David Phillips Fellowship (DPF) 2020 – BBSRC Upto £1 million
BBSRC Upto £1 million David Phillips Fellowship (DPF) 2020. David Phillips Fellowship (DPF) 2020 Official Notification – Applications Invited. Interested and eligible applicants can check out all of the details on the same below:
This Call Expires In :
Where the call guidance downloads refer to the original 12th May 2020 deadline, this should be read as 11th June 2020.
Summary
The David Phillips Fellowship (DPF) provides support for researchers wishing to establish their first independent research group. The DPF will invest in scientists who can demonstrate that they are on an upward trajectory and are eager to lead their own fully independent programme of research. David Phillips Fellows strive for continuous personal and professional development and have a strategy for how they will develop themselves and their team over the lifetime of the award. As such, the DPF enables BBSRC to supply the UK with highly skilled, professional research leaders.
Nature of award
Awards are for five years and include personal salary and a significant research support grant to enable fellows to establish their own independent research group. It is expected that up to five fellowships
will be awarded, each at a value of up to £1 million (80% fEC). Please note: BBSRC will provide funds of up to £1 million (80% of the full economic cost). The total costs (100% full economic cost) requested may be up to £1.25 million. In addition to this investment, it is also expected that a substantial demonstration of support for the fellow be made by the host Research Organisation (see below – value for money).Proposals from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements (for example part-time) are encouraged; see the Fellowships handbook for further information (downloads section).
Value for money
Applicants and host organisations should note that value for money is an essential criterion against which fellowship proposals will be assessed, alongside excellence and other key criteria. For this competition the reviewers and Research Committee E will be looking for evidence that the host organisation will contribute significantly, with financial and/or in-kind support if an award is made. Proposals that do not provide clear evidence that the research programme is highly competitive in terms of value for money, and in providing additional commitments, are unlikely to be successful.
To reflect this, the proposal now requires a template which must be completed by the host organisation Head of Department. This gives detail of the support the host commits to provide and should be attached as the Head of Department Statement, see the downloads section below. In previous rounds, host organisations have offered significant additional financial support, items of equipment or access to additional staff members or students to our fellows. It is expected at a minimum that hosts should provide support in terms of access to facilities, training courses and support for career development.
In addition, the justification of resources attachment must clearly show why the resources requested are good value for money and why it is in BBSRC’s interests to provide investment. Also, letters of support from all parties contributing financial or other support should be uploaded to the proposal under the Letters of Support attachment giving full and accurate details of the commitments being made.
Research areas
Proposals can be submitted in any area of science within our remit. We particularly encourage applications that are aligned with our overarching strategic priorities (see related links including our strategic priorities).
If you are unsure whether your project is within BBSRC remit, please contact the Office using the details provided below.
Background
Aimed at researchers who want to establish their first independent research group undertaking a programme of excellent research. Applicants will be able to demonstrate great potential and have a scientific career showing a clear upward trajectory.
Eligibility
To be considered eligible applicants should have a PhD or be expecting to have undergone successful PhD viva prior to 30 November 2020. There is no limit on the number of years of postdoc experience. However, applicants should not hold, or have held, an academic position of lecturer level (or the equivalent in institutions other than universities) or an equivalent competitive fellowship that provides the opportunity to establish an independent research group and therefore independent researcher status. Nor should they have had an offer of such an appointment prior to the commencement of a fellowship, if awarded. This applies to both fixed term and permanent positions.
BBSRC would consider fellowships where the applicant is eligible to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a PI as equivalent to a lectureship. For example, Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowships, MRC Career Development Awards or NERC Independent Research Fellowships. Note: holders of postdoctoral training fellowships such as the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions can apply. Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkins Fellows who meet the research experience eligibility requirement outlined above may also apply.
In addition, applicants will normally have no less than three years of active postdoctoral research experience. Please note that if applicants have previously applied for BBSRC grant funding as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator (therefore confirming that they hold a lecturer level or equivalent post) they are not eligible to apply for a fellowship.
Prospective applicants on university “tenure track” fellowships should contact [email protected] to discuss their eligibility.
Applicants must notify BBSRC Office if they apply for, or are planning to apply for, any other UKRI funding (as either a PI or a Co-I) while their fellowship proposal is under review. If BBSRC discovers that an applicant has applied for alternative funding and has not notified the Office, BBSRC may withdraw the proposal or fellowship funding even if the applicant is successful.
