Postdoctoral Fellowship Second Stage 2020-21 guidance notes
Guidance notes for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Second Stage 2020-21 Please read these scheme notes carefully. Any incorrectly submitted application will be ineligible for award.
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field. The Fellowship is tenable for three years, starting autumn 2021 in a UK based university or higher education institution or independent research organisation. The Fellowship is non-renewable.
It is expected that up to 45 Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities and Social Sciences will be available to start in autumn 2021. This scheme is extremely competitive, and the success rate in recent years has rarely exceed 10%. The Academy will typically receive hundreds of applications for the available awards.
Suitable subjects for the Fellowship include any field of study within the Humanities or Social Sciences. The remit of British Academy funding does not include primarily practise-based outputs such as: musical competition and performance, visual practice, creative writing and film making. Such outputs will be considered only when they form part of an integrated project of critical or historical significance.
Award holders are expected to develop lines of original enquiry in their subject, as well as to gain some experience of teaching (no more than five hours per week). The British Academy expects an annual report from Postdoctoral Fellows, detailing the progress of their research, teaching experience and publications. Any books arising from the work done during the Fellowship should be posted to the British Academy.
Postdoctoral Fellows will be employees of the institution at which they hold their award and are therefore subject to the terms and conditions of employment of that institution. The scheme is covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) regime. Currently, the Academy funds 80% of salary costs, directly allocated and indirect costs under FEC. Research expenses are covered at 100% within the upper limit, which is set at £6000 over the three years. The initial salary will be expected to be commensurate with the early career stage of the applicant, and therefore equivalent to posts with similar duties and levels of responsibility within the host institution pay grades.
Full Economic Costing is a mandatory part of the Second Stage application. Applicants will need to contact the host institution in order to complete this part of the application.
Outline Stage applicants are invited to supply information about their past academic experience, publications and research proposal. A referee will be required to answer a questionnaire about the applicant and their research proposal. Outline stage applications do not need to include costings.
The Second Stage of application is by invitation only. The Second Stage requires the additional Head of Department Statement, details of the Full Economic Costing and research expenses, and a sample of written work.
Applications must be submitted and approved of by 5pm (UK time) 17 February 2021.
Second Stage 2020-21
Scheme Opens – 13 January 2021
Deadline for Applicants 17 February 2021
Result of Second Stage Announcement - June 2021
Earliest Start Date: 1 September 2021.
Latest Start Date: 1 January 2022.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Second Stage is by invitation only.
Eligible applicants will be expected to have some association with the UK academic community, and to be at an early career stage, (having successfully completed their PhD viva voce examination by 1 April 2021), not already holding, nor having held, a permanent academic post. Further information about these requirements is given below but anyone in doubt about their eligibility or any other aspect of their proposed application is advised to consult the British Academy before completing their application.
(i) Association with the UK academic community:
There are three groups of people who are directly eligible: British citizens; anyone of any nationality who has obtained (or expects to have successfully completed their PhD viva examination by 1 April 2021) a doctorate from a UK university; and EEA (European Economic Area) nationals (regardless of whether they have a doctorate from the UK). It is unlikely that anyone who does not fall into one of these categories will be accepted as eligible, but an applicant not meeting these conditions who can, nevertheless, demonstrate a strong prior association with the UK academic community, may be considered.
(ii) Early Career Status:
The British Academy has no age criterion for these awards. No account will be taken by the selectors of an applicant’s age. Instead, eligible applicants are expected to be at an early stage of their career. Early career is defined as being within a three-year period from the formal award of a doctorate. The three-year period extends from 1 April 2018 to 1 April 2021 and is taken from the date of the viva voce examination, not the date of graduation. Where there are good reasons, exemption from this criterion may be granted, provided the applicant can demonstrate that they have a reasonable period of an academic career ahead of them. Good reasons would be likely to include interruption to an academic career after the date of the viva voce examination for maternity leave, illness etc.
