Newton International Fellowships

The Academy of Medical Sciences is delighted to be working with the Royal Society and British Academy to offer Newton International Fellowships, available through the Government Newton Fund which is part of the UK’s official development assistance.  The Newton Fund is an initiative that aims to develop the long-term sustainable growth and welfare of the partner country through building research and innovation capacity.

We will fund, for up to two consecutive years, early career post-doctoral researchers from partner countries to carry out a research project with a host within some of the UK’s first class research environments.  The primary aims of the International Fellowships are to:

• Support the development and training of postdoctoral researchers at an early stage of their career from any country outside the UK, by providing an opportunity to work at a UK research institution for two years.
• Ensure the best postdoctoral researchers across all relevant disciplines from around the world are supported in the UK.
• Foster long-term relations between Newton International Fellows and the UK research base.

For further information please contact newton-international@acmedsci.ac.uk.

Lead overseas applicants ("the applicant") must have a clearly defined and mutually-beneficial research proposal agreed with a UK host researcher (“the co-applicant”)

To be eligible to apply the Applicant must;

• have a PhD or be in the final stage of their PhD provided that it will be completed 
  (including viva) before the start date of the fellowship.

• have no more than 7 years active full-time postdoctoral experience at the time of application, including teaching or industry experience, honorary positions and visiting researcher positions. Career breaks must be clearly detailed and explained in the application.
• not hold a UK citizenship and be based at an eligible institution in one of the partner countries.

Each round is open to researcher from specific Newton partner countries. Please check the scheme notes and the top of the page to see which countries are eligible for the current round.   Please see Page 4 of the scheme notes for country specific eligibility.  

And the Co-applicant must;

• be an independent researcher of at least postdoctoral (or equivalent) status.

• hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in a University or eligible research organisation for at least the duration of the project.
• be able to make all the necessary practical and administrative arrangements for the duration of the Fellowship.

Clinical researchers that wish to undertake paid clinical practice while in the UK should bear in mind that this may impact on the tax free status of the fellowship subsistence funding, and on the visa required to come to the UK for non-EEA nationals. For queries concerning clinical practice while holding a Newton International Fellowship, please contact newton-international@acmedsci.ac.uk.

Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility requirements, which are explained in the scheme notes.

The Academy of Medical Sciences offers these fellowships for researchers in clinical and patient oriented research only.

For more information on these fellowships offered in other disciplines please visit:  

The Royal Society for natural and physical sciences.

The British Academy for social sciences and humanities. 

Our partner countries for our Newton Fellowships (currently Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey) also offer scholarships and grants to UK researchers to enable them to spend time undertaking research in these countries. More information is available here.

The fellowship provides up to £32,000 each year (for up to two years) for the following:

• Subsistence costs, tax exempt (maximum £24,000)
• Research support to cover costs for consumables or equipment or eligible travel (maximum £8,000) 

 * Plus relocation expenses one-off payment in Year 1 only (maximum £2,000)

The fellowship also provides a sum of 50% of the total award (i.e. up to £33k for two years) to enable the UK institution to host a Fellowship, and to cover access for the individual to the University and Department facilities (adequate office and laboratory space and access to essential equipment and facilities).

Fellowships must be for a continuous period of up to two years.

Successful applications should be strong in all respects but the selection panel will give consideration to the following criteria:

• Applicant 
  The academic research background and track record of the Applicant.
  The expected benefits for the career development of the Applicant.
• Research proposal 
  The importance and scientific merit of the proposed research.
  The clarity, quality and originality of the proposed project and whether the research plan is clearly defined and feasible. 
• Training and Development
  The extent to which the UK host institution will support the career development of the applicant through training and mentoring activities.  
• Host organisation/research environment

  The suitability and strength of the UK Co-applicant and UK host organisation in the area of 
  proposed research project. 
  The suitability of the UK Co-applicant in supervising and mentoring early career researchers.
  Evidence that the Fellowship will lead to a long-term collaboration beyond the tenure of 
  the award.

• Benefits to the Newton Fund Country
  The expected benefits in particular the extent to which the award will contribute to advancing economic development and welfare of the country by transferring new skills and creating new knowledge.

The Newton Fund is an initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies. The Fund forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, which is monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

More details on the Fund can be found on the website www.newtonfund.ac.uk