How to apply

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This webpage focuses on providing supporting information for fellowship applications. The funding landscape can be confusing at times, and the application process can be very time consuming if not well organised. Any application should roughly follow the 3 main steps listed below:

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Collecting Information

  • Have a look at our research webpages and identify research groups and staff members who might be possible hosts. You should be able to find recent publications and brief research description for every research active member of the School.
  • Select fellowship schemes for which you can apply. Carefully check whether you meet the eligibility requirements and whether there is sufficient time to meet the application deadline. Keep in mind that with most schemes the application has to be in a specific format and needs to be processed by the administration here at Glasgow University prior to submission. You should allow at least 3-4 weeks for the entire application process.

Contacting the Host

After you have chosen one or several possible fellowship schemes contact the person in the School you feel is closest to your research interests and who can support your application. For this step it is helpful if you can send

  • a curriculum vitae,
  • a publication list,
  • a brief outline of your past and future research and
  • an informal recommendation letter from your current supervisor.

Even if they already know you personally, this information will be helpful for initiating the application process at Glasgow University. For instance, most fellowships require a supporting letter from the Head of School and a costing sheet detailing your salary based on your previous experience. It will also allow your potential host to decide whether you are sufficiently qualified to apply for your selected fellowship scheme.

The decision whether to support an application will be at the discretion of your host, so please prepare your documents carefully.

Preparing and Submitting the Application

After you and your host have decided which fellowship scheme to pursue, it is time to start writing the application and to formulate a research project. While for many schemes the main responsibility for the application and the project description rests with you, your host will be happy to support you in this based on his own experience.

Please pay attention to the following points:

  • Allow sufficient time for the preparation of the application. Even documents that you might already have written (such as a CV or a research track record) will often require careful rewriting in order to meet the requirements of the potential funding agency. This can be a time consuming process and should not be underestimated.
  • Contact potential referees well in advance. This will ensure that they have adequate time to write recommendation letters in order to support your application in the best possible way.
  • Be aware of the submission procedure. The recommendation letters as well as any other supporting documents and the application itself will usually be submitted electronically via a webportal. Details of the submission procedure can be found in the respective funding guides of the various schemes; consult the webpages of the relevant research councils. Again, it needs to be emphasized that prior to submission the application needs to be approved by various offices here at Glasgow University and therefore the actual deadline for finishing the application is in general 5-7 days before the deadline for the submission set by the funding agency.