Note: DPF applicants are not eligible to apply to any additional 2020 BBSRC fellowship competitions or to the UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship call in the same calendar year. Please see the Fellowship Handbook for further details on eligibility criteria.
International applicants
Proposals are welcomed from applicants of all nationalities, subject to the fellowship being hosted by a UK university or BBSRC-sponsored institute.
Information for Non-European Economic Area Applicants – From 20 February 2020 all successful applicants who require a visa to work in the UK will be eligible to be considered under the Global Talent route. This replaces the previous Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route. In line with the highly prestigious nature of the award, this visa route is designed for international researchers, who bring new ideas and perspectives, enriching the UK’s research and innovation workforce and enables the holder to be both adaptable and flexible during their research in the UK.
The grant of any visa is always subject to the standard Home Office general grounds for refusal of a visa. UK Research and Innovation is able to provide additional guidance regarding the appropriate evidence required to complete the visa application process under the Global Talent visa. Please contact [email protected] for further details
Information for Economic Area Applicants – EU applicants should refer to guidance on the UKRI website regarding the effects of EU exit.
Assessment criteria
The fellowships are designed to provide career enhancement to support outstanding scientists in the initial stages of their career, and there is therefore a strong emphasis on the scientific potential of the candidates. In making these awards, BBSRC will be seeking to identify scientists who can be expected in the future to be among the leaders of their generation of bio-scientists, and applicants should demonstrate how a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship will be of benefit to them.
Applicants should have considered their training needs (as detailed in the Career Development Plan), and the research environment should be supportive and the best place for the applicant to carry out their research project and advance their career.
Each proposal will therefore be assessed based on the project, person and research environment. Further details of assessment criteria can be found in in the fellow’s handbook.
To note: over the history of this scheme, we have seen a significant lack of female applicants. It should be noted that, despite this, success rates are equal for male and female applicants. Applicants are also encouraged to seek flexible working arrangements, such as part-time working, and are assured that this will not disadvantage their application. Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding eligibility or flexible working arrangements.
Applicants will be given the opportunity to reply to comments provided by reviewers prior to the assessment meeting.
How to apply
- Log in to Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system
- Select Council: BBSRC
- Select Document Type: Fellowship Proposal
- Select Scheme: Fellowship
- Select Call/Type/Mode: David Phillips Fellowships – 12 May 2020
- Click Create Document
Proposals will require the following mandatory attachments (see also DPF Je-S help text in application downloads below):
- CV. You should complete the standard CV template (see application downloads below). This now includes a section to list applicant publications. We do not accept standalone CVs or publication lists.
- Case for support and track record
- Diagrammatic workplan
- Data management plan
- Career Development Plan (this must be attached to your proposal to allow submission)
- Head of department statement: BBSRC has now introduced the use of a template for the Head of Department statement, see application downloads below. BBSRC will not accept a standalone statement.
- Justification of resources
- Please note that a Pathways to Impact Plan is not required as a separate attachment for this call. This is in line with the UKRI announcement regarding the removal of the requirement for applicants to submit a Pathways to Impact plan for all its schemes, effective from 1 March 2020. Completion of the Impact Summary section of the Je-S application form is also not required. Applicants should describe the impact of their planned work within the case for support attachment. Further guidance regarding changes to the Je-S application form will follow in due course.
Animal usage mandatory requirement:
For proposals with overseas animal use, please refer to our grants guide (see downloads section), paragraph 4.18, for details of the additional information for specific species that must be provided with the proposal.
Fellowships are awarded under full economic costing (fEC). Support for proposed research should be costed in line with the grants guide.
Detailed guidance on how to complete proposal forms and attachments can be found in the DPF Je-S help text (see application downloads below) and in the Fellowships Handbook (see downloads section). Note: Please do not use the fellowship help text in the Je-S system.
We do not accept late proposals.
Important: applicants should ensure proposals are submitted to their host institution’s Je-S submitter/approval pool well in advance (a minimum of 5 working days) of the published deadline. This enables institution checks to be carried out before final submission to BBSRC.
Please also refer to the full UK Research and Innovation terms and conditions, our grants guide and fellowship handbook.
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