It is an absolute requirement of eligibility that an applicant must already be of postdoctoral status at the time when the Committee of Final Award meets, as no conditional awards will be made. Applicants must expect to have had their viva voce examination by 1 April 2021. Any applicant who is unable to confirm this when invited to submit a Second Stage application should decline the offer to proceed to the Second Stage. No exceptions will be made.
No applicant who has been appointed to a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in his or her career will be eligible.
These awards are made to individual scholars for their merit and not as an award to the host institution to supply a gap in that institution’s research profile. However, applicants are advised to give serious consideration to their choice of institution to ensure that they will be entering a suitable environment for their field of research.
Applicants are encouraged to consider moving to a different institution for the Postdoctoral Fellowship from that at which the doctorate was undertaken, but there is no requirement to do so, where there is a strong case to remain in the same institution. Please note that it is not expected that a different choice of host institution will be made at the Second Stage of the competition to that indicated in the outline application (see below). The Academy strongly recommends submission of the application at least 5 days before the formal deadline for applicants to submit their application. Contact with the proposed institution at the earliest possible opportunity is very strongly recommended.
The Academy is open to proposals where the full range of career development may be led by one host organisation, but delivered in partnership with others – for example, in a research-based organisation, where teaching experience might be gained in a partner organisation, or where an applicant works in a centre which is part of an established inter-university collaboration and is directly associated therefore with more than one organisation. Payment of the funding awarded will continue to be made to the lead organisation only, but the Academy will expect a clear statement about the arrangements for the sharing of the funding, to reflect the relative involvement of each partner in any collaboration, to be included in the financial details justification section of the application at the Second Stage of the assessment process.
When naming a potential host institution, applicants should bear in mind that they are committing themselves to that institution. The introduction of Full Economic Costing means that the flexibility to move institutions prior to taking up an award is severely limited. Only in rare cases, such as when a relevant mentor transfers to a new post at a different institution, or plans emerge to close the Department or otherwise significantly alter the focus of its research, may agreement to transfer an award be given.
At the Second Stage of the process a statement of support is required from the Head of the Department in which the applicant proposes to be based. The Head of Department is asked to confirm support for this application, and to comment briefly on the match between the proposed research of the applicant and the interests of the Faculty, Department or Research Institute. They are invited to explain what the proposed mentoring arrangements will be, state the name of the proposed mentor, and confirm that appropriate policies are in place for the support and career development of recently postdoctoral researchers, including access to appropriate training. They are asked to comment briefly on arrangements to be made for access to research resources during an award, bearing in mind that the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship only covers limited research expenses.
Appendix 1 to these Notes for Applicants, the Advice to Potential Host Institutions, explains what the Academy expects host institutions to provide in terms of facilities, teaching opportunities and acting as employer. The proposed host institution will be asked to confirm the formal acceptance of a Postdoctoral Fellow, once an award has been approved.
When naming a potential host institution, applicants should bear in mind that they are committing themselves to that institution. The Full Economic Costing basis of the award means that the flexibility to move institutions prior to taking up an award is severely limited. Only rarely in exceptional cases may agreement to transfer an award be given.
In addition to the information already provided in the outline stage of the competition which should be reproduced in the Second Stage application form (suitably updated if necessary, for example in the list of publications to date), an applicant is expected to provide a submission of written work. Suitable written work can range from a published article, an article submitted/accepted for publication, or an extract from a doctoral thesis.
The total length of the submission should not exceed 35 pages. A published article may well be (much) shorter. There is no advantage to be gained by submitting more than one piece to make up a total of 35 pages. Please note documents must be in PDF format.
If the submission is an extract from a doctoral thesis, it should be accompanied by the thesis abstract and a brief one-page note of how the extract fits into the context of the thesis as a whole. If necessary, these pages may be additional to the 35. It should not be necessary to include the entire bibliography from the thesis, but a brief note of the most relevant publications may be included if appropriate.
The written work will have a serious influence over the judgement of your application. In all cases, applicants should keep in mind the importance of the submission showing originality, displaying the skills that would be brought to bear if the Fellowship was awarded and illustrating the substance of their work, not giving a broad overview. Wherever possible the submission should be a single-authored piece of work – this is very strongly encouraged. If it is not possible, please indicate in a covering letter what individual contribution was made to the piece of work by the applicant, and the extent to which it can be considered to represent the applicant’s own personal work.
