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ESRC/SSRC Collaborative Visiting Fellowships
Not currently accepting applications.
The ESRC and the SSRC are pleased to announce the sixth round of the Collaborative Visiting Fellowships, designed to enable exchange visits between researchers in the United Kingdom and the Americas in order to foster communication, cooperation and joint research. Fellowships support scholars from the Americas to visit ESRC-supported scholars in the United Kingdom and ESRC-supported scholars from the United Kingdom to visit their collaborators in the Americas.
More information about the goals and activities of the ESRC and the SSRC is available on their respective websites:
Eligibility
Scholars who are from the following countries of the Americas and participants in the following ESRC-awards are eligible to submit applications.
Applicants and their collaborators should have received a PhD in one of the social sciences (including history) by the time the proposed visiting fellowship will start. Applicants should have been based in the country from which they are applying for at least two years before the application deadline of 20 March 2009.
The ESRC and SSRC encourage applications from scholars seeking to explore and establish new collaborations between the UK and the Americas, but will also support proposals from scholars with existing links upon which they wish to build new research activities.
ESRC and SSRC highlight the opportunities these fellowships present to establishing links between researchers in Latin America and the United Kingdom.
Competition Guidelines
Fundable activities include but are not strictly limited to:
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engaging in collaborative or complementary research that will add a new international comparative focus to existing or new research projects
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engaging with a range of researchers, including younger scholars, to stimulate international and comparative dimensions to their thinking
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writing co-authored papers, articles or books
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developing new proposals for joint research
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 and its potential to advance future cooperation between scholars in the Americas and the UK scholars and research institutions.
Applicants proposing to establish a new collaboration should explain whether and how they expect 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 a prior or existing collaboration must: describe their track record in the collaboration; explain how the Fellowship would enable them not only to build upon this relationship but also to add a qualitatively new dimension to their research; and describe additional specific outputs they expect to result from the Fellowship.
All applicants should present a clearly defined work programme and a timetable for engagement, including start and end dates. ESRC must be informed of any change in circumstances that prevent the visit being undertaken in the specified time.
The fellowships are highly competitive and proposals are expected to be for research of the highest standard. Preference will be given to applicants:
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who clearly show how their proposed activities will be strengthened by opportunities for collaboration or comparative development
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whose proposed activities will result in concrete outcomes such as further proposals, dissemination of research findings, publications, workshop or conference presentations, etc
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whose research agenda offers opportunities for continuing collaboration in the future
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whose visit will be particularly timely given the stage in the lifecycle of the ESRC project and the track records and goals of the collaborators.
Applications will be assessed jointly by ESRC and SSRC; decisions on awards will be final.
Award Requirements
The amount of each Visiting Fellowship award will vary according to project needs, up to a maximum of £5000 (roughly $7,420). Applications must be made in pounds sterling. Awards will be made to the nominating ESRC Director or award holder, who will inform the Fellow how to claim expenses against the award.
Funds may be used for travel and reasonable accommodation and living expenses. In exceptional circumstances funds may be used to cover salary costs for the duration of the visit, however, a strong case will need to be made for this. Funds may not be used to cover travel or accommodation for the applicant’s friends or family.
Visits can take place at any time of year, but must start on or after 1 June 2009 and be completed by 31 August 2010. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their visit is made 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 and to give details of any such funding in their application.
Visiting fellows will be expected to give at least one talk/seminar to the host department and to other relevant colleagues. It is a requirement of the Fellowship that, within 3 months of the end of their visit, Visiting Fellows submit to ESRC a short report on their visit, describing their accomplishments, their plans for on-going collaboration, and making suggestions for improving upon or expanding such scholarly exchanges and collaborations.
Application Process
Eligible applicants from both the Americas and the United Kingdom must be nominated by the holder of one of the major ESRC awards: the Director of an ESRC-supported centre, programme, group or network; a holder of a Large Grant; or a Professorial Fellow on the linked list. Directors and other ESRC award holders, who have been alerted to this call, must nominate their preferred application. For the first time two nominations may be considered, where the Director feels both proposals offer outstanding opportunities for collaboration.
Interested scholars in the Americas must initiate contact with a relevant ESRC award holder in order to propose a research agenda and identify scholars with whom they might collaborate during their visit. Similarly, scholars at ESRC-funded investments who wish to visit the Americas must identify scholars with whom they would collaborate within the Americas and seek endorsement for their application from their ESRC Director or relevant award holder. Directors may approach scholars in the Americas with whom they would like to foster collaboration.
All of the following application materials must be sent to the SSRC by emails that are addressed to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org and include the applicant’s name in the subject line.
1. A completed application form (take care to complete every section of the form and to adhere to the maximum word/page lengths, where stated
2. Curriculum Vitae (maximum of 2 pages)
3. A letter of nomination from the Director of the sponsoring ESRC research centre, programme, group or network, Large Grant holder, or Professorial Fellow. This should include a statement indicating why the visit would benefit the ESRC investment (maximum of 2 pages). Nominators should email the letter of endorsement directly to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org, with the full name of the nominee in the subject heading.
The deadline for submitting all application materials is: 12 noon GMT or 5pm EST, 20 March 2009.
We will not accept applications after this deadline. Applications or supporting material sent by mail or by fax will not be accepted.
The Visiting Fellowships are funded by the ESRC, however, the call for proposals is administered by the SSRC and all enquiries and applications should be directed to visiting-scholars@ssrc.org.