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VISITING INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP AWARD
The Society for French Studies is delighted to announce the second round of its Visiting International Fellowship scheme. In the light of its commitment to international mobility within the subject area it represents, the Society offers funding for a grant to support an annual visiting fellowship, tenable in any UK or Irish university, or institution of higher education in the UK or Ireland, to enable outstanding academics in the French Studies field based in overseas universities to spend time at UK or Irish higher education institutions. The scheme is designed to support early career and established scholars, although exceptionally the Society may be prepared to consider candidates—such as authors—who do not hold a university post.
There is one deadline per year:
- 1 April, for activity taking place the following academic session.
Applicants will normally be notified of the outcome of their application within two months of the date of the application.
Purpose of grant, criteria for selection and eligible costs
The key objective of the Fellowship grant is to encourage the internationalization of French Studies in the UK and Ireland through engagement with those active in the field elsewhere. It is also intended that the Fellow will wish to use the occasion to further their own academic interests, and to visit more than one UK and / or Irish institution. The emphasis will be on collaboration and on the diffusion of skills and knowledge, and priority may be given to new or recent collaborative ventures. Where a visit builds on existing collaboration, the applicant in the UK or Ireland should explain what the visit will achieve over and above past outcomes. It is the intention that the fellowship may provide a degree of expertise that is not otherwise available within the UK and Irish research base in French Studies. Visiting fellows will be expected to offer ‘Society for French Studies Lectures‘ (or equivalent), either in the host institution or elsewhere, to mark their residence.
The principal criteria for selection will be (i) the academic standing and achievements of the visitor in terms of their current career stage, (ii) their potential for making a substantial contribution to French Studies in the UK and Ireland, and (iii) the specific nature of the proposed programme during the fellowship. Additionally, and as collaboration is a central aim of the scheme, joint bids from two or more institutions are especially welcomed, and the selection panel will give special consideration to such applications.
Visits should be for no more than four weeks in duration, although an extended period may be appropriate if additional funding is available from institutional sources. There is an expectation that institutions will supplement the Society’s grant, and the level of additional support offered will be taken into consideration in the allocation of the award.
Eligible subject areas The Society for French Studies exists to promote teaching and research in French Studies, understood in its broadest senses, in higher education. Activities supported by this scheme should be aligned with this objective, but may also support initiatives that explore the limits of French Studies in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Eligibility of applicants Applications must be completed by an academic member of staff in the UK or Irish host institution. The UK or Irish host applicant is also expected to organise, direct and take academic and organisational responsibility of the fellowship. Host applicants must be members of or associated Higher Education departments of French (or departments which teach French) in the UK and Ireland. Main applicants must also be members of the Society for French Studies. No more than one application may be submitted by any institution in one academic year (this applies to collegiate and non-collegiate universities alike, and includes joint applications from two or institutions).
Level of Grant The Society will offer a grant of up to £2,000 to support travel, accommodation, subsistence and other expenses; up to an additional £500 is also available to cover the costs of visiting other institutions in the UK or Ireland. Personal expenditure on items such as visa costs, car hire and health insurance are not eligible, and it is expected that host institutions will offer support for these. Application for this award will be competitive, and it cannot be made retrospectively.
Application Procedure In order to apply, please send a letter or email giving the following details:
(i) name, position and institutional affiliation of the host applicant; (ii) name, institutional affiliation and outline of career and principal publications/ achievements of the proposed Visiting Fellow (iii) intended dates of the Fellowship; (iv) intended collaborators during the Fellowship; (v) the subject area within French Studies to which the fellowship activity relates; (vi) planned activities, including visits to and lectures/seminars at other institutions; (vii) any other anticipated outputs or outcomes; (viii) a draft budget, clearly detailing the amount requested, and the purpose to which it will be put; (ix) details, where relevant, of other applications for, or commitments to, funding relating to the research in question; (x) an undertaking to abide by the conditions of the award, if successful; (xi) confirmation that the principal applicant is a member of the Society for French Studies.
Applications should be addressed to:
Professor Ed Welch Carnegie Chair of French School of Language & Literature King’s College University of Aberdeen Aberdeen AB24 3UBedward.welch@abdn.ac.uk
Conditions of the Award The names of recipients will be announced in the French Studies Bulletin and on the website. The visitor and UK or Irish host academic are required to submit a brief report within one month of the end of the award’s tenure. The Society’s support should be acknowledged in any publications arising directly from the award, and these publications should be listed in the reports. Successful applicants will be asked to submit a short report to the SFS Executive Committee. The organisers are to send a copy of the conference report to the editor of French Studies Bulletin (Dr James Simpson: James.Simpson@glasgow.ac.uk). The Society reserves the right to request that any ‘Society for French Studies Lectures’ (or equivalent) delivered by the Visiting Fellow should be recorded for archiving in the members’ area of the Society’s website. In addition, the host institution is required to submit a final statement of expenditure within four weeks of the end of the fellowship to the Treasurer of the Society (Dr Ruth Cruickshank: Ruth.Cruickshank@rhul.ac.uk).
The host institution must undertake the following: (i) to meet all overhead and departmental costs; (ii) to provide facilities (including departmental membership, office consumables and other usual privileges) at a level commensurate with the conditions enjoyed by existing staff of the same level; (iii) to manage all necessary arrangements relating to the visitor’s health insurance, visa and tax requirements.
To download these guidelines as a PDF file, click here.