Research funding and guidance for early career postdocs
Upcoming research funding deadlines
The Department of Social Anthropology welcomes applications from early career researchers for a range of post-doctoral programmes from sponsors including:
We are keen to support high-quality applications in research areas that fit with our strategic research themes and with the interests of individual University Teaching Officers. Prospective applicants are advisor to contact a prospective mentor/sponsor at an early stage, to discuss how their proposed research might fit within the Department.
The basic process to be followed is similar in all cases, though details and deadlines vary.
1. Interested applicants should refer to the funder's most recent scheme notes to check and confirm their eligibility. Commonly, funder eligibility criteria refer to
- time since PhD (please note that some funders make allowances for career breaks or parental leave);
- whether or not you presently have a University affiliation;
- whether you have a permanent or temporary contract.
2. Applicants should be in touch with an academic in the Department who works in their area of research to discuss their application as soon as possible (ideally two months before the funder deadline).
3. With the support of their mentor, a preliminary application form along with a CV and a brief research proposal should then be submitted to the Research Grants Administrator (research@socanth.cam.ac.uk) by a minimum of eight weeks before the relevant deadline. As deadlines vary, it is best to confirm the internal (departmental and university) and external deadlines with the RGA.
Applications over £250k fEC that are received less than five working days before the funder deadline will not be submitted by the University, irrespective of support from the mentor or the Department.
4. The Department will assess all the proposals thus submitted. There is an internal selection process in place for the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, and Leverhulme ECFs , and we can only support very few applications; otherwise we hope to support all quality applications which intersect with research already being undertaken or developed in the Department.
5. We will then let you know whether we are able to support your application in good time for the final submission deadline. We will provide feedback on both those applications we are, and are not, able to support, working with you to make applications as strong as possible before final submission.
Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Research lists the details for the fellowships available from above funders (for ESRC and Leverhulme Trust, please use the link at the top of the page). Past deadlines show roughly when the next deadline for the programme is likely to be, but do check the website for details.
Upcoming research funding deadlines
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship / Isaac Newton Trust - APPLICATIONS CLOSED.
Please send the RGA the name of your proposed mentor as soon as you know, along with a completed Departmental Preliminary Application form before Monday 7th October to receive initial Departmental approval. Preliminary applications for this Fellowship are now closed.
The INT acts as the University's selector. Completed applications should be sent to the RGA in PDF format by the Departmental deadline. Please title PDFs as: <surname> Leverhulme INT <document name>.
- Two letters of reference are needed, of which one should come from outside Cambridge (note that the national stage of the Leverhulme competition requires a third reference as well, but this is not necessary for the internal INT competition).
- Please ask your referees to send their letters directly to the RGA by the Departmental deadline, not to the Isaac Newton Trust.
- If possible, please get your referees to title the email and reference documents as: <your surname> Leverhulme INT reference.
Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship - Funder deadline 7th November 2024.
Value: up to £70k, between 3 and 24 months. Research Fellowships are open to experienced researchers, particularly those who are or have been prevented by routine duties from completing a programme of original research.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship - Funder deadline 2nd October 2024.
Annual application round. Applications are currently closed.
ESRC New Investigator Grant - Internal selection deadline Friday 8th November 2024.
This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to becoming an independent researcher. The ESRC will award grants of between £100-£350K (covered at 80% FEC). There are three internal calls every year (October, March, and June). Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC.
Please communicate your intention to apply, as well as names of your Reviewer and Mentor to the RGA at least 4 weeks prior to the internal deadline, along with an outline budget.
If you receive Departmental approval following submission of your preliminary form and CV, you will need to send:
- Your research project proposal (template available by request)
- An X5 PDF report
- A letter of support from the Head of Department
Further guidance:
Covering the aims of the scheme is very important to the eventual success in being awarded this grant: development of skills such as team management, (e.g. by employing a Research Assistant) and impact (benefits beyond academia).
However, employing a RA can eat into the limited funds available, and can lead to considering your own time commitment (e.g. 50%) or duration to fit into the available budget.
Having a Co-I is possible, and shows collaboration and interdisciplinary skills, but would also be a cost to the grant.
Applicants will be notified about the outcome of the internal (Cambridge ) selection within a month of the Internal deadline.
Second Round. Applicants who have been selected by the Internal stage will need to send the following documents (no deadline):
Case for Support, Justification of Resources (needs X5 and RGA assistance), Statement of eligibility.
Once these are received the Research Facilitator will ask your mentor and reviewer for comments. Once received the applicant is then free to submit via the Je-S portal.
Note, There is a minimum time of 8 months from Je-S submission date to grant start date.
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2025 deadline TBC.
Annual application round. Applications are currently closed.
BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships - currently closed for applications.
The aim of the scheme is to allow successful applicants to obtain time freed from normal teaching and administrative commitments. The time bought by the scheme should be devoted to the completion of a major piece of research. The Fellowships are tenable for one year and must be taken up in the autumn of the next year. These awards are not covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) regime and no research expenses are available. The only cost payable will be the salary of a replacement lecturer. Applicants who have already applied to the Academy’s 2020-21 round of the Mid-Career Fellowship scheme are not permitted to apply to this scheme. The funder’s deadline for applications is generally in November. For more information see the call website. For support with your application contact Dr Anna Cieslik (amc238@cam.ac.uk).