1. May 2016 Dr Renée van de Locht EPSRC Building Leadership
EPSRC Fellowships
May 2016
Dr Renée van de Locht
EPSRC Building Leadership

2. Funding routes at EPSRC
Standard Research
First Grant scheme
New academics
Fellowship scheme
Postdoctoral
Early Career
Established Career
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3. Research Grant Vs Fellowship
Research Grant/First Grant
Mechanism to support a PI and CoI (and their team) to perform proposed research programme
PI normally holds permanent academic position (fixed employees may be eligible (check the funding guide)
PI and CoI have many other duties in department next to research project
Fellowship
Personal award: support to establish or develop future research leader and build her/his group
Devote most of your time to your research programme and deliver your research vision
Advocate EPS disciplines inside and outside of Academia
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4. Fellowships : Are YOU an Ideal Fellowship Candidate?
Your personal research idea, significantly different and independent from other groups – your ‘niche’
Seek new links, collaborations, applications in other fields
Be ambitious – but be aware of thorough risk mitigation in proposal/interview
Do you have the ambition of building a team around you to deliver your research vision? Do you have a plan about how to do this?
Do you want to commit a significant amount of time to an ambitious research project of your own determination?
Do you want to maintain other institutional commitments whilst focussing on your research?
Would you be interested in doing more public engagement activities to communicate your science to a wider audience?
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5. The EPSRC Fellowship framework: key features
Allows for variations of career paths across the EPS disciplines:
it’s all about the person specification – skill set
There are generally no deadlines –
Most themes have two fellowship rounds per year operated through an open call.
Exceptions: specific calls (EPSRC calls webpage (e.g. Manufacturing, Energy, Quantum, Healthcare)
Applications invited only in specific priority areas that are linked to our strategic priorities.
More flexible on the amount of time a fellow dedicates to their fellowship ( % FTE), giving them the option of staying active within their department and/or part-time opportunity for care duties etc.
Suite of resource packages to facilitate linkage with the best, creativity, while allowing them to build a group  applicants can apply for a package that best suits them.
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6. The key slide: www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/
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7. Person Specification- a competency based approach
Attribute
Postdoctoral
Research excellence
Delivery of outstanding research and an indication of where the research contributes to delivering impact. Awareness of the international context of the research
Setting the research agenda
Has a clear vision of the contribution the applicant can make to their research area. Evidence of independence of (research) ideas.
Strategic vision
Shows an awareness of different research in other fields or across technology readiness levels, an aspiration to work across boundaries and/or to conduct high risk research and finding a network of independent contacts so that the applicant is getting positioned to do this.
Profile and influence
Not strongly applicable at this career stage.
Inspirational Team leader
Can provide evidence of an aptitude to lead and inspire for example, through mentoring or self organisation of peers.
Communication and engagement skills
Demonstrates excellent communications and interpersonal skills and aspires to develop these across a broad audience.
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8. Fellowship Priority Areas
Theme
Priority areas - May Postdoc
Engineering
Synthetic biology
Engineering for Sustainability and Resilience
Microsystems
Robotics and Autonomous Systems (with ICT)
Control Engineering
Physical Sciences
Theoretical Physics
Mathematical Sciences
Statistics and Applied Probability
Intra disciplinary Research
New Connections from Mathematical Sciences
Mathematical Aspects of Operational Research
ICT
Robotics and Autonomous Systems (with Engineering)
Energy
Bioenergy
End-use Energy Demand
Energy Networks
Energy Storage
Nuclear Fission
Solar Energy
Across themes
Complexity Science
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9.
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10. Funding Guide: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/fundingguide
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11. Eligibility
Applicants are expected to hold a PhD or have equivalent research experience.
There are no eligibility rules based on years of post-doctoral experience or whether you hold a permanent academic position, as this doesn’t allow for variations of career paths across the EPS disciplines.
Need a Host Organisation: UK HEI
A person specification will be used to describe the desired attributes for each career stage.
Applicants should evaluate their track record (with their host organisation) and assess which career stage they should apply against (if open to applications) and ensure they are able to demonstrate how they fulfil each of the expected attributes.
Flexible: you can work full time but hold a fellowship for part of your time (min 50% fte) OR if you are a part-time worker you can have fellowship part-time (min 50% fte)
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12. EPSRC Fellowship: Assessment Process
In partnership with host Institution – e.g. pre-selection, career stage, additional support
Submission of full fellowship application
This step can take up to four months
Postal peer review
Does it fall within Priority Area Remit
Yes
Theme Prioritisation panel
Ranked against other fellowships
Tensioned against other lists No
Supportive reviews
Yes
Interview panel
Ranked against other fellows
Office reject No
Panel Rank and recommends a quality cut off
Invite
Review reject
Candidate meets person specification
The peer review process and the criteria discussed at panel meetings will be discussed further in workshops tomorrow… However, I will go through it briefly now, as
Unsuccessful
Panel ranks and recommends a quality cut off
Not Fund
Fund

13. Resources
The type of resources available is determined by the career stage under which you are applying.
Resource Package
Postdoctoral
Early Career
Established Career
Duration
Up to 3 years
Up to 5 years
Salary
% fte
% fte
Travel & Subsistence
Yes
Staff No
Visiting Researchers
Equipment
Items costing less than £10,000 (incl. VAT)*
Yes – in line with current EPSRC guidelines for equipment
Consumables
Public Communication Training
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14. Assessment criteria
Full proposals will be sent out to expert peer review and will be assessed against:
Research quality
The candidate (including qualities and experience)
Importance
Research Environment
Impact
Resources and management
Fit to strategic priorities
At prioritisation panel main focus is on assessing the science.
At interview main focus is on assessing the individual → person specification
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15. Expectations of the host organisation
Integral support to fellowship – from application stage; during award and beyond!
Universities take ownership for pre-selecting most able candidates, ensuring they are aligned to priority area and assisting with fit to person specification.
Accord fellows equivalent status to academic staff.
Expected support – infrastructure; adequate office and lab space; a mentor where appropriate.
Suitable career development procedures to support transitioning to next career stage.
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16. Do’s & Don’ts
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17. Questions?
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