Please note that it is expected that the example of written work be provided in English.
Uploading PDF documents: When uploading PDF documents, please add your name and a heading to the top of every page to show what the document is. E.g. Personal statement, list of publications, etc. Please avoid uploading documents containing illustrations with fine details or colour, as this can cause problems when creating a PDF of the application.
Applicants are advised to bear in mind that assessors will consider the scholarly importance of the project, the ability of the applicant to carry out the research successfully, the feasibility of the proposed research programme, especially the proposed methodology and timescale, and the applicant’s publication record to date, bearing in mind the early career focus of the award.
Assessors may consider evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.
The Second Stage application will include an opportunity for the applicant to update information on their proposal, publications and academic experience, and will require the submission of an example of written work, such as a published article, submitted article or extract from a doctoral thesis. The Second Stage submission will then be considered by specially appointed Selection Panels. Recommendations are then placed before the Academy’s Research Awards Committee, which will meet in May 2021.
All applicants invited to submit Second Stage applications should expect to hear the result of that stage in early June. The prospective host institution will be asked to give its consent before the award is confirmed.
Personal details: When registered in the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS, a user has the option to add or update personal information such as contact details, log-in details (including email address and password), interests, research and employment details, at any time. This does not form part of the specific application form for any individual scheme but represents a personal record of your account in the system. Please keep this information up to date.
Automatic log-out: You are strongly advised to save your work regularly to prevent accidental loss of information. You should be aware that if the system does not detect any activity for 2 hours it will log out and save the application at that time. Please note that moving between pages within an application form will save the page that you are exiting but completing a field on a page is not considered an activity. It is recommended that you write the text for longer sections/fields in a word processor such as Word and then copy and paste into the relevant text box to avoid being timed out.
Multiple sessions: You should not have multiple browser windows/tabs of your application open at the same time as this may cause information to be lost.
Word limits: When completing boxes that have a restricted length (note that it refers to words) you should note that if you exceed the specified amount you will not be able to save when you press the save button. You should type the text for the longer-length boxes in a word processor. You will then be able to check the word count and paste it into the British Academy GMS. You will then still have a copy of the text to return to in the word processor. The word limit applies to text boxes.
Plain text: If entering plain text, please avoid using symbols as some may not be accepted by the British Academy GMS. You should generate and view a PDF of your application to check that the application appears as you want it to by clicking on print application.
Email addresses: The British Academy GMS relies heavily on automatic email contact. It is essential that you ensure you enter accurate email addresses where requested as it may cause considerable delay in the submission/processing of your application if any of these are incorrect. You cannot make changes to email addresses after your application has been submitted for approval.
Submission: You will not be able to submit your application until you have completed each section in full. You should submit your application for approval by a designated approver at your host organisation at least 5 working days before the closing date to allow for your host organisation’s administrative procedures. We strongly advise that you allow enough time for your nominated contributors to provide their reference in the system and to allow your institution enough time to approve your application.
Application deletion: You can delete your application at any time although it is often a lot easier to just re-edit your existing application. We will be able to recover a deleted application for a period of 7 days after deletion. After this, it will be permanently removed from the system.
Application returned for editing: The approver can return your application to you for further editing see ‘Submission of Application’ below.
Guidance: In the tables below, you will find in the left-hand column each question as set out in the application sections and in the right-hand column useful guidance on its completion.
Further clarification: If any of this advice is unclear, or you need further information, please do not hesitate to seek clarification from the British Academy’s Research Awards Team.
The application can be completed by using the navigation tabs on the application summary page, with each page categorised as follows:
Page 1: Eligibility
Page 2: Applicant Personal Details
Page 3: Applicant Career Summary
Page 4: Research Proposal
Page 5: Financial Details
Page 6: Equal Opportunities
Page 7: Head of Department Statement
A full list of question fields to be completed as part of the application can be found in the following table. Each box in the table represents a page of the application form: the left-hand column contains the questions within each of these pages as set out in the form; the right-hand column contains useful guidance. Please read the guidance notes carefully before completing the form.
