Deadline: 26 July 2024

Applications are now open for the British Council 90th anniversary research fellowships at the University of Edinburgh 2025 . Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024, the British Council is delighted to announce a new research partnership with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh.

They are awarding two 12-month fellowships starting in January 2025 - open to postdoctoral researchers based in any ODA (Official Development Assistance) recipient country where the British Council operates. The fellows will spend the first ten months of their fellowships at IASH, followed by up to two months in their home countries, focussed on knowledge exchange and dissemination in collaboration with the British Council.

In short, a British Council 90th anniversary research grant in 2025 offers:

• Research visit to the University of Edinburgh for ten months, followed by up to two months in their home countries, with a focus on knowledge exchange and dissemination
• Scholarship of £2,500 per month for 12 months
• Dedicated office space, university e-mail and library access
• A university mentor from a field relevant to the fellows' research interests
• Scholars' weekly lunch to build community
• Series of collegial workshops underway to test new ideas
• Calendar of events at the Institute and Faculty
• Opportunities to participate in and design workshops, colloquia, etc. funded at the Institute

Eligibility

• These are early career scholarships, which means that candidates must have completed their doctorate within seven years.
• Applicants must be resident in an ODA beneficiary country where the British Council operates and must be qualified to carry out research at post-doctoral level for the scholarship.

Selection criteria

Applications will be considered by an evaluation panel made up of staff from the University of Edinburgh and the British Council.

The assessment will take into account the extent to which candidates fulfil the following criteria.

• A research and/or professional experience and academic record related to the broad thematic mission of the programme, described above.
• A research proposal with clear potential to support the British Council's objectives for the programme, described above.
• Demonstrable experience of engaging non-academic audiences and stakeholders in research (e.g. through engagement with policy makers, practitioners, artists or other audiences).
• A clear commitment to the exchange and dissemination of knowledge as part of the scholarship and beyond the period of the scholarship itself, based on the networks, insights and learnings developed through their research.

Application

• In addition to the application form, a minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references and a covering letter describing how the scholarship will support the British Council's objectives for this programme are required.
• Candidates should ask their referees to send their references by email to the Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 26 July 2024. If references are not received by this date, your application cannot be considered.
• The referees must comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the candidate's qualifications. A referee must certify the approval of the defence and final examination of the candidate's doctoral thesis.

Fill in the online application form  here . Any additional supporting documents relating to an application should be sent by e-mail to  iash@ed.ac.uk .