Please consult these Frequently Asked Questions before contacting us directly.
All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels. We also advertise all calls on jobs.ac.uk and EURAXESS.
The following decision tree is intended to illustrate eligibility for our current roster of Early Career, Mid-Career, and Independent Scholar Fellowship awards.
The next Political Economy Fellowship competition has not yet been scheduled, but is unlikely to launch before 2024. For 2023, early career applicants (up to 10 years post-PhD) who would ordinarily apply for a Political Economy Fellowship are advised to apply for an Early Career Fellowship. Similarly, Independent Scholars may apply to pursue projects addressing topics across the sphere of political economy.
Please note that pairs of scholars are also eligible to apply, jointly, for Early & Mid-Career Fellowships.
Eligibility for ISRF funding opportunities is unaffected by Brexit. We continue to encourage applications from scholars working within Europe (geographically defined – so, including those at UK institutions).
PLEASE NOTE: No geographical constraint applies to the Collaborative Fellowships competitions – applicants can be affiliated to any academic institution, worldwide.
Applicants need not be based in Europe at the time of application.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, with the exception of the Collaborative Fellowships competitions, the ISRF can only consider applications from those affiliated to – or, proposing affiliation to – a European institution.
PLEASE NOTE: No geographical constraint applies to the Collaborative Fellowships competitions – applicants can be affiliated to any academic institution, worldwide.
With the exception of First Book Grant competitions (for which a PhD or equivalent is mandatory), applications may be considered from those without a PhD (or equivalent academic qualification), as long as they can show a track-record of working at an equivalent level.
The ISRF assesses non-PhD eligibility on the basis of prior publications, qualifications and experience.
Proposal-specific advice cannot be given to individual potential applicants.
The Academic Aims & Objectives of the ISRF, and details of previous awards, current and past fellows, and current and past projects, should offer sufficient guidance on the breadth of work the ISRF is interested in.
Broadly, 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.
The ISRF seeks to fund innovative research which breaks 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.
As applications will be considered anonymously, it is advisable to avoid or minimise self-citation throughout the proposal and the bibliography (see below). If it is necessary to cite your own work, you should delete the names of authors and other identifying information (such as article or book titles) and place substitute words in brackets, such as: [reference redacted to preserve anonymity]. You may choose to include details in your bibliography that cannot be used to infer your identity, such as the name of a journal or a publishing house that has published your work.
Applicants are asked to upload an anonymised bibliography as an additional attachment. This will not count towards the word limit, but should be limited to two sides of A4.
As applications will be considered anonymously until the Selection Panel stage, it is advisable to avoid or minimize self-citation. If it is necessary to cite your own work, you should delete the names of authors and other identifying information and place substitute words in brackets, such as: [reference redacted to preserve anonymity].
From 2023, we will no longer request a CV as part of your application. Instead, you will be prompted to submit anonymise lists of prior publications, qualifications and experience relevant (or necessary) to the proposed research.
In addition to the documents mentioned above, applicants may choose to upload a Cover Letter, particularly if they do not directly meet the stated eligibility criteria. If doing so, you should also notify Stuart Wilson at stuart.wilson@isrf.org,
You cannot include figures or tables in your application, and all of the relevant information should be entered into the text boxes provided as part of the application form. Any additional materials that are uploaded as part of the application process will only be seen by the ISRF’s administrative staff.
The ISRF does not prescribe specific types or numbers of output and works on the assumption that different types of output are suitable to different projects. The ISRF does not believe that only ‘traditional’ academic outputs (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles or books) are suitable and has in the past supported other kinds of output (e.g. performances, workshops, fiction, podcasts, digital archives). The ISRF does not place any specific value on ‘impact’ or academic rankings.
This will vary for each institution – it may be a Head of School or Head of Department, or an administrative contact in the Research Office. Whomever is named will only be contacted in the event of a successful application – they may, at that stage, forward any communication on to a more relevant person.
