A portrait of Daphne Jackson

If your question about Daphne Jackson Fellowships is not answered below, please contact us.

Who pays my research costs?

Daphne Jackson Fellowships cover your salary and extraordinary expenses. Extraordinary expenses are specifically for retraining costs – these currently stand at £1500 per year and cover attendance and travel to Daphne Jackson training courses, conference registration and travel, learned society memberships, other training courses.

Other costs – bench fees, consumables, other research costs (e.g. costs of using facilities, equipment purchase, equipment hire, maintenance, computing hardware and software) – must be met by your host organisation. These costs vary widely depending on your project but should be considered and agreed in principle during the application process.

Occasionally, some Advertised Sponsored Fellowships may provide some money towards consumables.

Who provides my salary?

The Fellowships are funded by external organisations such as UKRI, universities, medical research charities and learned societies – please visit ‘Sponsors’ for more information. The Daphne Jackson Trust does not provide the funding but acts as a facilitator between the sponsor and the Fellow.

What flexible working options are available during a Fellowship?

The Fellowships are usually for two or three years (depending on the sponsorship arrangement) at 0.5 FTE (full-time equivalent). How you work your FTE is entirely between yourself and your supervisor and we encourage you to be creative to fit around your other commitments and the nature of the project. For example, and if relevant, some Fellows like to work more hours in school term time and fewer in the school holidays.

What determines whether a Fellowship is for two or three years?

The Fellowships are funded by external organisations such as UKRI, universities, medical research charities and learned societies. The length of the Fellowship is determined by the level of sponsorship available for the project.

How long does my career break need to be?

To be eligible for a Fellowship, a break from research of two years or more is required. The career break must have started for a family, caring or health reason.  Non-research work taken on since you left research can be considered part of your career break depending on circumstances. Please contact us if you are unsure.

My career break was 18 months. Am I eligible for a Fellowship?

Not yet, a minimum 2-year break from research is required. Non-research work taken on since you left research can be considered part of your career break depending on circumstances. Please contact us if you are unsure.

Is there a maximum length of career break?

No, we will consider any length of career break over 2-years as long as your break was due to family, caring or health reasons.

How long must I have worked before having a break?

As a minimum, you must have a first degree and a PhD, or at least 3-years equivalent research experience (academic or industrial) with evidence of research impact and outcomes.

I have returned to my clinical career after a career break and would now like to restart my research, can I apply?

Daphne Jackson Fellowships are not suitable for clinicians looking to restart their research careers. Please look at alternative sources of funding such as NIHR.

Does it matter why I took a break from research?

Your career break must have been for family, caring or health reasons.

Do I have to have a PhD to be eligible for a Fellowship?

No, but you must have a first degree (and ideally a PhD) in a research discipline preferably related to the area of the proposed Fellowship – or at least three years equivalent research experience (academic or industrial) with evidence of research impacts and outcomes. Unfortunately, incomplete PhD studies do not contribute to 3-years of equivalent research experience but please contact the Trust if you are unsure.

 

I am a school teacher, do I fit the criteria for a Fellowship?

If you have retrained and worked as a school teacher during your career break this would not make you ineligible as long as you have a first degree and ideally a PhD, or at least 3-years equivalent research experience (academic or industrial) with evidence of scholarly outputs prior to your break from research.

I had the opportunity to do some research during my career break, does that matter?

If you did any paid research during your career break, you will not be eligible for one of our Fellowships.

If you did research on a voluntary basis, it may affect your eligibility – we would encourage a small amount of voluntary work (around 2 – 4 weeks) for you to see for yourself whether returning to research is something you want to commit to. If you work voluntarily as a researcher for longer periods of time, you may have done a large amount of retraining already, which would mean that you are not eligible for one of our Fellowships as retraining is a core element of the Fellowship. Please contact the Trust if you are unsure.

Do I have to remain in the UK after my Fellowship?

Fellowships are for those who are resident in the UK and ideally intend to remain in the UK following their Fellowships.

My English is very poor, am I still eligible?

To maximise your chances of obtaining a Fellowship, you must be able to speak and write English fluently. It is advisable to obtain some lessons to improve your language skills if your English is not fluent.

Are the Fellowships just for women?

No, Fellowships are for anyone wanting to return to research.

How much will I get paid?

Each host organisation has different pay scales and you will be paid on a scale in relation to other researchers in the department or organisation.

Will I have to work set hours?

Daphne Jackson Fellows work 0.5 FTE. Your working pattern should be decided between you and your supervisor and can be flexible according to the demands of the project and the working pattern that suits you and your supervisor.

Will I have the opportunity to attend conferences?

Yes, attendance at conferences is normal during the Fellowship and often leads to contacts that help in securing a position after the Fellowship. Many Fellows use their extraordinary expenses to cover the cost of conference attendance.

Do you offer your Fellows any training courses?

All of our Fellows take part in three tailor-made courses organised by the Trust during their  Fellowship.  The three courses cover professional skills, how to publish and how to improve your confidence. It is a great opportunity to meet and network with other Fellows. Other training courses are usually provided by the host.

Is there any money provided for me to go to conferences or training courses?

Each Fellow is given £1500 per year as extraordinary expenses to pay for the costs associated with attending conferences or training courses. For example, costs could include conference registration, learned society membership or travel costs to training courses.

How long will it take from when I apply for a Fellowship to when I start?

The application process takes approximately a year from the date when the forms are submitted to being awarded. Please see the application process section of the website for further details.

Is applying for a Fellowship a competitive process?

Yes, there is an element of competition. For Advertised Sponsored Fellowships, the sponsor selects which candidate(s) goes through the application process and therefore you will be in competition with other applicants. For Regular Fellowships, the Trust approaches potential sponsors that are relevant for the project. There will be competition with other projects and ideas the sponsor is considering to fund.

Should I carry on applying for other jobs, other fellowships and funding while going through the application process for a Daphne Jackson Fellowship?

Yes.  Our goal is for you to return to work after a career break, if you don’t need one of our Fellowships to do that, that’s great and it means that we are able to help others who do need our help.

Do you give grants or fund PhDs?

No, this is not within our remit.

Can my partner be the supervisor for my project?

We appreciate that it is quite common for the partner of a Daphne Jackson Fellow to have an established career in a research field similar to that of a Daphne Jackson Fellowship. Despite this, the Trust position is that it is not appropriate for your partner to be your supervisor as there is a conflict of interest even if you have worked together before. This is in line with the policy of many UK Universities and research institutes.

I am working as a full time assistant Professor teaching undergraduates, am I still eligible for a Fellowship?

No you are not eligible as this would be deemed a successful follow on position after a Fellowship.

Can I appeal the Awards Assessment Panel's decision?

No, the Awards Assessment Panel’s decision is final and we have no appeals process.

Is Maternity leave counted towards the Career Break?

If you have been on maternity leave, then you would not be eligible to apply until you have a clear two year break.

However, if your extended maternity leave was for extenuating circumstances, then do apply and send your forms to us for further review.