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All SAS member institutes welcome proposals from suitably qualified applicants for the British Academy International Fellowships scheme. Formerly known as the Newton International Fellowship, the Scheme aims to attract the most promising early career postdoctoral researchers from overseas in the fields of natural sciences, physical sciences, medical sciences, social sciences and the humanities. 

The deadline for sending expressions of interest to Institute Directors is Tuesday 21st February 2023.

There are several changes to the scheme beyond its new name:

Applicants must have a PhD, or be in the final stages of their PhD, provided it will be completed (including viva) by the start of the fellowship. Applicants should have no more than 7 years of active full time postdoctoral experience at the time of application (discounting career breaks, but including teaching experience and/or time spent in industry). Applicants must be working outside the UK, must not hold UK citizenship, must be competent in oral and written English, and have a clearly fined and mutually-beneficial research proposal agreed with a UK host researcher.

Establishing eligibility is the sole responsibility of the applicant - if you have any doubts, please contact overseas@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Fellowships are now tenable for up to three years (previously two) and the award is offered at 80% fEC. Applicants may apply for research expenses of up to £12,000 and relocation costs of up to £8,000. Applicants will need to justify the level of research expenses and relocation costs requested in their application.

Applicants may also be eligible to receive follow on alumni funding following the tenure of their Fellowship to support networking activities with UK-based or international researchers.

From this round onwards, the British Academy International Fellowship award-holders will no longer be classified as visiting researchers on a stipend, but salaried employees. Award-holders will receive a reasonable salary set by their host institution. Fellowships awarded in the 2023 round will be awarded for three years instead of two. These changes will help to enhance the awards that the Academy can offer, ensuring that we can continue to support and attract excellent international early career researchers to engage with the UK.  

Before applying, please read the Guidance Notes thoroughly.

Process: 

Actions for applicants due by 21st February 2023 at the latest:

Expressions of interest should include

  • a suggested UK host researcher (if not the Institute Director);
  • a CV;
  • a paragraph describing adherence to eligibility criteria;
  • a 100-word abstract; and
  • a brief outline (2 pages maximum) of the research proposal, including intended publications and how the proposal research mutually benefits the UK host and researcher.

Actions for the School:

  • Confirmation of support from the School will be communicated directly to applicants by 28th February 2023.

Working on the Proposal and Internal Processes:

  • Once support has been agreed, Research Services will coordinate the application process:
  • the SAS Co-applicant and/or Director will act as peer reviewers in this call;
  • Draft Costing and ethical assessment will be submitted by 7th March to be undertaken and completed by the 14th March at the very latest (Research Ethics Self Check Form will have been submitted and approved in accordance with the Research Ethics Guidance, which can be found at https://www.sas.ac.uk/discover-our-research/research-governance-policies/research-ethics-policies-and-guidance).
  • Confirmation of nominated referees should also take place before 14th March (one by the Applicant and one by the UK (SAS) Co-applicant)
  • Final paperwork must be submitted to Research Services via the FlexiGrant portal by 21st March at the latest to ensure all checks can be undertaken including the institutional risk assessment and final approval (institutional and online) can be given before the deadline.

If you need any assistance with this call, please contact the University of London Research Services team.