The ISRF does not work with a strict definition of career breaks, and will endeavour to be flexible in taking career breaks into account when assessing eligibility. Types of career break that the ISRF takes into consideration include (but are not limited to) parental leave, sick leave, and care leave.
No, by entering the details of a contact at your home (or proposed host) institution, and subsequently submitting your application, you are deemed to have sought support for your application.
If you are an Independent Scholar, any nomination of a host institution will not be considered as binding upon you or the notated institution.
In the event that your application is successful, the ISRF will contact the named Institutional Approver to confirm that:
Such confirmation is not required at this stage – however, you may upload such a document as an additional attachment.
The ISRF cannot accept project proposals submitted after the application window for a given competition has closed. Only under exceptional circumstances will the application window be extended for individual applicants. If you are prevented from submitting your project before the application window closes, please get in touch with stuart.wilson@isrf.org before the deadline. Requests for extensions that are received after the deadline will not be considered.
The ISRF does not accept proposals for research Fellowships outside of its scheduled competitions.
The next Collaborative Fellowships competition has not yet been scheduled. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
Applications will be considered from those without a PhD (or equivalent academic qualification), as long as they can show a track-record of working at an equivalent level.
The ISRF runs First Book Grant and Independent Scholar Fellowship competitions aimed specifically at scholars who are not contracted to an academic position.
However, Independent Scholars are also eligible to apply (as one of a pair) for Collaborative Fellowships with the support of a host institution willing to host the ISRF award.
Applications will be considered from those employed on a part-time basis.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts are eligible to apply (as one of a pair) for Collaborative Fellowships, so long as the current contract covers (or would be extended to cover) the intended award period.
Such applicants are advised to include an explanatory note in a cover letter, which may be uploaded as an additional attachment.
NOTE: Where an applicant holds a fixed-term position at time of application, but does not expect to be employed by a university or higher education institution during the intended award period, they may still apply to Collaborative Fellowship competitions on the following basis:
1) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to host them as a Visiting Fellow, with whom no employment relationship would exist. If successful, award monies would be processed via the host institution.
2) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.. Such applications should not exceed the budgetary limits set out for the relevant competition.
No geographical constraint applies to the Collaborative Fellowships competitions – applicants can be affiliated to any academic institution, worldwide.
The intention of the Collaborative Fellowships is to allow pairs of researchers dedicated time, without competing priorities, to complete a piece of joint research which they might otherwise be unable to pursue.
It is expected that recipients will dedicate the core period of four months to the Fellowship. Exception will be made for ongoing, remote PhD supervision.
Yes – Collaborative Fellowships are only open to pairs of scholars.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
No sample proposal are yet available for Collaborative Fellowships.
A dedicated First Book Grant call is specifically aimed at scholars who have recently completed their PhD, are yet to take up an academic post, and want to turn their thesis into a book. However, scholars who do hold an academic position may apply to the Collaborative Fellowship competition (as one of a pair) to carry out a project building on their PhD research.
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next Early Career Fellowship competition is currently scheduled to launch in 2025. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
Applications will be considered from those without a PhD (or equivalent academic qualification), as long as they can show a track-record of working at an equivalent level.
The ISRF will normally consider applicants to have successfully completely their PhD once they have received formal confirmation that they have passed all their relevant exams. If your degree has not yet been formally conferred we will ask for a signed and dated letter (in English) from a relevant administrator confirming you have passed all of your exams and will be receiving your doctorate.
The ISRF runs First Book Grant and Independent Scholar Fellowship competitions aimed specifically at scholars who are not contracted to an academic position.
However, Independent Scholars less than 10 years post-PhD are also eligible to apply for Early Career Fellowships with the support of a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.
Applications will be considered from those employed on a part-time basis. Such applications may simply seek buy-out for current contracted hours, or may include a proposal to commit more hours to the project (up to 1.0 FTE) with support from your home institution.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts, who are less than 10 years post-PhD, are eligible to apply for Early Career Fellowships, so long as the current contract covers (or would be extended to cover) the intended award period.