Summary table
When your application form is complete, all sections on this summary table will be marked as ‘Complete’. The ‘Complete’ status will only appear when all the mandatory fields in that section have been completed. All mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk ‘*’. Only then will a ‘Submit’ button appear for you to be able to submit your application.
*Primary subject, secondary subject
Your application must be relevant to the Humanities and/or Social Sciences and you will need to select the relevant subject areas and fields from the drop-down list.
*Time period
Please indicate if your application is relevant to a specific time period.
*Audiences
Please indicate if your application is relevant to any particular audience.
*Regional interests
Please indicate if your application is relevant to a specific region of the world.
*Employing organisation
Please select the organisation at which you wish to be based for the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (if successful).
*Lead Applicant contact details
Please take care to review and complete your personal details accurately. Errors in this section can cause difficulties in the processing of your application.
Please use the search bar to find your home institution and add the organisation to your application. If your organisation is not available, then it may not be registered in our system. Before requesting the addition of a new organisation, please check that it is not affiliated with any organisations that is already registered. If it needs to be added please email us.
*PhD awarding university
Please state the university from which your doctorate was awarded.
*Nationality
You must select at least one Nationality, and up to three if applicable.
*Statement of qualifications and career
Please give dates of your academic qualifications and career. In reverse chronological order.
*Present appointment, employing institution and department
Please give requested details regarding your current appointment.
Permanent academic post
Have you ever held a permanent academic post?
Personal statement
Applicants are invited to include any information relating to their professional career which they may wish to be taken into account in assessing this application, particularly in relation to exemption criteria. For example, details of a career break, or family care responsibilities. This is an optional field. 150 words max.
PhD Confirmation
To be eligible, you must expect to have had the viva voce examination by 1 April 2021. Please confirm that this is still expected or has been completed.
PhD Submitted/Awarded/Expected
These three fields are alternative options. Please only select one.
Refer to notes on eligibility above.
If your PhD has been submitted but not yet examined, please enter the date of submission under PhD submitted.
If your PhD has already been awarded, please enter the date of the viva voce examination under PhD awarded.
*Name of doctoral supervisor
Self-explanatory.
*Name of internal and external examiner
Self-explanatory.
*Other academic experience
Please provide details of all academic posts held prior to your present position (with dates), including any teaching experience gained during doctoral registration.
Please include details of any experience in organizing conferences, workshops and wiki-based discussions. If none, please state none. 500 words max.
Publications
Please list your principal and / or relevant publications in reverse chronological order, to a maximum of six.
Sample Work Upload
Please upload as a pdf file an example of your written work - suitable examples normally include one of the following - a short published article, an article submitted/accepted for publication, or an extract from a doctoral thesis. The submission should not exceed 35 pages. When uploading PDF documents, please add your name and a heading at the top of every page to show what the document is, e.g. Second Stage PDF example of written work.
When uploading PDF documents, please add your name and a heading to the top of every page to show what the document is. E.g. Personal statement, list of publications, etc. Please avoid uploading documents containing illustrations with fine details or colour, as this can cause problems when creating a PDF of the application. Please note, we will only print your applications in black and white. Each PDF should not exceed 3mb in size.
Unpublished research
Please list any extant unpublished projects funded by the Academy or any other agency, and their expected publication date (or other explanation).
Previous support dates
Please give details of any research application submitted to the British Academy within the last five years: Please note that only one British Academy research grant may be held, or applied for, at any one time.
Where did you hear of this scheme?
Self-explanatory.
*Subject area
Please select the subject most relevant to your research.
*Research proposal title
Self-explanatory.
*Abstract
Summarise your proposed research for an informed general audience. 150 words.
*Previous research
Please give a description of research already undertaken, normally referring to the doctoral thesis. 600 words max.
