The AHRC Fellowships scheme is being revised to enhance the development of research leadership. Key changes include longer award durations of 6-18 months, increased budgets of £50,000-£250,000, and a focus on earlier career researchers. The aims are to provide time for individual research and collaboration, support projects with transformative impact, and develop research leadership capabilities. Research excellence remains the core requirement.

1. AHRC Fellowships Scheme
Katherine Warren
Strategy and Development Manager
20 January 2012

2. Changes to the Fellowships scheme
• Revised in line with AHRC’s Delivery Plan to
enhance the development of research leadership
• More flexible in the range of activities supported
and length of award
• Research excellence remains the core
requirement
• AHRC to work in partnership with researchers
and their Research Organisations to develop
leadership capacity and capabilities
• Move away from ‘completion’ – projects at an
earlier stage of development which will lead to
substantial outputs

3. Changes to the Fellowships scheme
• Move to longer and larger awards
• Minimum duration of 6 months
• Maximum duration of 18 months for
standard route and 24 months for early
career
• Full economic cost of between £50,000
and £250,000
• Annual budget remains at £8m but fewer,
more prestigious awards will be made

4. Aims of the Scheme
• To provide time for focussed individual research
as well as collaborative activities
• To support research projects which have the
potential to generate a transformative impact on
their subject area and beyond and/or are of
exceptional intellectual scope and importance
• To develop capacity for research leadership
• To sustain and enhance research capacity on
areas which may be under-supported
• To support AHRC in delivering its strategic
priorities and national capability needs

5. Additional aims for early career route
• To develop the experience and capabilities of early
career researchers in a crucial phase of their
careers as they establish themselves and develop
beyond doctoral and immediate post-doctoral
work
• To enable the production of high quality
innovative research that moves significantly
beyond doctoral projects
• To provide opportunities to develop research
management skills, including – where appropriate
people management through supervision of a
Research Assistant

6. Eligibility for the early career route
• At the point of application, applicants must be:
• within eight years of the award of their PhD or
equivalent professional training
• OR within six years of their first academic
appointment
• In addition, they must have at least two years of
post-doctoral experience in an academic/research
environment or an equivalent level of
professional/practice experience
• These durations should exclude any period of
career break (e.g. maternity leave, sick leave)
• They must have an existing contract with the HEI

7. Time Commitment
• Fellows can commit 100% of their time to a
Fellowship for a maximum of 12 months
• Awards over 12 months in duration must include a
part-time element, during which the Fellow should
be actively engaged with the research culture of
the HEI (e.g. teaching, admin, research)
• Time commitment may vary over the duration of
the award, but the minimum average over the
lifetime of the award must be at least 50% of their
normal contracted hours
• During periods of 100% commitment, no other
activities are permitted with the exception of
some post-graduate supervision

8. Collaboration
• Proposal must outline both the individual research
to be undertaken and the collaborative activities
that will help to develop research leadership
• For example:
• research networking or similar activities
• knowledge exchange activities
• public engagement activities
• interdisciplinary engagement
• shadowing, placement or visiting roles
• supervision of an Research Assistant
• producing collaborative outputs

9. Leadership activities
• Developing research leadership a key element of the
scheme, a compelling case should be made
• Leadership role should be commensurate with career
stage but reflect on development opportunity
• Some examples include:
• providing intellectual leadership
• shaping research agendas
• developing emerging areas, methods,
approaches
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• encouraging new partnerships, including
international and non-academic

10. Research Organisation commitment
• RO needs to demonstrate that it has been highly
selective in the applications submitted
• Provide evidence of commitment to career
development before, during and after the
Fellowship
• Strong institutional support an important
criterion
• Head of Department statement required
• Mentor statement for early career applicants

11. Assessment and Peer Review process
• Proposals can be submitted at any time
• Assessment process should take about 30 weeks
• Start date should be no earlier than 9 months
after submission and no later than 18 months
• However, earliest start date is 1 January 2013
• Proposals will be assessed by 3 peer reviewers
• PI Response stage
• Move to a single moderating panel which will look
at proposals across all subject areas
• At least 4 meetings a year

12. Additional information
• AHRC will continue to use highlight notices to
encourage applications in areas of strategic
importance, national capability or emerging
priorities
• Fellows expected to work more closely with AHRC,
by attending events for Fellows, participating in
training and development activities, contributing
to peer review etc
• Do not propose to impose limits on the number of
proposals submitted by HEIs but will keep this
under review

13. Any questions?