Such applicants are advised to include an explanatory note in a cover letter, which may be uploaded as an additional attachment.
NOTE: Where an applicant holds a fixed-term position at time of application, but does not expect to be employed by a university or higher education institution during the intended award period, they may still apply to Early Career Fellowship competitions on the following basis:
1) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to host them as a Visiting Fellow, with whom no employment relationship would exist. If successful, award monies would be processed via the host institution. Such applications should not exceed €33,500/£28,750. or
2) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.. Such applications should not exceed the budgetary limits set out for the relevant competition.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, Early Career Fellowship applications will only be considered from those affiliated to – or, proposing affiliation to – a European institution.
Should buy-out funding not be administratively viable or appropriate, non-UK based applicants should contact ISRF to discuss other ways that a Fellowship award could be administered in the context of their local academic/administrative requirements.
The intention of the Early Career Fellowship is to allow researchers dedicated time, without competing priorities, to complete a piece of research which they might otherwise be unable to pursue. Exception will be made for ongoing PhD supervision.
If the budget limit does not allow for a full-time, 12-month buy-out, the ISRF would prefer to fund a full-time buy-out for a shorter period (i.e. 9 months at 1.0 FTE rather than 12 months at 0.75 FTE).
Two types of joint application will be considered:
Co-applicants: whereby one application is submitted for a single project, with a total budget up to the limit of €67,500 (or GBP equivalent), wherein two applicants would work on the same project. In the event that the application is successful, both applicants would be awarded ISRF Fellowships. It is up to the applicants to decide how the budget will be split, and to detail this in the application – for example, a 50-50 split could see each applicant bought out for, say, six months. The total project duration should be no more than 12 months, but buy-out periods may overlap wholly or in part. The application should be submitted in the name of one of the PIs, using their institutional details; the fields prompting for submission of prior publications/outputs and qualifications/experience should be completed for both applicants (labelled Applicant 1 & Applicant 2); and the Project Title should begin ‘CoApp’.
Co-investigators: whereby separate applications are submitted, for discrete contributions to an overall project. The budget for each application may be up to the limit of €67,500 (or GBP equivalent). The applications will be considered independently of each other, and neither, one or both may be awarded. Each individual project may last up to 12 months, and award periods may overlap wholly or in part. Each application should have the same Project Title, beginning ‘CoInv’.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt, that Independent Scholars may only apply for one category of award in the event that an Independent Scholar competition runs concurrently with another category.
For Early Career Fellowships, the ISRF expects research expenses to be matched funded by the applicant’s home institution. This means that 50% of your total budgeted research expenses should be funded by your institution, and the remaining 50% by the award. (Please note: your budget should still reflect the sum total of research expenses needed to complete the project, but only 50% thereof should be included in the ‘funding requested’ field.)
Where home institutions are unable to comply with the matched-funding requirement for research expenses, applications will still be considered – an explanatory note from the relevant Head of School/Head of Department/Research Manager should be submitted as an attachment. Note also that applications without any research expenses component are also accepted.
For sample Early Career Fellowship proposals, see the project pages for:
A dedicated First Book Grant call is specifically aimed at scholars who have recently completed their PhD, are yet to take up an academic post, and want to turn their thesis into a book. However, scholars up to 10 years post-PhD who do hold an academic position may apply to the Early Career Fellowship competition to carry out a project building on their PhD research.
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next First Book Grants competition has not yet been scheduled, but will not launch before January 2024 at the earliest. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
Applications will only be considered from newly qualified (within three years) PhD holders.
The ISRF will normally consider applicants to have successfully completely their PhD once they have received formal confirmation that they have passed all their relevant exams. If your degree has not yet been formally conferred we will ask for a signed and dated letter (in English) from a relevant administrator confirming you have passed all of your exams and will be receiving your doctorate.
