The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship for Early Career Researchers 2025 (Fully-funded)

The British Academy is inviting proposals from early career researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to pursue an independent research project, towards the completion of a significant piece of publishable research.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the opportunity to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in an academic environment. This scheme aims to help develop the award holder’s curriculum vitae and boost their prospects of obtaining a permanent academic post. The primary emphasis is on the completion of a significant piece of publishable research, and the integration of the award holder into the community of established scholars within their field.

The Fellowship is non-renewable.

Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT)

• Table of Content
• About The British Academy
• The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
• The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Courses
• Requirements for The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About The British Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship

Application Deadline	02 Oct 2024
Country to study	United Kingdom
School to study	The British Academy
Type	Fellowship
Course to study	View courses
Sponsor	The British Academy
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship

The scheme is covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) regime. Currently, the Academy funds 80% of salary costs, directly allocated and indirect costs under FEC. The Fellowship is tenable for three years, starting Autumn 2025 in a UK-based university or higher education institution.

The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Courses

• Humanities and Social Sciences

Requirements for The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Qualification

1. British citizens and any nationals from the European Economic Area are eligible, regardless of where their doctorate was obtained. Anyone of any nationality who has a doctorate from a UK university is eligible.
   1. If an applicant does not meet the prior categories, they may be accepted if they can demonstrate ‘strong prior association’ with the UK academic community. This typically means a current significant period – with a minimum period of one year, which will need to be completed prior to your application being submitted - of employment at a UK institution in either a teaching or research position which is not permanent. Postgraduate degrees (MA or MSc) do not count.
2. Early Career Status: There is no age criterion for these awards. Instead, eligible applicants are expected to be at an early stage of their career. This is defined as being within three years from the date of your successful Viva Voce examination.
3. This period extends from 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2025.
   1. Exemption from this criterion may be granted for reasons occurring after the date of the viva voce examination such as: maternity leave, illness, family commitments etc. If you wish to apply for exemptions, please send us an email at [email protected] where we will review your case for an exemption on a case-by-case basis.
4. The applicant must already be of postdoctoral status at the time when the Research Awards Committee meets. Applicants who expect to have had their viva by 1 April 2025, are eligible for consideration, but will have to withdraw their application if the examination is not completed on time.
5. No applicant who has been appointed to a permanent academic post in an institution of higher education at any time in their career, whether in the UK or overseas, will be eligible. This includes positions held before the award of a doctorate.
   1. Exemption from this condition will generally be granted if an applicant has held a permanent role of less than 0.5 FTE. Please send us an email at [email protected] to apply for an exemption.
6. The British Academy does not allow for resubmissions for the Postdoctoral Fellowship. If you have previously applied and failed to reach the Second Stage of the competition, you are not eligible to re-apply. Previously unsuccessful applicants will only be able to submit another application if specifically invited to do so by the British Academy.

It is important for those considering an application to think carefully about whether they and their proposed project are at a sufficiently advanced stage to be submitted to such a competitive scheme.

Interview date, Process and Venue for The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship

Assessors evaluate each proposal based on academic merit: Taking into account its originality, its relationship to, and the volume of, research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the research proposed, the suitability of the methodology, the feasibility of the research programme, the specificity of the scheme of research and the intended outcomes. Assessors will evaluate the ability of the applicant to undertake the proposed research, taking into account their track record in terms of publication, their academic age and stage of career. Assessors may take into account evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.

Once your application has been fully submitted, you will not be contacted again by the British Academy until decisions have been made. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of January 2025. Results are issued by email.

Applicants in any doubt about their eligibility or any other aspect of their application are advised to contact the Research Funding Office at the British Academy.

Email: [email protected]

Date: 

• Scheme opens: 3 July 2024
• Deadline for submissions: 17:00 BST on 2 October 2024
• Results announced by email to address on application: early January 2025

Application Deadline

October 2, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to The British Academy on britishacademy.flexigrant.com to apply

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS),Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is Wednesday 2 October 2024 (17:00 BST).

For more details visit: The British Academy' website.