Home / Fellowships

Fellowships

CECAN has established a Fellowship Scheme for those who wish to participate and contribute to its work. The scheme enables academics, evaluators, policymakers and evidence analysts to spend time within CECAN’s research teams. 

Format of Fellowships:

  • Fellowships may last for up to six months full-time (or longer if part-time, for example, one day a week for a year) and will be individually tailored to the circumstances of the Fellow and the work they will be doing.

  • The Fellowship scheme provides opportunities for those from government and industry to forge useful and lasting connections with researchers and for CECAN’s work to be informed by and linked closely to practical evaluation.

  • Fellows will be entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses from CECAN

  • Normally, Fellows will be seconded by their employers and will continue to receive their usual salary and benefits.  

  • Independent consultants who do not have other sources of income may apply for an honorarium to cover direct costs. This would need to be paid through a service contract, details of which would be worked out when the application is made.

  • Due to the nature of our funding, VAT is not payable

  • Applicants will not be awarded more than one Fellowship

  • Fellows will be expected to provide an End of Fellowship report on their activities

  • Publication and open access costs will not be funded under the Fellowship scheme

Fellows may contribute to any aspect of the Centre’s work, for example:

  • Helping to develop new evaluation methods

  • Applying innovative methods to case studies

  • Developing curricula and teaching materials

  • Contributing to briefing papers and academic articles

  • Contributing to seminars and workshops

  • Contributing to the supervision of MSc and doctoral students

Collaborating with CECAN:

  • Fellows will be linked to a member of the CECAN team (their ‘Mentor’) and have an agreed programme of work that often will be related to their usual role and responsibilities.  

  • Applicants should have identified a potential CECAN mentor and submit their initial query directly to them

  • They will be provided with free access to the Centre’s resources and internal communications

  • They will normally have a desk, library and internet access at their mentor’s host institution

  • Work arrangements are flexible: for example a part-time Fellow might visit the host institution once a week, spend another day each week on their Fellowship work at home and spend the other three days a week at their normal job. Many different arrangements are possible, but the Fellowship cannot last longer than two years overall and not more than the equivalent of 6 months full-time

  • At an early stage in the Fellowship, Fellows will meet members of the CECAN team to discuss their interests and experience with team members. Thereafter, Fellows will be encouraged to participate in the CECAN Fellows Network, and will be able to initiate, speak at and attend CECAN events

Who should apply?

The Fellowship scheme is primarily intended for those who are engaged in or advise on policy evaluation in complex, especially nexus domains. This includes policy analysts in government, academics from a wide range of social and environmental disciplines, policy makers from central and local government, evaluation consultants and contractors, and members of NGOs and businesses involved in evaluation.

How to apply:

The Fellowship programme operates two modes of awarding Fellowships:

  1. Responsive mode: open for applications aligning with and contributing to CECAN’s objectives and knowledge gaps. This would normally cover expenses up to £1,000. Applicants should submit an initial query to one or more members of the CECAN team with whom they would like to conduct their Fellowship (this person(s) will become their ‘Mentor’), providing an outline of their idea and who they are. The applicant then works with the mentor(s) to complete the Fellowship application form (obtainable via the mentor).

  2. Advertised Fellowships: Specific Fellowship topics will be advertised to address specific challenges/areas that have emerged from CECAN’s work. Fellowships can cover an honorarium if applicable and expenses up to £10,000. These Fellowships will be advertised on CECAN’s Join Us page

Applications are to be emailed to the CECAN Managers at cecan@surrey.ac.uk and are then processed by the Knowledge Integrator and considered at the next monthly CECAN Executive Group meeting. Download the application form here.

Applications are reviewed at CECAN’s monthly Executive Group (EG) meeting and should be submitted at least a week before each meeting to be considered. It is advised that applications are submitted within plenty of time to be reviewed by the Knowledge Integrator and provide feedback prior to submission to the EG.

All applications should be received before 1 September 2018

Applicants and mentors are notified of the outcome of the application within 4-6 weeks of the application form being submitted.

Criteria:

When assessing applications, the CECAN Executive Group will bear in mind that:

  1. The Fellowship addresses ‘nexus’, ‘policy evaluation’ & ‘complexity’ areas relevant to CECAN

  2. The Fellowship enhances the Fellow’s own skills and experience

  3. The Fellowship has a programme of work with specific outputs that is timely, feasible, and capable of completion within the period of the Fellowship

  4. The Fellowship lasts no longer than 6 months full-time or pro-rata, if part time

  5. The Fellow makes an identifiable contribution to the work of the Centre

  6. The Fellow collaborates with at least one member of the Centre team

  7. The Fellow brings expertise to the Centre that it would not otherwise have access to

  8. The Fellow has identified a mentor who will guide and support them

  9. The Fellow’s request for financial support is commensurate with the duration of the Fellowship and the activities planned

Share This