Following the second round of competition for Academic Fellowships, the Research Councils have today awarded 400 fellowships to 73 universities and colleges across the UK.
Launched by the Office of Science and Technology in 2004, the Academic Fellowships scheme is designed to ease the progression and improve the security of research careers by helping researchers move from short-term contracts to permanent positions. The scheme will ultimately create 1,000 new academic fellowships, with the Research Councils investing £125,000 in each over a five year period. It is administered by Research Councils UK (RCUK) through its Research Careers and Diversity Unit. The fellowships announced today follow 400 awarded in 2004.
Professor John O’Reilly, speaking on behalf of RCUK, said: "We have made the awards on the basis of how fellows can contribute to institutions’ strategic aspirations and academic plans. We were delighted by the response from the academic community and the large number of high quality applications. Everyone recognises the importance of more predictable career development in ensuring that the UK maintains a strong research base. These new fellowships will make an important contribution, bringing to 800 the number of academic fellows with secure career paths within academia via this initiative."
Professor Mary Bownes, Chair of the assessment panel, said: "This is an exciting scheme which gives early stage researchers the benefits of a more visible route into an academic career. The panel was impressed that many institutional strategies included building interdisciplinary research areas and was pleased to support fellows in novel interdisciplinary research as well as fellows in smaller niche areas."
Fellowships have been awarded across all the research areas covered by the Research Councils and throughout the UK.
- ends -
Contact
Matt Goode, Research Councils UK
Tel: 01793 413299
Notes to Editors
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.
89 UK Higher Education Institutions applied for 980 Academic Fellowships. 400 were awarded to 73 Institutions.
Details of the grants awarded can be found on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council website.
Individual researchers interested in these positions should either contact one of the institutions awarded fellowships or look for adverts for these positions in the usual academic press.
About Research Councils UK
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 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 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).