Deadline: July 28, 2025
Applications are open for the British Council 90th Anniversary Research Fellowships at the University of Edinburgh 2026. The British Council celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2024. They are delighted to announce a research partnership between the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh and the British Council.
They are awarding two 12-month Fellowships starting in January 2026 – open to postdoctoral researchers based in any ODA-recipient country where the British Council operates. Fellows will spend the first ten months of their Fellowships at IASH, followed by up to two months based in their home countries focused on knowledge exchange and dissemination in collaboration with the British Council.
The Fellowship provides a bursary monthly and travel expenses as well as desk space, library access and academic mentoring as part of the vibrant scholarly community of visiting fellows at IASH. Fellows will also be expected to engage closely with the British Council throughout their Fellowships (including visits to UK offices), with the option to spend time in a British Council office in their home country as part of the knowledge exchange component of the Fellowship.
Benefits
British Council 90th Anniversary Research Fellowship provides:
- Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for ten months, followed by up to two months based in their home countries focused on knowledge exchange and dissemination
- Bursary of £2,500 per month for 12 months
- Dedicated office space, University e-mail and library access
- A University mentor from an area relevant to the Fellows’ research interests
- Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
- Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
- Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College
- Opportunities to participate in and design funded workshops, colloquia, etc at the Institute
Eligibility
- Applications are invited from ODA-recipient countries where the British Council operates.
- Applicants must also have been awarded a doctorate at the time of application, and normally within the last seven years (i.e. you should have graduated between 2018 and 2025, although earlier graduates may be eligible if they have taken significant career breaks since completing their doctorate; if you have not yet graduated, you must be able to produce a transcript, testamur, or a letter of completion/eligibility to graduate as part of your application, showing that your viva examination has been successfully completed and all necessary corrections made to your thesis; you do not need to have actually graduated at the time you apply).
- You should not have held a permanent position at a university, or a previous Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Those who have held temporary, recurring and/or short-term appointments are eligible to apply. If you have taken parental leave or other time away from academia, this will not count towards the three-year limit, but they ask that you provide brief details of why and for how long you were not working.
Assessment Criteria
Applications will be considered by an assessment panel comprised of University of Edinburgh and British Council staff. Assessment will take account of the extent to which candidates meet the following criteria:
- A research and/or professional background and academic record that relates to broad thematic remit of the programme.
- A research proposal with clear potential to support the British Council’s objectives for the programme.
- Demonstrable experience of engaging non-academic audiences and stakeholders in research (e.g. through engagement with policy makers, practitioners, artists or other public audiences).
- A clear commitment to knowledge exchange and dissemination as part of the fellowship and beyond the timeframe of the fellowship itself, based on the networks, insights and learnings developed through their research.
Application
- In addition to the application form, CV and research proposal, a cover letter outlining how the Fellowship will support the British Council’s objectives for this programme is required, as well as a minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references.
- Applicants should ask their referees to email their reference to the Director at [email protected] by the deadline. If references are not received by this date, your application cannot be considered.
- Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant. One referee should certify the successful viva (defence) and final examination of the candidate’s PhD thesis.
For more information, visit British Council 90th Anniversary Research Fellowships.
