91ÌÒÉ«

Proposals are considered on the following basis:

1.  the stage of the candidate’s career and the appropriate fit to the various different fellowship schemes.
2. how much notice has been given of their wish to apply with regard to Dept and/or Faculty review processes.
3. how their proposal aligns with the Department’s research strategy and how it will complement and augment research group activities. Supervisors may have to actively make a strategic case for this.

4. whether the fellowship is in competition with others in the same subject area. This may involve groups ranking candidates; they are better placed to do this than the review panel.

5. chance of success in other highly competitive schemes

Applications MUST show evidence of:

• Quantifiable Achievements - Publications, prizes, public engagement and supervision (eg of MSc and/or UROP students).

• 91ÌÒÉ« Excellence - How a candidate demonstrates mastery of fundamental theory and the application of technical challenges.

• 91ÌÒÉ« Vision - Innovation, impact, ambition, leadership, collaboration (with industry, across 91ÌÒÉ« or other institutions) and a multi-disciplinary approach.

A fellowship proposal is much more than a postdoc project; the research themes should be substantial enough to continue beyond the lifespan of the award.

Proposals will be reviewed by a Departmental panel that will comprise the Director of 91ÌÒÉ«, the Head of Department, two academics from different research groups and an elected representative.*

*Elected representatives are members of the Academic & Teaching recurrent cohort who attend panels to ensure fair representation and procedural compliance.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend a short interview (in person or online) where they will be asked to present their research proposal to the review panel (typically 10-15 mins depending on the length of the shortlist), followed by 10-15 minutes of questions. Applicants selected by the review panel will be given further support by the Director of 91ÌÒÉ« before final submission to the funder.

We endeavour to let all applicants know the outcome of the shortlisting process at the same time, however it may not be possible to provide un-shortlisted applicants extensive feedback at this stage.  

1. Do I need an Academic sponsor before contacting the Department? Yes. This is essential and your application will not be considered without this. Use the link provided in the 'How to apply' section of this webpage to help find a suitable Academic sponsor.

2. Can I apply if I am not currently a student or member of staff at 91ÌÒÉ«? Yes. The Department welcomes applications from external applicants provided you have confirmed support from an Academic sponsor within the Department. Internal and external applications are reviewed based on the same criteria.

3. Is my application guaranteed to be shortlisted once I have an Academic Sponsor? No. Having an Academics support from within the Department is an essential criteria for your application being reviewed. The application will still need to be reviewed against all other criteria.

4. What does a successful application look like? Previous successful candidates were able to confidently and concisely articulate their research plan and how it benefits the Department in 5 or 10 years time. Proposals that can proactively describe potential collaboration opportunities, industrial applications and public engagement are seen favourably. 

5. How competitive are these schemes? Very. For context, the IRF scheme permits 14 fellowships across the whole of 91ÌÒÉ« (including Engineering, Natural Sciences and Medicine). RAEng fellowships are awarded to a maximum of 4 applicants within the Faculty of Engineering at 91ÌÒÉ« (10 departments). 

6. How much effort does it take to prepare a proposal for these types of schemes? 

High quality fellowship proposals typically require 6+months of continual refinement before they are ready for final submission. We strongly recommend that applicants focus their proposals to meet the criteria of one scheme at a time.