Those who are contracted to a permanent academic position, whether on a full- or part-time basis, are ineligible for First Book Grants – such applicants should, instead, apply to our Early Career Fellowship call.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts may apply for First Book Grants as long as the award would be taken up after the end of said contract but before the applicant reaches three years post-PhD award, and before any latest commencement date as set out in the competition Further Particulars.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, First Book Grant applications will only be considered from those proposing affiliation to a European institution.
Applicants are not required to have confirmation from a potential host institution in place before they apply. A suitable host institution may be sought after the award has been made. However, the award period will not be able to commence until a host institution has been identified and the necessary paperwork has been completed.
The intention of the First Book Grant is to allow researchers dedicated time, without competing priorities, to complete a piece of work which they might otherwise be unable to pursue. We accept, however, that specific individual circumstances may apply – in which case, you are advised to seek advice, in advance of your application, from Stuart Wilson at stuart.wilson@isrf.org.
First Book Grant awards are paid out as a stipend to cover cost-of-living costs, not as a buy-out from an employment contract. For the award to be payable, awardees must have an affiliation to an institution of Higher Education or a similar research institution (called your ‘Host Institution’). That affiliation does not need to be established at the time of application but will be required in order for the award period to commence.
The ISRF will not be able to pay out awards directly to awardees.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt, that Independent Scholars may only apply for one category of award in the event that an Independent Scholar competition runs concurrently with another category.
No sample proposal are yet available for First Book Grants.
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next Independent Scholar Fellow competition is currently scheduled to launch in 2025. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
In order to be eligible, applicants should not currently hold a paid academic affiliation (see below).
Successful Independent Scholar Fellowship applicants will be hosted by an academic institution (nominated by the applicant either at time of application, or post-award notification), through which award monies will be processed.
The host institution will be expected to offer Visiting Scholar status (or similar), along with an email address, access to on-site and online academic resources, and the availability of working space.
Whilst physical presence at your host institution may not be required, some institutions may have expectations regarding attendance and interaction with the local academic community.
For the avoidance of doubt, no employment relationship is intended between the host institution and the Independent Scholar Fellow. The funding stream was set up with the intention that the cost-of-living stipend component of the award should be exempt from taxation – however, local taxation rules vary across Europe. Whilst award recipients will ultimately be responsible for the correct declaration of received funds, the ISRF will assist where possible in advising on tax exemption.
An ‘Independent Scholar’ is understood by the ISRF as someone pursuing research outside of an academic role, whether or not currently in employment, who is engaged in intellectual work of a nature and standard comparable to that of a professional academic scholar.
Applicants will usually hold a PhD but other equivalent academic or professional qualifications may be considered. Evidence of scholarly achievement at a sufficiently high level can include publications in academic journals, edited collections and monographs, as well as pieces for professional journals and the popular media.
Newly qualified post-doctoral scholars (up to 12 months post-PhD), as-yet unemployed in academia, are not considered Independent Scholars for the purpose of this competition. Such prospective applicants may apply for a First Book Grant to develop the work of their PhD research for publication.
However, post-doctoral scholars who are more than 12 months post-PhD, and who wish to pursue a project which is not building directly upon their PhD research, may apply for Independent Scholar funding.
Those who are contracted to an academic position on a part-time basis are ineligible for Independent Scholar Fellowships – such applicants should, instead, apply to one of our other Fellowship calls depending on eligibility.
However, applicants who are employed in a non-academic job (to include administrative/support roles in a university setting) remain eligible to apply for an Independent Scholar Fellowship.
Those who are – at time of application – employed on fixed-term, academic contracts are not eligible for Independent Scholar Fellowships.
Such applicants should instead consider applying to one of our other Fellowship competitions, for which they will be eligible based on number of years post-PhD.
However, applicants who are employed in a non-academic job (to include administrative/support roles in a university setting) remain eligible to apply for an Independent Scholar Fellowship.
