ISRF Mid-Career Fellowship (MCF6)

Eligible Applicants

Scholars from within Europe† are eligible to apply. Applicants will normally hold a salaried position at an Institution of Higher Education and Research. Candidates should be 10 years or more from the year of their PhD award. However, a shorter time from PhD award may exceptionally be considered, if the candidate has other qualifications to be considered as mid-career (these might include: length of appointment to permanent post, seniority, teaching responsibilities). The awards are intended as providing full relief from all teaching duties and all associated academic administration for a period of (up to) one year; applications may be made by those whose sole or principal post is a part-time equivalent.‡

PLEASE NOTE: A Political Economy Fellowship competition is running concurrently. Eligible applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete project proposal (i.e. not the same proposal). Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant. Political Economy applications should not be submitted to the Mid-Career competition.

† There is no limitation on nationality – however, we are unable to consider applications from those whose home institution is not within Europe.

‡ Independent Scholars may apply, and should contact applications2022@isrf.org for further information.

Eligible Research

The ISRF wishes to support independent-minded researchers to explore and present original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems.

Proposed research should break with existing explanatory frameworks so as to address afresh empirical problems with no currently adequate theory or investigative methodology. Innovation may also come from controversial theoretical approaches motivated by critical challenge of incumbent theories.

Interdisciplinarity in the generation of new investigative initiatives may be achieved by combining, cross-fertilising, and so transforming empirical methods and theoretical insights from the social sciences. Projects ranging across the breadth of the social scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary research fields are welcome, and relevant applications from scholars working within the humanities are also encouraged.

Duration & Timing

The awards are intended as providing full relief from all teaching duties and all associated academic administration for a period of up to one year, and must commence no later than end of December 2023.

Value

The amount of an award depends on the nature of the work proposed and individual circumstances – the ISRF expects applications for grants up to a maximum of £75,000† to buy-out the cost of all teaching and associated administration in the applicant’s home institution for up to 12 months. Within that sum, reasonable support for research expenses may be considered on a matched-funding basis with the host Institution.

† PLEASE NOTE: Applicants based in the UK must apply in GBP (£), up to the limit of £75,000. All other applicants must apply in EUR (€), up to the limit of €89,500 (this will not be adjusted in the event of GBP/EUR currency fluctuations).

For further information, Terms & Conditions of award, and to apply, visit https://www.isrf.org/funding-opportunities/grant-competitions/mcf6/.

The closing date for applications is 5pm BST (6pm CEST) on 1st July 2022.