The Research Councils UK Academic Fellowships scheme, launched in 2004 to provide attractive and stable research career paths for promising researchers, has provided a boost to interdisciplinary research and outreach according to a report reviewing the two years of the programme. The Fellowships are designed to reward institutions with innovative research strategies and as a result almost 40 per cent of Academic Fellowships awarded span the remits of at least two Research Councils.
The report, the result of a study of data from HEIs awarded Fellowships, has been published today (27 July) by the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Research Careers and Diversity Unit. It provides a breakdown of the first two years of the scheme, covering almost £100 million of funding from RCUK, and reveals that of the 800 fellowships awarded to HEIs across the UK over 300 are interdisciplinary.
Additionally, all Academic Fellowship post holders are required to participate in outreach to schools and engage with the public. Although this aspect of the scheme is developing early signs suggest that the requirement is ensuring that the next generation of UK research leaders are developing the skills to communicate, engage with and enthuse a wide audience about their research.
The report has also shown that the scheme has been hugely popular with both institutions and academics with 800 fellows now being supported in 79 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The model has proved so successful that a number of universities have established their own schemes to nurture the next generation of research leaders.
Professor Julia Goodfellow, speaking on behalf of RCUK, commented: "If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the Academic Fellowships scheme has been a huge success. Not only has it funded almost 800 new fellows in institutions right across the UK, promoted innovative, interdisciplinary research and community outreach but the scheme has inspired the creation of similar programmes by individual universities. In order for the UK to maintain its world-leading position in research it is crucial that we retain future research leaders by creating attractive and stable career paths. The Academic Fellowship scheme is one of the most successful ways we have found to do this."
The report provides a breakdown of the Academic Fellowships scheme by discipline, region and the background of fellows.
Some HEIs have established networks of their Academic Fellows and RCUK intend to build on this by holding an UK event for the fellows in January 2007.
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Contact
Research Councils UK Press Office
Matt Goode, Research Councils UK
Tel: 01793 413299
Notes to Editors
You can download a copy of the report here 
, or by visiting the RCUK Academic Fellowships homepage.
The development of the Academic Fellowship Scheme was recommended by the 2002 Roberts' Review, SET for Success, and supported by the Government's Investing in Innovation strategy published in July 2002.
An initial £23 million budget was provided through the 2002 spending review, which covers the financial years 2002/03 – 2005/06. Further funding was provided through SR2004 to cover 2006/07 and 2007/08.
The primary aim of the scheme is to provide contract research staff with a stable path into academia. The fellowships are therefore subject to the institution guaranteeing a permanent, academic position at the end of the award.
Academic Fellowships is an Office of Science & Innovation scheme that is administered by Research Councils UK.
Academic Fellowships are awarded to institutions which then advertise positions and appoint fellows in open competition.
About Research Councils UK
The eight Research Councils are independent non-departmental public bodies, funded by the Science Budget through the Office of Science and Innovation. They are incorporated by Royal Charter and together manage a research budget of over £2.5 billion a year. Through RCUK, the Research Councils work together to champion the research, training and innovation they support.
The RCUK Research Careers and Diversity Unit builds upon the existing activities and facilitate new developments across the Research Councils to help address the key government objectives of:
- Ensuring that the UK economy has a sufficient supply of scientists and engineers.
- Increasing the involvement of women and ethnic minority groups in science and its governance.
The unit is responsible for a number of joint Council schemes such as the UKGRAD skills programme and the Academic Fellowships and Dorothy Hodgkin awards schemes, reporting on the implementation by the Councils of the Roberts recommendations, co-ordination with OSI and the RCUK Science in Society unit, partnership with HESA (e.g. on first destination data for students) and provision of SET statistics on careers.
The eight UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Particle Physics & Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).