Independent Scholar Fellow awards are paid out as a stipend to cover cost-of-living costs, not as a buy-out from an employment contract. For the award to be payable, awardees must have an affiliation to an institution of Higher Education or a similar research institution (called your ‘host institution’). That affiliation does not need to be established at the time of application but will be required in order for the award period to commence.
The ISRF will not be able to pay out awards directly to awardees.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, Independent Scholar Fellowship applications will only be considered from those proposing affiliation to a European institution.
Applicants are not required to have confirmation from a potential host institution in place before they apply. A suitable host institution may be sought after the award has been made. However, the award period will not be able to commence until a host institution has been identified and the necessary paperwork has been completed.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt, that Independent Scholars may only apply for one category of award in the event that an Independent Scholar competition runs concurrently with another category.
For sample Independent Scholar proposals, see the project pages for:
A dedicated First Book Grant call is specifically aimed at scholars who have recently completed their PhD, are yet to take up a permanent academic post, and want to turn their thesis into a book. However, scholars who are three or more years post-PhD, and who do not hold an academic position, may apply to the Independent Scholar Fellowship competition to carry out a project building on their PhD research.
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next Mid-Career Fellowship competition is currently scheduled to launch in the first half of 2024. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
Applications will be considered from those without a PhD (or equivalent academic qualification), as long as they can show a track-record of working at an equivalent level.
The ISRF runs First Book Grant and Independent Scholar Fellowship competitions aimed specifically at scholars who are not contracted to an academic position.
However, Independent Scholars 10 or more years post-PhD are also eligible to apply for Mid-Career Fellowships with the support of a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.
Applications will be considered from those employed on a part-time basis. Such applications may simply seek buy-out for current contracted hours, or may include a proposal to commit more hours to the project (up to 1.0 FTE) with support from your home institution.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts, who are 10 or more years post-PhD, are eligible to apply for Mid-Career Fellowships, so long as the current contract covers (or would be extended to cover) the intended award period.
Such applicants are advised to include an explanatory note in a cover letter, which may be uploaded as an additional attachment.
NOTE: Where an applicant holds a fixed-term position at time of application, but does not expect to be employed by a university or higher education institution during the intended award period, they may still apply to Mid-Career Fellowship competitions on the following basis:
1) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to host them as a Visiting Fellow, with whom no employment relationship would exist. If successful, award monies would be processed via the host institution. Such applications should not exceed €33,500/£28,750. or
2) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.. Such applications should not exceed the budgetary limits set out for the relevant competition.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, Mid-Career Fellowship applications will only be considered from those affiliated to – or, proposing affiliation to – a European institution.
The intention of the Mid-Career Fellowship is to allow researchers dedicated time, without competing priorities, to complete a piece of research which they might otherwise be unable to pursue. Exception will be made for ongoing PhD supervision.
If the budget limit does not allow for a full-time, 12-month buy-out, the ISRF would prefer to fund a full-time buy-out for a shorter period (i.e. 9 months at 1.0 FTE rather than 12 months at 0.75 FTE).
Two types of joint application will be considered:
Co-applicants: whereby one application is submitted for a single project, with a total budget up to the limit set out for the relevant competition, wherein two applicants would work on the same project. In the event that the application is successful, both applicants would be awarded ISRF Fellowships. It is up to the applicants to decide how the budget will be split, and to detail this in the application – for example, a 50-50 split could see each applicant bought out for, say, six months. The total project duration should be no more than 12 months, but buy-out periods may overlap wholly or in part. The application should be submitted in the name of one of the PIs, using their institutional details; the fields prompting for submission of prior publications/outputs and qualifications/experience should be completed for both applicants (labelled Applicant 1 & Applicant 2); and the Project Title should begin ‘CoApp’.
