Social Science Research Council
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) are pleased to announce a fellowship for scholars from the Americas to visit and engage in collaborative activities with members of ESRC-supported projects in Britain, or for British scholars at ESRC-supported projects to visit collaborators in the Americas, between June 2008 and September 2009. Approximately eighteen research fellowships of up to £5000 (approx. $9950) will be awarded. Applications can be submitted to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org. The deadline for applying is April 4, 2008.
GOALS OF THE FELLOWSHIP
The ESRC and the SSRC have a common mission of promoting, funding, and disseminating important and socially useful knowledge in the social sciences. This is the fifth round of a scheme designed to encourage communication and cooperation between social scientists in the United Kingdom and the Americas and to explore and develop possibilities for future joint research
More information about the goals and activities of the ESRC and the SSRC is available on their respective websites:
ELIGIBILITY
Suitably qualified applicants from the Americas must be endorsed by the holder of a major ESRC award (i.e. Director of the ESRC-supported centre, programme, group or network or a holder of the Large Grant or Professorial Fellow) with whom they are interested in collaborating. A complete listing of ESRC major award holders can be found here.
Interested scholars may initiate contact with the relevant ESRC award holder and propose a collaborative agenda for their visits. Similarly, scholars at ESRC-funded investments who wish to visit the Americas should seek endorsement of their application from their ESRC Director or relevant award holder. Alternatively, Directors may also approach scholars in the Americas with whom they would like to collaborate.
All ESRC Directors and relevant award holders have been alerted to this call. As the Directors and other ESRC award holders are allowed to make only one nomination, they will be responsible for nominating their preferred visitor in the event that several scholars in the Americas approach them.
Applicants from the Americas should have received a Ph.D in one of the social sciences (including history) by the time the proposed visiting fellowship would start. They should have been based in the country from which they are applying for at least two years before the application deadline of April 4, 2008. A list of eligible countries can be found here.
The fellowship scheme is open to scholars from universities, colleges, independent research organisations, and public agencies in the Americas and to scholars at ESRC-supported centres, programmes, groups and networks, as well as holders of Large Grants awards or Professorial Fellowships in Britain.
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
Fundable activities include but are not strictly limited to:
- engaging in collaborative or complementary research that will add a new international comparative focus to existing or new research projects;
- engaging with a range of researchers, including younger scholars, to stimulate international and comparative dimensions to their thinking;
- writing co-authored papers, articles, and books;
- developing new proposals for joint research.
ESRC and SSRC would like to encourage applications for exploring and establishing new collaborations between researchers in the UK and the Americas, but will also support proposals that build on already existing links. ESRC and SSRC would like to highlight the opportunities these fellowships present to establishing links with researchers in Latin America.
Applicants should take care to explain in detail what benefits and value their proposed collaboration would offer to their own and their collaborator's research or what potential it has to advance future cooperation between scholars research institutions in the Americas and the UK.
Applicants proposing to establish a new collaboration should present a clear programme and timeline for engagement. Applicants should explain whether they expect and how they plan to turn their research agenda into ongoing scholarly exchange and cooperation; and what potential outputs could be expected in the short and longer-term.
Applicants proposing to build on an existing collaboration are expected to present a clearly defined and well developed work programme and a timetable. They should include a track record of previous collaboration and explain how this fellowship will contribute to furthering their collaboration. They should also detail the specific outputs that would be expected following the fellowship.
Preference will be given to applicants:
- whose proposed research and writing offers clear opportunities for collaboration or comparative development;
- whose research agenda will result in ongoing scholarly exchange and cooperation;
- whose work has the potential to advance future cooperation between scholars in the Americas and British scholars and research institutions;
- whose visit will be particularly timely given the stage in the lifecycle of the ESRC project.
AWARD AND REQUIREMENTS
The amount of each visiting fellowship award will vary according to project needs up to a maximum of £5000 (or roughly $9,500). Funds may be used for transportation, accommodation, living expenses, and, exceptionally, to cover salary costs for the duration of the visit (a strong case will need to be made for this).
Visits may take place at any time of year, starting on or after June 1, 2008 as long as they are completed by September 1, 2009. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they visit at a time when productive collaboration with their hosts is most likely, taking into consideration differences in academic calendars as well as programme meetings or conferences relevant to the applicant's research and writing agenda. The length of the visit should reflect the nature of the project but we anticipate that most visits will last between 1-3 months. Applicants are encouraged to seek additional funding for their visits from other sources.
Visiting fellows will be expected to give at least one talk/seminar to the host department and to other relevant colleagues. On their return, they will also be asked to write a short report on their visit, describing their accomplishments, and their plans for on-going collaboration, and making suggestions for improving upon or expanding such scholarly exchanges and collaborations.
Awards shall be made to the ESRC award holder hosting/nominating the fellow. Awardees will be informed by the relevant award holder how to claim expenses.
APPLICATION PROCESS
This call is administered by the SSRC. Applicants should submit the following materials to the SSRC:
1. Completed application form, available here
2. Curriculum Vitae (2 pages)
3. Please include a budget detailing expenses for travel, lodging, living expenses, and (where a strong case can be made) salary costs to be supported by the award, and also indicating additional sources of support for these and any other related activities. (The Visiting Fellowship award may be used to supplement other funding, for which a full budget is required)
4. A description of proposed activities (maximum 5 pages/1250 words, including bibliography and appendices) including the nature and timeline of the work and collaboration to be undertaken and the expected social science contributions of the project
5. A letter of nomination from the Director of the sponsoring ESRC research centre, programme, group, network or Large Grant award holder or Professorial Fellow, including a statement indicating why the visit would benefit the ESRC investment (2 pages)
The deadline to submit an application is 4th April 2008 (12pm GMT or 5pm EST). Applications should be emailed to visiting.scholars@ssrc.org with the applicant's full name in the subject heading. Items 1-4 listed above should be included with this email. Item 5 (letter of nomination) should be emailed directly to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org by the nominator.
We will not accept materials in the mail or by fax.
Awards will be announced in the middle of May 2008. Supported activities can begin on or after June 1, 2008 and continue until September 1, 2009.
Any questions about the ESRC/SSRC fellowship should be directed to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org.
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