regular and funded. You can apply using the regular route at any time but we cannot guarantee that funding will be available. Opportunities for the funded route are advertised in Current opportunities.
After you have decided which route is best for you, the application process is described below.
Application process for a Research Fellowship (regular and funded)
Complete and return our forms
Please read ‘Are you eligible to apply for a Fellowship’ before applying. If you have any questions, contact us.
If you are applying for a fellowship within the AHRC remit, you’ll need to have a supervisor in place.
Download, read and complete these forms, then send them back to us at djmft@surrey.ac.uk These are specific to Research Fellowships – please make sure you fill in the correct version and not those for our Research Technical Professional Fellowships.
Eligibility and suitability check
Your eligibility and suitability are assessed using the information you have given us. If you meet our eligibility criteria, one of our fellowship advisors will arrange an informal telephone interview with you to talk through your CV, your career break, your desire to retrain, and your field of interest. They’ll also assess your future employment prospects.
Preliminary application phase (writing a draft proposal)
If you’re found eligible and suitable for a fellowship, you’ll be asked to write a draft proposal that describes your research project and retraining programme. We’ll send you guidance on how to do this. A first draft should be submitted to your fellowship advisor within three months after your eligibility has been confirmed. Your proposal will then be developed iteratively between you, your supervisor and your fellowship advisor.
Your research project needs to be novel and challenging but achievable within the timescales of the fellowship (usually 2 or 3 years). It should allow you to acquire professional skills and knowledge that will put you back on a par with colleagues who have not taken a break from research.
Please note: If you’re applying for a Regular Research Fellowship, your full application and research proposal will be reviewed by potential funders when a good first draft has been received. Funding must be in place before your application can proceed to the next stage. It may be necessary for your application to be put on hold, and if funding is not found within a specified timeframe, your application will be withdrawn.
Formal application phase (interview)
We hold interviews three times a year. The interview is an opportunity to discuss your background, the proposal, and your future employment prospects. You may receive feedback on your proposal if further improvements could be made.
The interview will be conducted by two or more members of our team and may include a representative from the funder.
We know that interviews can seem intimidating, but we’ll give you guidance on the questions likely to be asked to help you prepare. Many fellows say that their interview was very helpful and point to it as a key part of their journey.
After your interview, you will have four weeks to revise and finalise your proposal. You should submit your final proposal to your Fellowship Advisor by the date you are given at interview.
Peer Review
Your proposal will be reviewed by at least two technical referees who are experts in a field closely related to your research area. They’ll be asked to comment on the technical elements of your proposal. Alongside input from your supervisor, you will need to respond to the technical referees’ comments, clarifying or justifying certain aspects of your proposal.
Awards Assessment Panel
Finally, your completed application will be assessed by our Awards Assessment Panel. Six members of the panel (chosen on the basis of their subject expertise) look at each fellowship. Occasionally, the Awards Assessment Panel may decide that a second interview is necessary before a final decision can be made. You will be informed if this is the case.
The Awards Assessment Panel’s decision is final and there is no appeals process.
If you are awarded a fellowship, you will be expected to start within the following three-month period.
If you still have questions, or would like to discuss which route might be best for you, please contact us.