Fellowship placement opportunities

Fellowship policy placements are organised by NERC in collaboration with a policy-making body, for example a government department, devolved administration or agency. The applicant applies for the position, which will be for a fixed term and on a specified topic. The placement is jointly funded by NERC and the partner organisation on a 50:50 basis, with the exception of NGOs, who are asked to provide 25% of the funding.

Eligibility

Normally the fellowship will be taken up by those in early to mid-career, that is, those researchers having been involved in research for 5-10 years after completing their PhD, or policy makers with at least 2 years experience. In exceptional circumstances, we may appoint a more experienced applicant.

Sabbatical arrangements available to the applicant will not count towards the fellowship period, but could add value to it, before or after.

Duration

The minimum period for a fellowship will be three months and the maximum a year. Some flexibility may be negotiated on the proportion of time devoted to the award. Shorter awards are expected to be full-time.

Location

Placement fellows will normally be expected to spend at least 50 per cent of the placement in the partner organisation's offices, although some work might require time to be spent at other locations in the UK or abroad.

Conditions of work

All placement fellows must adhere to their employer's and the host organisation's requirements of independence from political or commercial interest through the placement. Fellows will need to give undertakings to respect a confidentiality agreement, specifying that data on policy advice and internal debate will not be disclosed without prior written agreement of the partner organisation.

Funding arrangements

During the placement, the fellow will remain employed by her/his institution. All agreed costs for the fellows will be shared equally by NERC and the partner organisation.

Management and supervision

The partner organisation will nominate a supervisor to whom the fellow will report. NERC will nominate a contact person (within the Knowledge Exchange (KE) group at Swindon) who should be actively informed about the progress of the placement.

Fellowship placement - current opportunities

NERC, BBSRC and Defra Policy Placement Secondment: Support to Defra's Chief Scientific Advisor

Defra has a rare opportunity for two policy placement secondments, one in the environmental sciences (NERC remit) and another in the biosciences (BBSRC remit), to work in direct support of the Department's Chief Scientific Advisor and the Strategic Evidence and Analysis team. Applications are invited from researchers who are in the early stages of their career, ideally with 2-3 years post-PhD experience. The secondments will be up to one year on a full time or part-time basis (60% FTE minimum). This is an exciting opportunity to gain valuable experience of working at the heart of a Government Department in a fast paced environment, an understanding of the science-policy interface, and an in depth knowledge of a range of Defra policy areas.

Defra Policy Placement Secondment p (126KB)

Defra Policy Placement Secondment (2 posts)
Closing date: 23 July 2013