Lancaster University is inviting applications from early career researchers seeking support for their application to the Leverhulme Trust’s Early Career Fellowship scheme 2021. I am proposing to support the application of a suitable candidate with a project in the field of electronic literature / digital language art. Projects focusing on languages other than English and cross-language, cross-cultural, cross-media, and comparative approaches would be particularly welcome, but feel free to send other proposals as well. The successful candidate would integrate Lancaster’s Department of Languages and Cultures and the Institute for Social Futures.

The Funding Opportunity

The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships scheme supports early career researchers, with a research record but who have not yet held a full-time permanent academic post, to undertake a significant piece of publishable work.

Full details of this opportunity are available here.

Applicants should also refer to the Leverhulme Trust’s approach to grant-making available here.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this call the applicant must have:

· Submitted their PhD for viva voce after 24 February 2017/can provide evidence of a career break to justify their eligibility; OR the applicant will have submitted their PhD for viva voce by the deadline of 4pm on 25 February 2021.

· A degree from a UK institution or holds a fixed term position which commenced before October 2020.

· Not previously been a PI on a 3-year project or held a comparable 3-year post-doctoral position to pursue their own research.

· Not yet held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or comparable UK institution.

Value and duration

Fellowships are tenable for 3 years on a full-time basis. The Trust will contribute 100% of each Fellow’s total salary costs in Year 1 up to a maximum of £50k and for Years 2 and 3, 50% of each Fellow’s total salary costs up to a maximum of £25k per year. The balance is to be paid by the host institution. Departments are asked to consider how any shortfall on this scheme will be covered. Each Fellow may request annual research expenses of up to £6,000 per year to further his or her research activities.

Internal Expression of Interest Stage

· The applicant identifies a mentor and makes contact to discuss their potential application through the mentor’s department

The applicant completes the attached Expression of Interest (EoI) form and sends this to their mentor by 12 noon on Friday 30 October 2020
· At the EoI stage, HoDs are asked to consider the appropriate starting salary for their nominated candidate(s) and how any shortfall will be funded (funding equal to the Leverhulme contribution will be sought from UPRG but any additional shortfall must be covered by the department).

Application Timetable