Deadline: September 23, 2019

Applications are open for the RAEng Research Fellowships and Engineering for Development Research Fellowships 2019/2020. The Royal Academy of Engineering offers Research Fellowships each year to outstanding early-career researchers to support them to become future research leaders in engineering. Engineering for Development Research Fellowships (EDRF) support research that meets the UK government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment.

The scheme’s objectives are to:

• Support the best early-career researchers in establishing their independence and international reputation
• Provide long-term support enabling the pursuit of an ambitious programme of engineering research and impact
• Develop ambassadors for the Academy and advocates for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

Benefits

• Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £500,000 over the five-year period, at 80% of full economic costs.
• In addition to the direct financial support, the scheme benefits include:
  • opportunity to establish a research track record in a specialised area
  • a stronger position to apply for additional funding and develop own research team
  • mentoring support from an Academy Fellow to offer advice on research and career development
  • reduction of teaching and administrative duties to dedicate time to research
  • training opportunities
  • networking with other Research Fellows and Academy Fellows.

Eligibility

• Research Fellowships must be held at a UK higher education institution/university in a department that can show it is capable of fully supporting an engineering-focused research project and researcher. In addition, the host institution must agree to provide the Research Fellow all the support normal for a permanent employee.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact the host institution and gain the formal approval from the relevant head of department or school before submitting an application.
• The proposed research project must be in an engineering subject area. Engineering is defined in its broadest sense, encompassing a wide range of diverse fields (see Subject Category section in the application form).
• Research Fellowships are aimed at early-career researchers. Applicants must have a PhD, which was awarded (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) no more than four years before the submission deadline: Monday 23 September 2019. This time period includes applicants’ work experience in academia or/and in industry. A margin of up to three months more than the four-year limit is acceptable. If applicants have had maternity/paternity leave or other extenuating circumstances, this will be taken into consideration if the relevant dates and details are provided in the application form.
• The applicant must not hold a permanent academic position.
• Research Fellows will be employed by the host institution and are required to devote all their working time to the Research Fellowship. The Research Fellowship must be the Research Fellows only source of employment.
• There are no nationality and age restrictions for applicants. The host institution is responsible for securing all necessary work permits and related costs for the Research Fellows.
• Applicants who have applied to this scheme before and were unsuccessful are eligible to reapply.
• Research Fellowships must begin between 1 August 2020 and 31 October 2020. The Academy may extend this period based on funding opportunities. The duration of a Research Fellowship is five years full-time, calculated on a pro-rata basis for part-time awards. Requests for a shorter Research Fellowship are not accepted.
• There is a limit on the number of applications each host institution can submit. Applications that do not come within this limit will be disregarded. Institutions/universities are likely to have an internal selection process that applicants must find out in advance.
• Applications for EDRFs must meet the ODA guidelines. The country/countries that will directly benefit from the proposed research must be on the DAC list.
• Any applications that are incomplete or do not adhere to the guidance will be rejected.

Application

Click here to apply

For more information, visit RAEng Fellowships.