Types of fellowship
Our fellowships provide talented professionals with an opportunity to return to their research career after a break of two years or more, whether taken for family, caring or health reasons.
Fellowships as unique as you
Each fellowship is as unique as you. We work with you to develop a tailored and personalised retraining programme. Our hands-on support before, during and after a fellowship equips you with the confidence and skills that you need to return successfully to your research career.
Two types of fellowship
We have two types of fellowship, and the one that’s best for you depends on your background and your career goals.
Research Fellowships
Length of fellowship
Two or three years, usually 0.5FTE
Qualifications required
Normally a PhD or relevant research experience
Emphasis
Reintroduction into research careers
Project specific?
Yes – involves a research project focused on a specific research question in a defined field
Host institution
Mainly in universities, but also research institutions and industry
Outcomes
Opportunity to return to a career in research, as well as research outcomes and impacts such as publications, presentations, engagement activities
Research Technical Professional Fellowships
Length of fellowship
Two or three years, usually 0.5FTE
Qualifications required
Specific professional skills and qualifications (National Certificates, NVQ, BTEC, Awards, Advanced
Diplomas) or relevant experience. A PhD may not be necessary
Emphasis
Reintroduction into research careers that need specific skills and techniques. Retraining and reskilling in advanced research, scientific and/or engineering technique(s)
Project specific?
No – emphasis is on the retraining activities in methodologies and techniques rather than on specific research projects
Host institution
Mainly in universities, but also research institutions and industry
Outcomes
Opportunity to return to a research technical professional career. Competence in techniques and skills that may be relevant across a wide range of roles. Professional outputs may involve reports, contributions to guidelines or policy, and patents.
Still have questions? Contact us by emailing djmft@surrey.ac.uk or calling call us on 01483 689166.
Average length of career break
Our fellows had career breaks for many reasons
72%
Family
21%
Caring
7%
Health
Fellows have a range of experience and research roles before their career break:
27%
No experience after a PhD or a 3 years’ equivalent research
22%
1-3 years’ experience after
a PhD or equivalent research
21%
4-6 years’ experience after
PhD or equivalent research
30%
6+ years’ experience after
PhD or equivalent research
Careers > restarted
We’ll help you return to the career you love!
The average length of our fellows’ career break is 7 years, but we’ve helped people return after 20+ years.