Postdoctoral Funding
All rankings taken from The Research Professional News 2021 and Times Higher Education REF 2021 rankings
Please note that anyone interested in applying for early career funding through PAIS should:
- Contact a member of academic staff and secure their agreement to act as project mentor. Without a suitable mentor PAIS will not be able to support the application.
- Get in touch with the PAIS Head of Department (Matthew Clayton) and the Head of Administration (Emily Rycroft). It is imperative that both the Head of Department and Head of Administration are consulted from the outset because the department has financial limits on the number of applications that can be put forward.
Information on Postdoctoral Funding and Other Opportunities
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships Midlands Graduate Centre
These fellowships are aimed at those in the very early postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, networks, and research and professional skills. Applicants must have no more than 12 months of active postdoctoral experience by the closing date of the call. Please contact the PAIS early career research co-ordinator, Ozlem Atikcan, for expressions of interest and see the Midlands Graduate School ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship for further details.
The Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP invites applications each year for ESRC funded Postdoctoral Fellowships to be based at one of their partner institutions, which includes the University of Warwick. The call for October 2023 entry is now open, and the internal deadline for the University of Warwick is 10 February 2023. Please click here for all details.
By this internal deadline of 10 February 2023: Applicants must have contacted Warwick's Research and Impact Services Team (ris.socsci@warwick.ac.uk) about their application and should have confirmed support from their host department, a first draft of their Fellowship Application ready (the short sections from the application form and Case for Support), an outline of activities they wish to be costed into the application, and details of their agreed mentor. Applicants will then work with the research support contact to determine costings for the project. For more information see the call details and any questions please contact esrcdtp@warwick.ac.uk.
ESRC New Investigator Grants
New Investigator Grants are specifically aimed at supporting those looking to make the transition to an independent researcher through managing their first major research project. These grants replace the ESRC's Future Research Leaders scheme. The call is open to high-quality candidates from anywhere in the world who have a maximum of four years’ postdoctoral experience and the support of an eligible UK research organisation. Grants ranging from £100,000 to £300,000 full Economic Cost (fEC) can be awarded. There are no fixed closing deadlines, meaning a proposal can be submitted at any time. If you are interested in applying to this award, please do first secure a PAIS mentor and get in touch with Matthew Clayton, PAIS Head of Department, and Emily Rycroft, PAIS Head of Administration to let them know of your application. You can also contact PAIS Early Career Coordinator Ozlem Atikcan for expressions of interest. See the ESRC New Investigator page Link opens in a new windowfor details.
Warwick University Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) WIRL-COFUND - Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Leadership Programme Fellowship
This Programme is designed to bring the best early career researchers from around the world to Warwick for a 2-year fellowship which aims to develop them into the next generation of research leaders. Fellows will develop their independent research profile and take part in a dedicated training programme based on the successful model developed by the IAS over the past decade. The scheme is open to researchers from all disciplines who meet the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions definition of an Experienced Researcher (PhD or 4 years equivalent experience) and conform to the mobility requirements of the COFUND scheme (no more than 12 months spent in the UK in the previous three years). In addition, the research proposed should align with one of the University's Global Research Priorities. Further information is available on the WIRL-COFUND websiteLink opens in a new window.
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (ECF)
These Fellowships provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but who have a proven record of research. The expectation is that Fellows should undertake a significant piece of publishable work during their tenure. The closing date for entry is 23 February 2023. The University of Warwick runs a centralised process to select a limited number of candidates (three candidates from PAIS). This is a two-stage process, firstly PAIS runs its own internal selection process with a deadline of 2 December 2022. In order to be considered for selection by the Department, you will need to submit the following to PAIS Early Career Coordinator Ozlem Atikcan by the December cut-off date:
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- A proposal of 2 sides, excluding bibliography - to include a statement of proposed research, how the project moves your research on, and some mention of how your work fits with PAIS/your mentor's.
- An academic CV (2 sides).
- A brief email from a suitably qualified mentor in the department who is prepared to support your application.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
The British Academy's Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme funds outstanding early career researchers in undertaking a major (3 year) research project that both strengthens their experience of research and teaching in a university environment with the aim of improving their prospects of obtaining permanent lecturing posts at the end of the project.
The British Academy deadline for this scheme, which is a two stage competitive process, is usually in early October (deadline this year: 12 October 2022). PAIS run an internal selection process for this award scheme, which takes place in September. In order to be considered for selection by the Department, you will need to submit the following to Ben Clift (Director of Research) and Ozlem Atikcan (Postdoctoral Co-ordinator) by Friday 9 September. The PAIS Early Career Research/Post-Doctoral Funding committee will review these documents in the week commencing 12 September and provide the results by Friday 16 September:
- A proposal of 2 sides, excluding bibliography - to include a statement of proposed research, how the project moves your research on, and some mention of how your work fits with PAIS/your mentor's.
- An academic CV (2 sides).
- A brief email from a suitably qualified mentor in the department who is prepared to support your application.
Please contact the PAIS Early Career Coordinator, Ozlem Atikcan, for details.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships are designed enhance the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers, wishing to diversify their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through advanced training, international and intersectoral mobility. Expressions of interest in these schemes from potential applicants are welcome and should be sent to the post-doctoral co-ordinator. Before making contact potential applicants should check their eligibility for the schemes by going to the website. They should also familiarise themselves with the scheme requirements. Finally, it is imperative that potential applicants make meaningful contact with an existing member of academic staff with whom they wish to develop their application.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Intra-European Fellowships (IEFs) support the career development of researchers at different stages of their careers by funding a period of research at an overseas research institution. The awards are 12-24 months in duration and eligible researchers must:
- hold a PhD or have four years postgraduate research experience;
- be citizens of an EU member State (or Associated State) other then the UK;
- must not have worked full-time at a UK Higher Education Institution in the past three years (temporary periods of employment, such as research visits, amounting to no more than 12 months are however acceptable under the IEF rules).
Marie Skłodowska-Curie International Incoming Fellowships (IIFs) are targetted at researchers moving from Third Countries to EU member states. The eligibility criteria, duration and purpose of the grants is otherwise similar to IEFs.
For further information see the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships Link opens in a new windowpage.
Warwick University Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) Early Career Fellowship
The Warwick University Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) Early Career FellowshipLink opens in a new window scheme is now open.
Newton International Fellowships
These are for applicants who currently hold a PhD, have no more than 7 years postdoctoral experience, DO NOT hold UK citizenship and who should be working outside the UK at the time of application. The Fellowships cover the broad range of physical, natural and social sciences and the humanities. They provide grants of £24,000 per annum to cover subsistence and up to £8,000 per annum to cover research expenses, plus a one-off relocation allowance of up to £2,000. In addition, Newton Fellows may be eligible for follow-up funding of up to £6,000 per annum for up to 10 years following the completion of the Fellowship. http://newtonfellowships.org/Link opens in a new window
UKRI Policy Internship Scheme
This scheme provides opportunities for doctoral students funded by the Research Councils of UKRI to work for three months in one of a selected group of highly influential policy organisations. For further information see here Link opens in a new window.
Other funding resources
The Research Professional Link opens in a new window is a useful resource for finding funding, organised according to Faculties.
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