Following on from the opening of the 2016 Individual Fellowships (IF) call, the EU and International Team is organising a workshop for IF proposal development, writes Ross Hanley, EU and International Team. 

Who is this event for?

Any staff member planning to submit a proposal to the 2016 Individual Fellowships call – deadline of 14 September 2016 – as either supervisor/PI or fellow. 

Date: Tuesday 21 June
Time: 10am to 12 noon
Venue: Humanties Lecture Theatre, Main Building

What will be covered?

Come to this event, organised by the EU and International Team within the Research Support Office, for insights from an MSCA IF evaluator, to hear about the experiences of our most recent successful applicants and from the EU Team on the support that we can provide for your application.

You will gain a clear understanding of the aims and objectives of the Individual Fellowships as well as some key points to increase your proposal’s chances of success.

You will also take away a clear idea of what is involved in preparing and submitting a proposal and an awareness of the various ways in which the EU Team can support you.

• Dr Lisa Debruine and Dr Anthony Lee (Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology), supervisor and fellow respectively on a successful MSCA IF proposal from the 2015 call, will recount their experiences of working together on their proposal including agreeing a research topic, developing the proposal and managing the application and award process.

• Dr Karen Keeshan (MVLS, Institute of Cancer Sciences), current IF evaluator for the European Commission, will discuss the evaluation process and give you an insight into what the EC is really looking for.

• The EU Team will tell you about the application structure and submission process and key points to remember when preparing your proposal, as well as the support that the EU Team can provide to your application.

How to register

Please contact Elaine Calder, Grants and Contracts Manager: Elaine.Calder@glasgow.ac.uk (5957).

Register by Wednesday 15 June, stating whether you are applying as PI/supervisor or fellow.

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Individual Fellowships in brief

Individual Fellowships allow individual researchers at postdoctoral level and beyond to work on a project of their own design, in any field of research, which advances their careers.  The researcher works on the proposal in close collaboration with a supervisor at their chosen host institution. 

IFs are also for researchers without a doctorate but who have at least four years of full-time research experience. The researcher must move to the UK for the project or have recently arrived in the UK before the deadline. 

The 2016 call for proposals for Individual Fellowships opened in April and closes at 4pm UK time on 14 September.

The IFs present PIs with an opportunity to bring excellent postdocs here to Glasgow:

  • Exploit/create synergies with existing grants, by designing a complementary IF project;
  • Use an IF application as a first step in formalising informal collaborations;
  • Enter into new collaborations with groups/teams/labs at other institutions;
  • Strengthen existing collaborations;
  • Initiate new activity, by finding researchers to work on a particular IF project;
  • Develop or strengthen a particular area of work through a fellow who adds something to the group/team/lab – this two-way flow of benefits is crucial to a successful IF proposal;
  • Boost profile by supervising postdocs very likely to become leaders in their fields

Researchers already here may be able to apply for fellowships to be held at Glasgow.  Have you arrived in the UK since September 2015?  If so, you could be eligible to apply.

The success rate (2015) for proposals with UK host institutions is approaching 19%!

PIs can use their networks to identify researchers who may be interested in coming to work here

  • Approach key collaborators for potential fellows
  • Promote the idea of undertaking a fellowship at Glasgow during conferences
  • Review postdocs currently working with you – eligible if resident in the UK less than 12 months at deadline, 14/09/2016, so recent appointees may be eligible

The grant provides good financial support (figures areapproximate and depend on exchange rates)

  • Researcher gross salary of approximately £52,000
  • Research, training and networking costs of approximately £7,500 per year
  • Management and overheads of approximately £6,000 per year

Supervisors for an IF provide hands-on support in application development, linking the project to Glasgow as host and if the proposal is successful

  • Integrate the researcher into the team/group/lab and facilitate networking
  • Help develop and then supervise the researcher's training and plans for career development

Interested in this opportunity or simply want more information? 

Please contact the EU Team at rso-eufunding@glasgow.ac.uk or speak to your usual contact within the team.

First published: 6 June 2016

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