*Proposed host institution
Please indicate here your choice of host institution, including the appropriate Faculty, Department, Research Institute or College where you propose to work. Please ensure that you also enter this institution on the Organisations tab (and not your present institution, if different). Note that the application must be approved by a relevant authority in this institution as part of the application process. Without such authorisation, the application will not be eligible for consideration. The Head of Department is also required to provide a supporting statement in Flexi-Grant.
*Reason(s) for choice of host institution
Please explain the reason(s) for your choice of UK host institution (the university/research institute, department).
This is expected to be a brief paragraph setting out the main reason(s) for the choice of host institution. The limit is 150 words.
*Proposed programme
Please give a detailed description of the proposed research programme, including methodology, under ‘proposed programme’. It is not expected to be essential, but if there is a need to include a short bibliography to help a reader understand the context, this should be included here and is counted within the character limit of the field. Applicants should be aware of the importance that the assessors place on the scholarly importance of the project and on its feasibility, especially in terms of the proposed methodology and timescale. The limit on the ‘proposed programme’ field is 8000 characters including spaces.
*Plan of action
Try to be as realistic as possible, but keep in mind that research programmes will develop over time and this plan of action is not something that is expected to account for every minute and is not unchangeable. Your chances of award will be affected by the assessors' perception of how viable and realistic this plan is. 800 words max.
*Planned research outputs
Please indicate here what the expected output(s) from your research programme might be. As appropriate, please indicate as follows: monograph, journal article(s), book chapter(s), digital resources, other (please specify). The limit on this field is 1100 characters including spaces.
*Plans for publication and dissemination
Please state in more detail here what plans you have for publication or other dissemination of your research, including potential publishers, journals, conferences etc that are appropriate for your research subject: 500 words max.
Digital resource
If the primary product of the research will be a digital resource have you obtained guidance on appropriate standards and methods?
*Deposit of datasets
How and where will any electronic or digital data (including datasets) developed during the project will be stored, along with details on the appropriate methods of access. 500 words max.
*Start date/end date
Self-explanatory.
Language competence
Self-explanatory.
Endangered or emerging subject area
Applicants should be intending to pursue original, independent research in any field of study within the humanities or social sciences. There are no quotas for individual subject areas and no thematic priorities. The primary factor in assessing applications will remain the excellence of the proposal. The Academy will, however, where appropriate, take into account the aim of providing particular support for certain important fields, either emerging areas of scholarship or areas of research that are endangered or under threat. 300 words max.
*Ethical issues
Are there any special ethical issues arising from your proposal that are not covered by the relevant professional Code of Practice? Have you obtained, or will you obtain ethical approval from your employing institution or other relevant authority? If the answers are yes to special ethical issues and no to having obtained prior approval, please describe here the non-standard ethical issues arising from your research and how you will address them.
*Financial Details/ Duration (Years)
The financial details table summarises the total amount at 100% of the Full Economic Costing. This is a 3 year award, and the costs will need to be recorded separately for Year 1 (four quarters), Year 2 (four quarters) and Year 3 (four quarters). The form will show 2021 as Year 1, 2022 as Year 2 and 2023 as Year 3.
Please note especially that the financial details should be recorded at 100% of the Full Economic Costing. Please note that the Academy will, however, only pay 80% of the costs of the Directly Incurred Salary (the salary of the Postdoctoral Fellow), the Directly Allocated Costs (including the time of the mentor for up to 36 hours, or the equivalent of 1 hour per month) and the Indirect Costs. The Academy will pay 100% of the research expenses which can be claimed directly as part of the award at up to a maximum of £6,000 over the three years (equivalent to £2,000pa).
The information requested under the financial details should be familiar to University research office and finance office staff using the TRAC methodology, and their advice and guidance in completing this part of the application will be essential.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship is expected to be held full-time over a period of 3 years. The Academy will treat requests for part-time working sympathetically in the event that an award has been offered. Full details are given in appendix 2 below (the terms and conditions of award).
