Frequently asked questions about fellowships

Fellowships are incredibly competitive, and it is important that you give yourself the best chance of success. You can improve your chances of success by considering whether now is the right time to apply.

The questions below should act as a prompt before you begin any fellowship application:

Do you have a novel or innovative research idea?
Do you have a competitive track record, including peer-reviewed publications and evidence of leadership?
Are you aware of the different schemes available to you?
Have you identified a mentor (if needed)?
Can you make a clear argument for why a fellowship will add value to your skills, research and career?

There are a number of sources of funding available, including UK Research Councils, charities, industry and the government. Take a look at some of the most common schemes to get an idea of what is available.

Many funders fund specific types of research, and it is important to find the right funder for you. If in doubt, read the scheme guidance and assessment criteria, as these will provide more detailed information about what that particular funder and scheme are looking for.

It is incredibly important to pick the right scheme, as if you are not eligible, your application will not be considered. More importantly, just because you are eligible, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a scheme is necessarily the right fit, so you should pick the scheme that is the best fit for you and your research idea so that you can make the most of the fellowship.

Often the most difficult part of developing a fellowship application is coming up with an original idea. Most fellowship funders are broadly looking for the same thing: innovative, novel and exciting research.

The following questions may help you to develop a fellowship idea:

What question, problem or challenge would you like to address?
Why is this topic important/timely/relevant/useful?
How does this idea differ from research that has already been done?
What methods, theories or techniques would you use?
What is the potential impact or application of this research?
How will this research shape your skills and career?

Your proposal should not be too similar to your PhD research, but if you stray too far, you risk the reviewer wondering if you have the expertise to carry out your idea. For this reason, you should take time to think carefully about what you’re proposing, and get support and advice from others, be they mentors, colleagues or your supervisor.

Every fellowship application will require you to submit a budget. Before beginning your application, you should check two things:

That the scheme you are interested in provides adequate funds for your research

Some schemes will fund almost every cost involved in a fellowship, while others will only cover salary or research expenses.

That your prospective host department can afford to meet any other costs

Few schemes fund 100% of fellowship costs. UKRI Research Councils usually cover 80% of costs, while other schemes may fund as little as 50% of salary. Before beginning an application, you will need to get confirmation from your prospective host department that they are willing and able to host you.

You will often be asked to provide a justification of resources in your application, including a justification for the costs requested.

When you apply for a fellowship at York, you’ll get support from your prospective department/faculty’s Research Support team, who can help you to build up your budget and can answer any of the financial questions you have.

Many departments and fellowship schemes require early career researchers to identify a mentor. If you do not already have a mentor within your prospective department, you should get in touch with the member of staff whose research interests most closely align with your own.

As soon as you have a mentor within the department, you must contact your prospective department’s Research Support team, who will provide guidance and support throughout the application process. We recommend contacting your prospective host department a minimum of 3 months before the funder deadline, and definitely no later than 4 weeks before the submission deadline.

You can find more details about specific departments at the links below:

It is important, particularly for early career researchers, to think carefully about who you pick as your mentor:

Does your mentor have a good track record of mentoring researchers?
Do they have the skills, knowledge and experience to support you, both before and during your fellowship?

You must not list a member of staff as a mentor or supervisor on an application without their permission. It is important to approach them first and ask whether they would be willing to support an application. It is good practice to send a brief outline of your research idea and an updated CV, as well as details of the scheme that you would like to apply to.

Whether your publication record is strong enough depends on a number of factors, including your area of study, the fellowship you are applying for, and the amount of postdoctoral experience you have. Fellowships in the sciences, for example, may expect a substantial publication record, while this is less common in the arts and humanities.

Some fellowship application forms ask you to pick out a set number of your publications and give more details about the importance of these publications, while others simply ask for a list of all of your publications. In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that journal-based metrics and quantitative measures are not the best way of assessing research achievements, and this is something to be aware of, too.

If you’re not sure whether your publication record is strong enough, speak to your PI/supervisor and senior colleagues, who will be able to give you an honest answer. It may also help to research successful applicants for the scheme to which you are applying, to see what their CV looked like when they applied.

