Return to Research Support Bursary

About this grant

You can get funding of up to £2.5K for no more than six months to support you in developing a proposal suitable for submission to the STFC fellowship scheme.

Eligibility requirements

All of the following criteria must be met:

• Hold a PhD in a field within the STFC core science programme.
• Ensure the proposed application focuses on the same area as the PhD specialization.
• Eligible disciplines include astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics, and accelerator science.
• Have taken a career break due to caring responsibilities, long-term illness, or employment in a non-research role.
• Typically have a career break of at least two years.
• Applicants with a shorter career break may still be eligible if they do not have the right to return to their previous employer.
• The period away from research is assessed from the start of the career break until the scheduled start date of the fellowship funding.

What the funding covers

• developing a proposal suitable for submission to the STFC fellowship scheme

How to apply

1. 1Complete and submit the online application form.
2. 2Obtain a letter of support from the host department.
3. 3Email the letter of support to the specified fellowship email address.
4. 4Ensure the host organisation is willing to provide official status for the duration of the award.
5. 5Confirm that the host organisation can provide the necessary equipment and facility access required for the research.
6. 6Clearly explain the reasons for choosing the host institution.
7. 7Demonstrate how the selected institution will support the advancement of the research career.
8. 8If the choice of institution is influenced by relocating to be with a spouse or partner, disclose this in the application.

Application tips