The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships
The scheme for 2025 is now open.
The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship is a highly prestigious, fiercely competitive, post-doctoral award for researchers who are near the start of their career.
The internal selection stages of the Fellowship application process are conducted in two-parts. First, applications are reviewed by the faculty. Second, up to two applications from the faculty will then be forwarded to the Isaac Newton Trust (who provide half the funding for Leverhulme Fellows) for review in December. Only applications successful at both stages will then be cleared to the Leverhulme Trust for review.
The deadline to submit Stage 1 applications to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for the Isaac Newton Trust matching-funding is midnight on 29 October 2024.
Purpose
Early Career Fellowships aim to 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, and that the Fellowships should lead to a more permanent academic position.
Duration
Fellowships are tenable for three years on a full-time basis. The Trust will support requests to hold the award part-time over a proportionately longer period for health related reasons, disability or childcare commitments.
Eligibility
Full details on the LECF scheme can be found at www.leverhulme.ac.uk/early-career-fellowships.
Details on the Isaac Newton Trust's matched-funding stages can be found at www.newtontrust.cam.ac.uk/ECFs/LeverhulmeECF.
Applications
Applications to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies should be sent to administrator@ames.cam.ac.uk by midnight on 29 October 2024.
The application process to the Faculty (consisting of a INT internal competition coversheet, CV, publications list, two statements of research (a statement of current research, and a summary of the research the candidate intends to undertake as an LECF at Cambridge). Candidates will also need to arrange for two references to be sent to the host institution to include within any application sent to INT. These references can be sent to administrator@ames.cam.ac.uk. Candidates must have the confirmed support of an academic host from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, in order to submit their application. Details can be found in the "Applications for the internal competition" section at LECF 2025: Information for Cambridge Applicants | Isaac Newton Trust
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships are typically for three years and cover the salary of the Postdoctoral Fellow to work full-time on the Fellowship, small-scale research expenses, costs towards the time of a mentor and the host institution's estates and indirect costs.
The aim of the British Academy (BA) in making these awards is to offer opportunities for outstanding early career researchers to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in a university environment, which will develop their curriculum vitae and improve their prospects of obtaining permanent lecturing posts by the end of the Fellowship. The primary emphasis is on completion of a significant piece of publishable research, which will be assisted by full membership of an academic community of established scholars working in similar fields.
Prospective candidates must submit their initial expression of interest to administrator@ames.cam.ac.uk before the 19th of August 2024 faculty deadline
Expressions of interest will include
• a CV (2 A4 sides maximum)
• a list of publications
• a 750 word (excluding footnotes) preliminary project proposal. The pleminary project proposal should outline:
o outline the research problem(s) you are seeking to address and say why it is distinctive;
o how your proposed research will tackle this research problem(s) – its design and methodology;
o how your proposed research will significantly change the established landscape;
o how your project fits with the timeframe of the award (its feasibility);
o why Cambridge is the “best-fit” environment for this project;
o the appropriateness and demonstration of commitment of the proposed mentor(s).
Prospective candidates must stipulate an academic mentor. This person MUST be an employee of the Faculty during the period of mentorship so if a potential mentor currently has a different status they should enquire with the Faculty as to eligibility.
The Faculty will send a notification of application to the School of Arts and Humanities Research Grants Administration Team (sahrga@admin.cam.ac.uk) - Deadline 2 September 2024.
Indicative deadlines from the British Academy's 2024/25 are:
• Deadline for submission to faculty: 19 August 2024
• Notification to the School of Arts and Humanities Research Grants Administration Team: 2 September 2024
• Funder Deadline: 2 October 2024
• Results published: Early January 2025
Eligibility
• British citizens and any nationals from the European Economic Area are eligible, regardless of where their doctorate was obtained. Anyone of any nationality who has a doctorate from a UK university is eligible. If an applicant does not meet the prior categories, they may be accepted if they can demonstrate ‘strong prior association’ with the UK academic community. This typically means a current significant period – with a minimum period of one year, which will need to be completed prior to your application being submitted - of employment at a UK institution in either a teaching or research position which is not permanent. Postgraduate degrees (MA or MSc) do not count.
• Applicants must be of Early Career Status, meaning they must apply withing three years from the date of their successful viva voce examination. For this round of competition, applicants are expected to have completed their viva voce between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2025.
• Those with a permanent academic post are ineligible to apply.
• Applicants are required to nominate one referee. The nominated referee will have to answer several questions about the applicant and their research proposal. Applications without a completed referee statement will not be considered. Your referee should be familiar with your project and able to comment on its significance, feasibility, and on your abilities. We recommend the External Examiner for your PhD. The reference may be supplied by a scholar based outside the UK if you wish. Please note your referee cannot be your proposed mentor, your supervisor or an internal examiner. Applications submitted with an ineligible referee will not be considered.
• The British Academy does not allow for resubmissions for the Postdoctoral Fellowship. If you have previously applied and failed to reach the Second Stage of the competition, you are not eligible to re-apply. Previously unsuccessful applicants will only be able to submit another application if specifically invited to do so by the British Academy.
Funding
Awards are typically for three years and cover 80% of salary costs, directly allocated, and indirect costs under full Economic Costing. Research expenses are covered at 100% at up to a maximum of £6,000 over the three years (equivalent to £2,000pa).
All queries regarding submitted applications should be sent to administrator@ames.cam.ac.uk.
For costing queries please contact sahrga@admin.cam.ac.uk who can help generate costings. Outline costings are required as part of the submission.
Please read the specific guidance for the 2024/25 call which is available here to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria - British Academy website.