An increasing number of funders happily accept researchers who have had a non-traditional career path, whether it’s because they’ve taken a career break or because they’ve worked in non-academic roles. Always check a funder’s eligibility rules in order to determine whether you’re eligible.

There are even specific fellowship schemes designed for those wishing to re-enter academic research:

This is a common question, and the short answer is: it depends.

Some fellowship schemes were funded for the purposes of interdisciplinary or international mobility (such as Horizon Europe schemes like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships). In these cases, moving is a necessary part of the fellowship.

Other fellowships state that they prefer applicants to move institutions, and you will need to justify why you are not doing this, if you decide to stay at the same institution.

The reason many schemes prefer mobility is that it more easily allows you to establish your independence as a researcher. However, there is an increasing understanding that it is not always realistic for researchers to move institutions every few years.

If you decide to stay in the same research group, department or institution, you will need to be able to make a strong argument for how you will still be independent from your previous supervisors, mentors or PIs. Will your research be significantly different from theirs, or will you be collaborating with different academics at the institution?

The most important point when applying for a fellowship is that you pick the best environment for you and your research. When choosing where to carry out your research, consider:

Where are the best connections and collaborations?
Where will I have access to the equipment and resources that I need?
Which institution’s values, ethos and research strategies most align with my own?
Which institution will provide the best support and guidance throughout my time there?

Preparing for a fellowship takes time. For smaller schemes, you will need to begin working on your application at least 3 months before the funder’s deadline, while larger schemes may require you to start preparing 6 to 12 months in advance. Most Departments will be unable to help you submit an application if you have not given them substantial notice of your intention to submit.

You’ll need this time to:

Find a mentor (if the scheme asks for one)
Develop a robust and innovative research idea
Put a budget together (with help from your Department’s Research Support team)
Write multiple drafts
Get others to peer review your application
Obtain letters of support from project partners (if relevant)

You will also need to submit your application in time for York’s internal deadlines which are between 3 and 15 working days before the funder’s deadline (the exact deadline will depend on the scheme and amount of funding).

Remember, too, that the decision-making process can often take months, meaning it is perfectly normal for the entire process to take more than a year, from the moment you begin drafting your application to the start of your fellowship.

Many schemes include an interview as part of the application process. The structure and focus of interviews may differ from funder to funder, so it’s important to carefully read through any documentation that they share with you.

Presentations are a common part of fellowship interviews. You may be asked to prepare a short presentation (often only a few minutes long) about your proposed research and career trajectory, followed by questions from the interview panel.

Ideally, you will be told who will be sitting on your interview panel in the invitation (or at least what the mix of specialisms is). This is important so that you can target presentations and answers appropriately. If the information isn’t given to you in the invitation, consider asking the organiser.

When preparing for an interview, it’s a good idea to reacquaint yourself with the following, which indicate what the funders are looking for:

The scheme’s overview/aim (i.e. what is important to the funder, and what they aim to support)
The assessment criteria for the particular scheme
Any additional criteria that might be available from the funder (e.g. person specifications if they are present for the scheme)

In preparation for an interview, you should work with colleagues to arrange at least one mock interview, get advice from colleagues who have previously been successful with the scheme, or who have sat on interview panels, and read carefully through both the assessment criteria and your own application.

Fellowships are extremely competitive, with success rates below 20%. No academic goes through their career without being rejected a few times, and most successful academics have a string of failed applications alongside their successes!

As Zoe, one of our current British Academy Fellows, says: “Try not to be disheartened by rejection; fellowship schemes are incredibly competitive, and many amazing projects are rejected due to the high volume of outstanding applications they receive. It absolutely does not mean that your proposed project was weak.”

Some funders provide feedback, and while it may be difficult to read at first, it’s also an excellent opportunity to learn for future applications. If the funder doesn’t offer feedback, ask your mentor or colleagues for feedback, to understand where you can improve.

If you’re currently sitting looking at a rejection email, our advice to you is to take some time for yourself. Go for a walk, grab a coffee with friends, and do something nice for yourself. Rejection is a part of the academic experience, but many of our current fellows got their fellowships by persevering, and trying again with a stronger application (once the sting of rejection had worn off!)

Email Taryn Bell, our Fellowships Coordinator, at fellowships@york.ac.uk