The aim of the Postdoctoral Fellowship is to provide an opportunity for the personal career development of the award-holder through an extended period devoted to research and teaching experience, so the principal costs to be reclaimed are the applicant’s salary and associated Estates and Indirect Costs. The applicant is expected to devote 100% of their effort to the Fellowship, and their staff costs will be counted as Directly Incurred staff time. It is necessary, therefore, for the actual value of the applicant’s proposed starting salary to be revealed. This will be expected to be commensurate with equivalent appointments offering similar duties and responsibilities within the host institution’s own internal pay framework.
Please note that there is no scope for supplementation of an award once the cash value has been agreed between the Academy and the Institution after an award is offered. Awards should be fully costed from the outset. HEIs should use their own forward planning tools to calculate indexation over the period of the grant, including the cost of any salary increments and allowing for inflation.
The Academy will also make a small contribution towards research expenses directly as part of the Postdoctoral Fellowship. Currently, the Academy will fund 80% of the salary costs, directly allocated and indirect costs under FEC, and 100% of the research expenses claimed within an upper limit of up to £6000 across the full 36 month award. This is the maximum that may be claimed as part of this award. The purposes for which such expenses can be claimed include the direct expenses incurred in planning, conducting, developing and disseminating the research, including:
- personal travel and maintenance
- project planning and development costs (cost of travel for discussion in I remethe UK and overseas; initial workshops with potential partners)
- workshops to advance the programme of research (principally the costs of travel and maintenance for key participants, though organisational costs may be considered)
- travel in connection with presentation of conference papers in the UK and abroad
- consumables
- specialist software
- costs of interpreters in the field
Bids for the cost of childcare may be considered if the parent/carer is conducting research away from home and it is not possible to make alternative arrangements. In such a case, the Academy will consider making a contribution to the element of cost that is directly attributable to the research project. The costs of normal regular childcare whilst at home are not eligible for support. Consumables include the purchase of datasets, photocopies, microfilms, etc, and any other minor items that will be used up during the course of the project. Provided they are central to the research process and an adequate case is made, the costs of preparing illustrations (including photography, acquisition of images, draughtsmanship and cartography or other bespoke illustrative material) and the cost of reproduction rights for text or images may be considered. Incidental translation expenses may be considered. Please note that equipment costs are generally ineligible (for example laptops, tablets, camera’s).
Please note that appropriate detail should be furnished under the justification field to indicate that the costs applied for are fully justified with a clear programme of research activity directly related to the research proposed for the Fellowship. The Academy, in making an offer of the Postdoctoral Fellowship, reserves the right to vary the amount of research expenses that may be payable directly as part of this award.
The Directly Allocated Costs include Estates Costs and Other Directly Allocated Costs. Estates costs will be calculated by institutions in line with the guidance in TRAC. These costs may include building and premises costs, basic services and utilities, and any clerical staff and equipment maintenance or operational costs not included under other cost headings.
Other Directly Allocated Costs may include the cost of time spent on mentoring for the Postdoctoral Fellow, which is not expected to exceed a total of one hour per month (or 36 hours in total during the 3-year Fellowship). The time costs should be calculated based on estimates, and the salary of the mentor does not need to be revealed. No other “Other Directly Allocated Costs” are expected to be payable, as the award is not providing support for a research project but is intended rather for the individual’s research and teaching time.
The Indirect Costs heading will be calculated by the institution according to TRAC and needs to be declared only by means of a single figure, with no need for information about its derivation or justification. These include non-specific costs charged across all projects based on estimates not otherwise included as Directly Allocated Costs. They include costs of the Institution’s administration such as personnel, finance, library and some departmental services.
It is not necessary for applicants to apply for contributions from other funders at the same time as applying to the British Academy, but if any application has been made which is directly relevant to the research that is the subject of this application, then it should be mentioned under the justification field.
Please note that assessors may be asked to make judgements on the basis of the financial cost of awards only at the final stage of assessment. Their primary concern will be with the academic merit of the research proposed and the applicant’s potential for a career in academic research and teaching.
Total Grant Requested
Please note that the total grant requested must record the value at 100% of the Full Economic Costing. The Academy will, however, only be able to meet the cost of 80% of the Directly Incurred, Directly Allocated and Indirect Costs, apart from the Research Expenses element (up to £6,000 over the three years) which will be paid at 100%. After an award has been offered, the Academy will confirm the total grant awarded in discussion with the host organisation. Please enter the relevant figure as a number with no £ sign, no commas and no full stops, and ensure that it is the same as the total in the budget table above.