Co-investigators: whereby separate applications are submitted, for discrete contributions to an overall project. The budget for each application may be up to the limit set out for the relevant competition. The applications will be considered independently of each other, and neither, one or both may be awarded. Each individual project may last up to 12 months, and award periods may overlap wholly or in part. Each application should have the same Project Title, beginning ‘CoInv’.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt, that Independent Scholars may only apply for one category of award in the event that an Independent Scholar competition runs concurrently with another category.
For Mid-Career Fellowships, the ISRF expects research expenses to be matched funded by the applicant’s home institution. This means that 50% of your total budgeted research expenses should be funded by your institution, and the remaining 50% by the award. (Please note: your budget should still reflect the sum total of research expenses needed to complete the project, but only 50% thereof should be included in the ‘funding requested’ field.)
For sample Mid-Career Fellowship proposals, see the project pages for:
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next Political Economy Fellowship competition has not yet been scheduled. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
The ISRF defines Political Economy in a deliberately broad way, such that it encompasses not just research within economics but also research conducted from other disciplinary backgrounds that speaks to economic, social, and/or political topics. To get a better sense of the broad range of themes the ISRF has funded, please refer to our Previous Fellows & Projects page.
Applications will be considered from those without a PhD (or equivalent academic qualification), as long as they can show a track-record of working at an equivalent level.
The ISRF will normally consider applicants to have successfully completely their PhD once they have received formal confirmation that they have passed all their relevant exams. If your degree has not yet been formally conferred we will ask for a signed and dated letter (in English) from a relevant administrator confirming you have passed all of your exams and will be receiving your doctorate.
A dedicated First Book Grant call is specifically aimed at scholars who have recently completed their PhD, are yet to take up an academic post, and want to turn their thesis into a book. However, scholars up who do hold an academic position may apply to the Political Economy Fellowship competition to carry out a project building on their PhD research.
The ISRF runs First Book Grant and Independent Scholar Fellowship competitions aimed specifically at scholars who are not contracted to an academic position.
However, Independent Scholars are also eligible to apply for Political Economy Fellowships with the support of a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.
Applications will be considered from those employed on a part-time basis. Such applications may simply seek buy-out for current contracted hours, or may include a proposal to commit more hours to the project (up to 1.0 FTE) with support from your home institution.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts are eligible to apply for Political Economy Fellowships, so long as the current contract covers (or would be extended to cover) the intended award period.
Such applicants are advised to include an explanatory note in a cover letter, which may be uploaded as an additional attachment.
NOTE: Where an applicant holds a fixed-term position at time of application, but does not expect to be employed by a university or higher education institution during the intended award period, they may still apply to Political Economy Fellowship competitions on the following basis:
1) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to host them as a Visiting Fellow, with whom no employment relationship would exist. If successful, award monies would be processed via the host institution. Such applications should not exceed €33,500/£28,750. or
2) Applicants may nominate a host institution willing to use the ISRF award money to fund a fixed-term appointment for the duration of the proposed award period.. Such applications should not exceed the budgetary limits set out for the relevant competition.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, Political Economy Fellowship applications will only be considered from those affiliated to – or, proposing affiliation to – a European institution.
The intention of the Political Economy Fellowship is to allow researchers dedicated time, without competing priorities, to complete a piece of research which they might otherwise be unable to pursue. Exception will be made for ongoing PhD supervision.
If the budget limit does not allow for a full-time, 12-month buy-out, the ISRF would prefer to fund a full-time buy-out for a shorter period (i.e. 9 months at 1.0 FTE rather than 12 months at 0.75 FTE).
Two types of joint application will be considered:
Co-applicants: whereby one application is submitted for a single project, with a total budget up to the limit set out for the relevant competition, wherein two applicants would work on the same project. In the event that the application is successful, both applicants would be awarded ISRF Fellowships. It is up to the applicants to decide how the budget will be split, and to detail this in the application – for example, a 50-50 split could see each applicant bought out for, say, six months. The total project duration should be no more than 12 months, but buy-out periods may overlap wholly or in part. The application should be submitted in the name of one of the PIs, using their institutional details; the fields prompting for submission of prior publications/outputs and qualifications/experience should be completed for both applicants (labelled Applicant 1 & Applicant 2); and the Project Title should begin ‘CoApp’.
