Deadline: January 24, 2024
Applications are open for the Royal Society Career Development Fellowship 2024. The Career Development Fellowship (CDF) is a four-year, postdoctoral research fellowship that aims to support the retention in STEM of researchers from underrepresented backgrounds. The scheme will initially run as a pilot with researchers from Black heritage. If successful, the pilot may be broadened to researchers from other underrepresented groups.
The scheme has been developed following cross-sector roundtables and Royal Society-commissioned reports which looked at trends across 11 years of Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) data and benchmarked the Society’s early career fellowships (PDF) against the eligible applicant pool. This process identified a need for interventions across the academic pipeline to support researchers from Black or Mixed Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black heritage backgrounds, particularly researchers making the transition from postgraduate to early postdoctoral stages.
Fellowships will provide funding to conduct high-quality research and a comprehensive programme of mentoring, training and networking opportunities to support award holders in establishing a successful research career in the UK.
Benefits
- Up to £690,000 over four years to cover the Research Fellow’s salary and associated on-costs (at 80%), directly allocated costs (at 80%) and research expenses;
- A high-quality programme of training, mentoring and engagement to support career development;
- Flexibility to accommodate personal circumstances including part-time working. There is also provision for maternity, paternity, adoptive or extended sick leave.
Applicants can request relocation and visa costs for themselves and their dependants (partner and children). These costs can be requested in addition to the total grant cap of £690,000 over four years.
Eligibility
- Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics.
- You can apply for the pilot scheme if you:
- Self-identify as being from a Black heritage including mixed Black background;
and - Have a PhD or will have one by the time the funding starts; but have less than 24 months post-doctoral experience;
- Self-identify as being from a Black heritage including mixed Black background;
- Both UK and non-UK domiciled researchers who wish to conduct their research in the UK are eligible.
Application
Ensure you submit your application by January 24, 2024; you can only do this once all participants (e.g. Head of Department, nominated referee, etc) have completed their sections of the application form and clicked ‘save and submit’
For more information, visit Royal Society.
