Fellowships and Postdoctoral Career

Development

Dr Michael BallDr Michael Ball

BBSRCBBSRC

STAKEHOLDERS

• ACADEMIA

• INDUSTRY

• PUBLIC

• GOVERNMENT

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

BBSRC funding totals around £420M p.a. (08/09)

Our Mission (Royal Charter) is:

• to support high-class science and research training, and to promote knowledge transfer

• in support of bio-based industries and public engagement in bioscience.

Training highly-skilled scientistsA significant investment

Investment in People (08-09)

BBSRC funded Postdocs (approx.

spend)£150M

Fellowships (£6.7M)

Studentships (£43.7M)

BBSRC funds around 2200 PhD students and 1900 postdocs at any one time

• The wider HE Biosciences community

Postgraduates: 14,325

Undergraduates: 64,360

Staff: 10,135

What are we training people for?

From: HESA, Students 07-08 (Biological Sciences, excl. Psychology and Sports Science; plus Agriculture and Veterinary degree students)

• Career ‘pyramid’ in HE Biosciences

Postdoc Researchers: 5,515

Lecturers: 1,720

Senior Lecturers:1,710

Professors:1,190

From: HESA, Resources 07-08 (Biosciences Cost Centre)

Career Development in HE

Postdoc Opportunities

• Postdoc positions represent a major BBSRC investment in the development of scientists

• You need to have a lecturer position to apply for BBSRC grant funding

• But you can write a proposal with a PI and be funded as the ‘researcher co-investigator’

• But there are risks as well as opportunities to being a postdoc!

• Finding the right postdoc opportunity is crucial

• And important not to see it as a simple stepping stone into academia

• Culture change in the employment of postdoctoral researchers

– We see this as crucial to ensuring that the postdoc career phase is attractive, but also prepares researchers for a wider range of opportunities beyond academia

– The new Concordat is key here

– Vitae (replacing UKGrad) now supports career development for postdocs as well as PhD students

– BBSRC has introduced a new grant assessment criteria for the role of grant as long-term training investment in the researcher

– How can BBSRC best promote and facilitate this culture change?

Postdoctoral Researchers

Concordat

• BBSRC is (along with the other Research Councils) a signatory to the new Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (2008):

http://www.researchconcordat.ac.uk/

• BBSRC works with other funders and through Vitae to promote the need for PIs, Universities, funders and postdocs themselves to maximise the career development opportunities in a postdoctoral research post.

Professional Skills

• Check out the Vitae website:

http://www.vitae.ac.uk/

• Most universities and institutes have dedicated postdoc development activities funded by Research Council ‘Roberts’ funding.

• Make the most of these in order to develop a broad set of skills which may help you make an impact with your research outside of academia.

Why does BBSRC fund Fellowships?

• Funding outstanding scientists at various stages of their research careers

• Identifying the research leaders of tomorrow and supporting existing ones

RISK

Fellowship “flavours”

• reimbursed for 12 months Fellow’s salary to enable development of a commercial proposition or product (60% time)

• up to £10k support costs

• business training (40% time)

• access to an academic mentor and industrial supervisor

• administered by The Royal Society of Edinburgh

• expect up to 5 Fellowships to be awarded per annum, with two closing dates in Mar/Oct, Fellowship to begin Oct/Apr

Enterprise Fellowships

Next Closing Date: 4 May 2010

David Phillips Fellowship

Institute Career Path Fellowship

Early Career BBSRC Fellowships

BBSRC Fellowships

• To support outstanding bioscientists in the early stage of their research careers who wish to establish themselves as independent researchers

• Institute Career Path Fellowship– same duration, terms and conditions, etc., as David Phillips Fellowship,

but held at BBSRC-sponsored Institute in areas of strategic importance for Institute skills base

– Institute guarantees permanent position subject to satisfactory progress

• Full details available in the BBSRC Fellowships Guide:www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/fellowships/fellowship_handbook.pdf

• Look at Fellowships available from other funders too, e.g. Wellcome, MRC, NERC, etc.

BBSRC Fellowships

• David Phillips Fellowships can be an any area of BBSRC’s remit– but priority is given to those in BBSRC’s strategic priority

areas www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/priorities.html

• The target areas for the Institute Career Path Fellowships vary each year– for the 09/10 competition proposal were invited from early-

career researchers wishing to work in areas of research connected to Food Security

• Number and duration– normally 8-10 David Phillips Fellowships awarded each year,

and 2 Institute Career Path Fellowships– 5 Year duration, with 2 year further extension for

exceptional Fellows

BBSRC Fellowships

• Eligibility

– Maximum 10 years of active research (postgraduate research plus postdoctoral research) as at 1 October

– In addition, applicants will normally have a minimum of 3 years of active postdoctoral research experience

– “Active” means that periods of maternity/paternity leave or career breaks do not count

– No restrictions on nationality

BBSRC Fellowships

• Research Support Grant

– No maximum limit, but typically will be around £600k - £1M over five years

– Will cover staff post

– Awarded under “full economic cost” principles

– Family friendly: Fellows can go part-time or suspend their Fellowship for maternity break

BBSRC Fellowships

• Competition process

– Call for applications in September; November deadline

– Initial sift in December

– References sought up on those that make it through the sift

– Shortlisting in March

– Interviews in April

– Award taken up anytime before following January

Challenges and Advantages of the Fellowship Route

– It’s your research, you’re the boss

– You need to recruit and manage the staff

– Can be difficult to establish your independence alongside colleagues you have worked with as a postdoc

– From an employment perspective, you will normally be on a fixed-term contract

– Getting a Fellowship is highly competitive…

– …and future employers will expect to see significant results

Some simple tips

– Start your application in good time (e.g. 12 months ahead of the application deadline!)

– Think about where you want to hold the Fellowship and make contact early

– You should get help from your prospective host institution on costing your application

– Read the competition details from the funder carefully

– Think about the strategic priorities of the funder and how you can maximise your chances of success

– Make sure you get senior colleagues to read and comment on your proposal

www Fellowships