Eligibility

Requirements for candidates

The application process for our fellowships is competitive. To be eligible to apply, you must fulfil the basic criteria as outlined below:

• you should currently be on a research career break of at least two years’ duration from a paid research position taken for family, health or caring reasons
• you need to be resident in the UK at the time of application and have the right to work in the UK for at least 12 months with a clear route to subsequent visa progression. Please contact us first if you are planning to apply for a fellowship in the Republic of Ireland
• you should hold a research doctorate or alternatively, have had at least three years’ research experience before your career break, with evidence of research impacts and outcomes
• we define a doctorate to be completed on the date of its successful examination/viva
• qualification and experience requirements vary for Research Technical Professional Fellowships

You should not have undertaken the following during your career break from research:

• paid research work of any number of hours per week or duration
• lectured to undergraduate degree level for more than six hours a week
• studied for a Master’s or any form of professional qualification in a field related to the proposed fellowship as this could be defined as retraining even if it did not involve a research component
• limited voluntary and unpaid research during your career break will be considered on a case-by-case basis

We will also evaluate your suitability for a Daphne Jackson Fellowship according to the following guidelines:

Personal background and experience, for example

• we look at how long someone has worked in research before their career break in the context of the duration of the break and any non-research work undertaken during that time

• to enable consistency, we define a doctorate to be completed on the date of its successful examination/viva
• we expect applicants to hold a good academic first/undergraduate degree
• a good command of English (spoken and written) and computer skills are considered important to the success of the research fellowship
• clinicians and allied health professionals may not be suitable for support depending on their past circumstances and proposed activities – this requires detailed discussion so please contact us first

The potential benefit of a fellowship to the applicant’s future career, for example

• we look for evidence that the award of a fellowship will enable them to make a step change from where they are now
• we consider how much retraining is required
• we consider whether the outline research and retraining plans for the fellowship are appropriate, relevant and feasible to be undertaken part-time over the time course of the award

The likelihood of securing funding

• our fellowships are funded by external organisations such as UKRI, universities, medical research charities and learned societies. We don’t provide funding ourselves but we do act as a facilitator between the applicant and the funder. Fellows are not expected to find their own funding
• if you want to undertake research in the arts or humanities, you should have secured the support of an appropriate supervisor and department before applying 

Please read our FAQ’s for further information to explain our eligibility criteria, suitability guidelines and the application process.

You can also contact the Daphne Jackson Trust on 01483 689166 or email DJMFT@surrey.ac.uk

Your eligibility and suitability to apply for a fellowship are assessed using the information you give us. If you meet our eligibility criteria, one of our fellowship advisors will arrange a call with you to talk through your CV, your career break, your desire to retrain, and your field of interest. They’ll also discuss your future employment prospects with you. On the basis of this call, we will determine whether you are eligible and suitable to apply for a fellowship.

The Daphne Jackson Trust has the exclusive right to decide if we will accept and process an application for a fellowship on the basis of these criteria and guidelines. Our decision is final. We reserve the right to cease an application during the application process if we determine that the likelihood of success is too low to justify further time and resource.

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