Co-investigators: whereby separate applications are submitted, for discrete contributions to an overall project. The budget for each application may be up to the limit set out for the relevant competition. The applications will be considered independently of each other, and neither, one or both may be awarded. Each individual project may last up to 12 months, and award periods may overlap wholly or in part. Each application should have the same Project Title, beginning ‘CoInv’.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt, that Independent Scholars may only apply for one category of award in the event that an Independent Scholar competition runs concurrently with another category.
For Political Economy Research Fellowships, the ISRF expects research expenses to be matched funded by the applicant’s home institution. This means that 50% of your total budgeted research expenses should be funded by your institution, and the remaining 50% by the award. (Please note: your budget should still reflect the sum total of research expenses needed to complete the project, but only 50% thereof should be included in the ‘funding requested’ field.)
For sample Political Economy Fellowship proposals, see the project pages for:
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
The next Flexible Grants for Small Groups competition is currently scheduled to launch in the second half of 2023. All ISRF initiatives are announced on our website and via our mailing list and social media channels.
The ISRF runs First Book Grant and Independent Scholar Fellowship competitions aimed specifically at scholars who are not contracted to an academic position.
However, Independent Scholars are also eligible to apply for Flexible Grants for Small Groups funding with the support of a host institution willing to host the ISRF award.
Applications will be considered from those employed on a part-time basis.
Those employed on fixed-term contracts are eligible to apply for Flexible Grants for Small Groups funding, so long as the current contract covers the intended award period.
NOTE: Where an applicant holds a fixed-term position at time of application, but does not expect to be employed by a university or higher education institution during the intended award period, they may apply to Flexible Grants for Small Groups competitions with the support of a host institution willing to host the award.
There is no limitation on nationality. However, Flexible Grants for Small Groups applications will only be considered from those affiliated to – or, proposing affiliation to – a European institution.
Flexible Grants for Small Groups competitions are open to individual researchers who wish to bring together and to cooperate with others (to be named in the proposal), on a specific project. There will normally be one principal applicant, but joint applications by two or more colleagues are acceptable. In such cases, one application should be submitted by one of the PI’s, and any other PI’s should be clearly labelled as ‘Co-PI’ when details of collaborators are entered in the application form.
Applicants may only submit one application for each competition.
The ISRF may, on occasion, run more than one competition at the same time. Where eligibility criteria are not mutually exclusive, applicants may submit an application for each competition, each containing a discrete (i.e. different, stand-alone) project proposal. Such applications will be considered individually – however, multiple awards will not be made to the same applicant in one application period.
For sample Flexible Grants for Small Groups proposals, see the project pages for:
Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply, without prejudice, for future competitions.
Successful applicants may not re-apply for the same category of award. They may apply for other ISRF competitions so long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
Unless otherwise indicated in the further particulars specific to any given competition, applicants with (or seeking) an affiliation in the UK must apply in GBP (£). All other applicants must apply in EUR (€). Budget limits in both currencies will be stated and fixed at the time of competition launch, and will not be adjusted in the event of GBP/EUR currency fluctuations.
Your budget should be as detailed as possible. Where applicable, a breakdown of the relevant salary costs (or, for First Book Grant and Independent Scholar applications, cost of living expenses) should be given – if yours is a buy-out application, your HR or Payroll department should be able to provide this information.
Research Expenses should be itemised. Where matched funding is required as a condition of the award (a standard ISRF requirement for Early, Mid-Career and Political Economy Fellowships), the budget should detail all research expenses, followed by a calculation showing that the ISRF would be funding half (50%) of these.
For Early, Mid-Career and Political Economy Fellowship applications which seek buy-out funding: if a replacement is employed at a lower salary level, that is the amount that should be requested. If no replacement is being employed, or if a replacement is employed at a higher salary level, the budget should cover the applicant’s salary.
