ESRC Future Research Leaders Scheme at the Institute for German Studies (Birmingham)
The Institute for German Studies (IGS) at the University of Birmingham (UK) would like to support at least one excellent candidate in an application to the ESRC Future Research Leaders Scheme in 2016.
The ESRC Future Research Leaders scheme is designed to enable outstanding early-career social scientists to acquire the skill set to become world leaders in their field, and to fund excellent social science research projects. For further details, including eligibility criteria, see: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/34596/future-research-leaders-2016.aspx).
The scheme is open to high-quality candidates from anywhere in the world who have a maximum of four years’ postdoctoral experience (measured from the date that they submitted their PhD) and the support of an eligible UK research organisation. Applicants who are currently completing a PhD are eligible to apply, provided they will submit their PhD prior to the start date of 1 October 2016. Grants will be for a maximum of two years, with a pro-rata option for those employed part-time on a contract of 0.5 FTE or above.
This year’s call does not identify any specific thematic steers, although proposals associated with the RCUK cross-council research themes are encouraged (see http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/xrcprogrammes/)
Proposals submitted through the IGS should be a clear fit with the research interests of the Institute (see www.igs.bham.ac.uk).
Application Procedure:
In the first instance, potential candidates should send the following documents to Dr Sara Jones ([log in to unmask]) by 4 August 2015:
• A 2-side A4 version of your Curriculum Vitae. This document must include your PhD submission date, if you are currently in a permanent post and the nature of the contract (e.g. academic, teaching or both), your qualifications (including class and subject), academic and professional posts held, a list of your most relevant and recent publications, and a record of research funded by the ESRC and other bodies.
• A 2-side A4 plain English summary of the research you propose to carry out including background, research questions, methods and outputs. Please also detail any large items of expenditure required by your project.
Applications will be assessed by staff at the IGS in terms of quality and fit with the research interests of the Institute. Outstanding candidates will then be asked to revise their applications for submission to the University of Birmingham internal competition (deadline 10 August 2015). A panel of colleagues from across the University will then select the applicants to be supported by the institution for submission to the ESRC (deadline 29 September 2015). The primary selection criteria will be: originality and potential contribution to knowledge (i.e. research excellence, including the academic potential of the applicant); quality of research design and methods, including the appropriateness of collaborations and intended outputs/ impact.
|