Financial Justification
Please give full detail to explain the financial summary in the table above. Specifically, please indicate the Postdoctoral Fellow's starting salary and increment date. Please give the name of the mentor and cost of mentoring (expected to be equal to 36 hours of time, 1 hour per month for the 36 months of the award) - note that the mentor's salary does not need to be stated as this counts as 'other directly allocated costs'. Please also give details of the research expenses requested, broken down by year, including information about the types of purpose for which the research expenses will be used, e.g. travel and maintenance, project planning and development costs, travel to conferences, organisation of workshops, consumables and specialist software, cost of interpreters in the field etc. The limit on this field is 3000 characters including spaces
Proposed Mentor
Please confirm the name of the proposed mentor.
Equal opportunities
This section is optional; however, the Academy would greatly appreciate it if you can complete the details to assist us in our diversity monitoring.
The British Academy is committed to its policy of Equal Opportunity in the provision of its grants and awards. Please help us to monitor the effectiveness of this policy by providing information concerning your age, gender, ethnic origin and disabilities (if any).
This information will be kept separately from the rest of your application and will not be seen by those involved in making decisions in the selection process, including referees etc.
Statement
You are required to have a statement of support from the Head of the Department in which you wish to be based.
You are expected to invite the Head of Department onto Flexi-Grant and invite them to contribute to your application. They will be able to view your application form, and to edit Page 7: Head of Department Statement. They must upload a document, preferably a PDF document of their statement.
The Head of Department must confirm their name, position, department and institution. We also expect your comments on the match between the proposed research of the applicant and the interests of the Faculty, Department or Research Institute. Explain what the proposed mentoring arrangements will be, state the name of the proposed mentor and confirm that appropriate policies are in place for the support and career development of recently postdoctoral researchers, including access to appropriate training. Comment briefly on arrangements to be made for access to research resources during an award, bearing in mind that the Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship only covers limited research expenses (£6,000 over the three years).
Once you have submitted your application for approval by your host institution, an automatic email will be sent to the organisation approver for your host institution. The organisation approver will either: approve and submit your application, ‘send back’ your application for edits/corrections or decline your application. You must complete your application with enough time for your host institution to review and approve your application.
Host institutions must record their approval by 5pm, 17 February 2021.
It is recommended that you allow at least five working days for this process. Please check with your proposed host institution as their internal timetables may require earlier submission. If your host organisation approver requests modifications, they can return your application to you for editing.
Once an application has been approved by the organisation approver, it cannot be returned.
Please note that once the closing date has passed, host organisation approvers cannot approve applications and submit them to the British Academy. Unapproved applications are removed from consideration. No late applications will be accepted.
The Academy has adopted a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. Regrettably, feedback is not a feature of this programme. The Academy is unable to discuss the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice. Submission of the application form constitutes the applicant's agreement to all terms, conditions and notices contained in the Scheme Notes.
Anyone registered with special needs, please get in contact with us if you require additional support. Part time study, for example, may be possible to support your needs.
Assessors evaluate each proposal based on academic merit: Taking into account its originality, its relationship to, and the volume of, research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the research proposed, the suitability of the methodology, the feasibility of the research programme, the specificity of the scheme of research and the intended outcomes. Assessors will evaluate the ability of the applicant to undertake the proposed research, taking into account their track record in terms of publication, their academic age and stage of career. Assessors may take into account evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.
Once your application has been submitted, complete with the Head of Department statement and sample of written work, and has been approved, you will not be contacted again by the British Academy until the decisions have been made. Results are issued by email and will be expected by early June 2021.
Applicants in any doubt about their eligibility or any other aspect of their application are advised to contact the Research Funding office at the Academy, where staff will be pleased to assist.
- Opening date: 13 January 2021.
- Closing date: 17 February 2021 (5pm UK time).
Final decisions will be released in early June 2021.