The ISRF does not expect Flexible Grants for Small Groups or First Book Grant applications to include a request for salary replacement. Independent Scholar applicants may seek a buy-out from a non-academic job.
The ISRF prefers not to fund overheads or indirect costs, and in many awards to date has not done so. Where these costs are unavoidable, the ISRF will consider Early, Mid-Career and Political Economy Fellowship applications which include them so long as they do not exceed 10% of the total funding requested. The ISRF does not expect Flexible Grants for Small Groups applications to include a request for overheads.
Institutional hosts for First Book Grants and Independent Scholar Fellowships will be offered a 10% top-up – calculated based on your submitted budget – as a contribution towards overheads/hosting costs. You should not include this contribution in your calculations, as we budget for it separately.
Eligible research expenses will vary depending on the nature of the proposed project. They may include, but are not limited to:
The costs of Research Assistance (including, but not limited to, Research Assistants) may be included where absolutely necessary – justification must be given in the application, particularly the Methodology and Work Plan sections, and costings must be clearly indicated in the budget.
The budget for Research Expenses – including Research Assistants – will be considered by the Selection Panel in the event that your application reaches that stage of the assessment procedure. In the event that your proposal is awarded, the Selection Panel may, at their discretion, suggest revision of the Research Expenses budget.
Applicants may detail their budget in the free-format text box, or may upload a separate document, or both (summary in the former, detail in the latter).
We have no standard format for budgets.
Please see our Assessment Procedure for more information on our selection process.
Applicants should contact Stuart Wilson if they wish to revise their proposal pre-deadline. Once the deadline has passed, updates to the Research Proposal (or attachments) will not be considered.
If your contact details change after you have submitted your proposal, please contact Stuart Wilson.
We aim to inform all applicants of the competition outcome within six months of the competition launch date. In the event that the process takes longer than expected, applicants will be notified by email.
All applicants – successful or otherwise – are notified of the outcome of their application once the Selection Panel has met and made formal recommendations for award.
Notifications are sent by email. Please check your spam folder if you think you might have missed our email – emails from our applications system arrive from noreply@isrf.tal.net. To reply to these emails, please use admin@isrf.org.
In the event that the selection process takes longer than expected, applicants will be notified by email.
All awards are conditional upon acceptance of our Standard Terms & Conditions – click here for a draft version.
The ISRF Standard Charitable Revenue and Equity-Sharing Terms (as referred to in the ISRF Standard Conditions of Award) are available here.
The ISRF will notify applicants of a successful outcome.
Once you have confirmed that you intend to accept the award, and responded to any preliminary questions, we will contact your institution – or proposed institution – for confirmation that:
Once this has been confirmed, and a start date agreed, the ISRF will issue an Award Letter, incorporating our Standard Terms & Conditions of Award.
Once successful applicants have been contacted and a proposed start date has been confirmed with the host institution, the ISRF will issue an official Award Letter incorporating the Terms & Conditions of award. This process should not be lengthy – as such, it is feasible (Dependent upon timely correspondence between all three parties) for the award period to begin one month after award notification.
Ordinarily, the ISRF expects that successful applicants will begin their project no later than 31st December of the year following notification. Specific details of the latest start date will be included in the relevant competition Further Particulars, and will be stated clearly in the competition Terms & Conditions.
Feedback on proposals is normally available for those whose applications reached the longlist stage and were reviewed by external assessors (see Assessment Procedure). Assessments will normally be shared with applicants anonymously.
We ask for your understanding that, given the number of applications, it is not possible to provide detailed feedback on every application.
Due to the number of applications received and the generally high standard, it is inevitable that good applications will not be awarded. The ISRF encourages unsuccessful applicants to consider, where available, feedback and to re-apply with updated proposals for future competitions. Please note, however, that the ISRF may change the eligibility criteria in between different iterations of the same competition.