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Fellowships

• Eligibility Criteria
• How to apply
• Application process
• Research project
• Retraining programme
• Guidelines for Candidates
• Extraordinary expenses
• Special discretionary fund
• Guildelines for referees
• Distribution Map
• Case Study

Application Process for a Sponsored Daphne Jackson Fellowship

Eligibility Check
If the Trust Office believes you may be eligible to apply for a fellowship, your curriculum vitae and related information are passed to a fellowship advisor to conduct an eligibility check. This eligibility check takes the form of a telephone interview and covers your curriculum vitae, career break, need to retrain, field of interest and future employment prospects.

Assessment by Sponsor 
Candidates applying for a sponsored position will be interviewed by the sponsoring body who will select the candidate that they wish to sponsor. Personal references are requested at this time. If successful at this stage, candidates will still need to complete the remaining application stages before being awarded a fellowship. Occasionally, a sponsor will specify the project as well as provide the funding. In this situation, the remaining application process will be fast-tracked.

The successful candidate will be asked to write a draft proposal and will be given guidelines on how to write and present their proposal, comprising of a research project and retraining programme. Candidates can take as long as required preparing their draft proposal. Draft Proposals can be submitted to the Trust for one of four deadlines during the year. The first draft will be assessed for merit and if successful, you will receive an ‘invitation to apply’ letter from the Trust Office.

Your Proposal
Your fellowship advisor will be able to provide feedback and suggestions about your proposal. It is normal for the creation of the proposal to be a reiterative process. You will have been advised on wording, layout and length of your proposal and deadline for submission of your preinterview proposal. At the end of this period, a reference will be requested from your supervisor and you will be asked to attend a first interview.

The Interview
The Trust holds interviews four times a year at a venue convenient to the majority of candidates. The interview is individual to each candidate and includes the candidate’s fellowship advisor and another observer from the Trust Office. The interview is an opportunity for you and the Trust to discuss your background, proposal and future employment prospects in detail.
Questions you may be asked include:
* How did you devise your proposal?
* How will you benefit from the training described in your proposal?
* Will a fellowship fit in with your circumstances (i.e. work/life balance)?
* In what ways do you think you will make use of the fellowship, if you are successful with
your application?
You will have been advised on wording, layout and length of your proposal and timetable in readiness for your interview. You should take notes during the interview as you will be given advice on any changes required to your proposal.
Remember - The interview is in place to help you. Be prepared to ask and answer questions about issues directly related to your return to a STEM career.

Finalising the Proposal
You may be asked to revise your proposal following your interview, taking into account the comments made at the time. You should ask your fellowship advisor to re-review your revised proposal before final submission.

Technical Reference
Trust staff identify and approach an independent technical referee for each application, once the final proposal has been submitted. Technical referees are experts in their field and eminently suitable to comment on the scientific / engineering soundness of the proposal. On occasion, candidates are required to respond to the technical referee’s comments, clarifying or justifying certain aspects of the proposal.

Awards Committee
Once the technical referee has been obtained, the application is sent to the awards committee. The committee has 30 days to make its decision. Occasionally the committee may decide a final interview is needed before a decision can be made. You will be informed if a final interview is required. If the committee approve your proposal, you will be expected to start your fellowship within a month.

Timescales
Deadlines are set at various points during the process to ensure that the procedure is completed within the set timescale. If the deadlines are followed, the application process takes 6 months from the point that you are invited to apply. Extensions may be given for valid, compelling reasons.