Royal Society Wolfson Fellowships (Round 1) – United States

Aims

• Enable UK Universities and Research Institutions to strategically recruit and attract talented research leaders to the UK from overseas by offering long-term support and flexible funding to conduct high-quality research, and
• Strengthen research and help build a critical mass of excellence in the UK’s best University departments and Research Institutions in fields considered to be strategically important by the institution.

Subjects Covered

• Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics.
• Submissions from clinically qualified scientists may be considered. The Society does not support clinical or interventional research on humans at the individual or group level, social sciences or humanities, unless otherwise stated.

Funding Information

• Candidates can apply for up to £300,000, excluding visa and relocation costs
• Funds can cover:
  • Salary Enhancement – The institution may include a salary enhancement for the researcher. This will be limited to a maximum of 20% of the total salary. The Host Organisation will be responsible for meeting the full costs of the award holder’s basic salary, including the employer’s national insurance and superannuation contributions for the salary enhancement payment. The Society expects the Host Organisation to continue employing the award holder at a level equivalent to that provided with the support of the Society’s funding during the award period,
  • Research expenses (100%) – including consumables, travel, fieldwork, small pieces of equipment of up to £10K, access costs and undergraduate students.
  • Research assistance – 80% of the full economic cost of a postdoctoral researcher/PDRA (salary costs and associated indirect and directly allocated costs, including estate costs) and can include contribution to technical support if appropriately justified. 4 year PhD studentship – The cost of PhD studentship may only be included if the host organisation will commit to underwriting the remaining cost of the studentship and appropriate alternative supervision for the student in the event that the RS Wolfson Fellow leaves the institution. The figures below show the rates for each year of PhD studentships irrespective of which grant year they start. New students will always start on the year 1 rate:
    • Outside London:
      • Year-1: Stipend £20,034  and Fee £4,712
      • Year-2: Stipend £20,636  and Fee £4,853
      • Year-3: Stipend £21,254  and Fee £4,999
      • Year-4: Stipend £21,892 and Fee £5,149
    • Inside London
      • Year-1: Stipend £22,410 and Fee £4,712
      • Year-2: Stipend £23,204 and Fee  £4,853
      • Year-3: Stipend £23,901 and Fee  £4,999
      • Year-4: Stipend £24,618 and Fee £5,149

Eligibility Criteria

• This scheme supports the recruitment of a researcher from overseas to hold the grant in a UK institution who will contribute to the scientific strategy of the host institution. Therefore, the scheme is open to all nationalities.
• Award holders are expected to hold (the equivalent of) a full-time post at a UK institution (which can be grant dependent).
• The scheme is aimed at talented researchers with the potential to make important contribution to their scientific field and UK research.
• The candidates must be nominated by the Vice-Chancellor, or their representative (Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research) or Institute Director from the proposed host institution (as outlined above). Nominated researchers must have received a firm offer of employment from the UK host organisation (which can be dependent upon grant funding).
• Nominated individuals must not have previously held a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit award. Former Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellows are eligible and encouraged to apply for a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship should they wish to relocate to the UK. Nominated candidates cannot, from the outset of the award, hold an externally funded UK fellowship.
• Royal Society Wolfson Fellows requiring a visa to work in the UK are eligible to apply for a Global Talent Visa under the fast-track process of endorsement. Other visa routes are available. In line with the highly prestigious nature of the award, the Global Talent visa is designed for people who are recognised as leaders and potential leaders in their field.
• Host Organisation Eligibility:
  • Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship appointments must be held at a UK university or not-for-profit research institution. The grants are made to the nominating host organisation and therefore non-transferable. As such if the Royal Society Wolfson Fellow leaves the host organisation during the tenure of their fellowship award, the grant will be withdrawn with no further funding provided. There should be a clear case on why the Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship is needed by the host organisation to help attract the nominated individual to the UK.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants currently based in the UK are not eligible to apply, with the exception of applicants who are refugees in the UK according to the Geneva convention.
• The grant cannot be used for researchers wishing to move between UK institutions.

Assessment Criteria

• The research track record of the candidate (taking into consideration any career breaks). Candidates should be talented researchers with a proven track record for high quality scientific research. This may include, as appropriate: a strong publication record, being invited to conferences as keynote speaker and evidence of scientific leadership and/or supervising or mentoring junior researchers.
• The strength of the strategic case for the nomination and fit to the institution’s scientific strategy.
• The high quality and originality of the candidate’s proposed research vision and the contribution that the researcher can make to the furtherance of UK research in their field as well as potential benefit to the UK science base.
• The quality and suitability of the host organisation for the Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship candidate, the organisation’s commitment to supporting the researcher’s longer-term and broader career development.

For more information, visit The Royal Society.