2015/16 International Placement Scheme Application Guidance INTRODUCTION

2015/16 International Placement Scheme Application Guidance
INTRODUCTION
The International Placement Scheme (IPS) is an annual programme, providing funded research fellowships
for AHRC and ESRC*-funded doctoral students, early career researchers and doctoral-level research
assistants. From 2015, IPS fellowships are available at seven world-leading, international partner
institutions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Harry Ransom Center (opens in a new window), The University of Texas at Austin, USA
The Huntington Library (opens in a new window), California, USA
The Library of Congress (opens in a new window)*, Washington DC, USA
National Institutes for the Humanities (opens in a new window), Japan
Shanghai Theatre Academy (opens in a new window), Shanghai, China
Smithsonian Institution (opens in a new window), Washington D.C., US
The Yale Center for British Art (opens in a new window), Connecticut, USA
*ESRC-funded candidates are eligible to apply to The Library of Congress only.
IPS fellows can spend up to six months at their IPS host, with access to their internationally renowned
collections, resources, facilities and staff expertise. IPS fellowships also provide opportunities for fellows to
network and meet potential research collaborators. IPS fellowships include a travel and living stipend, while
the existing AHRC/ESRC stipend continues to be paid. A total of 326 IPS awards have been made to date.
IPS information regarding eligibility, entitlements, award duration etc., differ for each IPS host; please see
the table on page 2 for an overview. Detailed, institution-specific information, including tailored
application guidance, and titles of IPS awards made to date, are published on each IPS host’s AHRC
webpage (opens in a new window).
IPS OVERVIEW
Year joined IPS
Who can apply
2015 awards
available
2014 awards
made
2014
applications
received
Harry Ransom
Center
Huntington
Library
Library of
Congress
National
Institutes for
the Humanities
Shanghai
Theatre
Academy
Smithsonian
Institution
Yale Center for
British Art
2014
AHRC
2012
AHRC
2005
AHRC & ESRC
2008
AHRC
2015
AHRC
2014
AHRC
2014
AHRC
5
10
25
11
4
5
2-4
8
10
25 (18 AHRC,
7 ESRC)
3
N/A
5
4
28
22
50 AHRC,
10 ESRC
4
N/A
9
7
3 – 6 months
3 – 5 months #
1st Oct 2015 –
30th Sept 2016
2nd Feb 2016 –
30th June 2016 #
£600
£600
Fellowship
duration
2 – 3 months
3 – 6 months
2015/ 16
fellowship
date cycle
1st Sept 2015 –
31st May 2016
1st July 2015 –
30th June 2016
Up to £750
Up to £750
£600
£800
3 - 4 months
(plus 2 weeks of
language training
if required)
1st Sept 2015 31st Dec 2015 OR
1st March 2016 30th June 2016
£600 TBC
£1200
£1200
£1200
£1200
£1200
£1200
£1200
Application form
2 page CV
Application form
2 page CV
Second reference
Application form
2 page CV
Application form
2 page CV
Application form
2 page CV
Application form
2 page CV
Application form
2 page CV
NO, but it is
recommended
YES
YES
YES
NO, but it is
recommended
1st July 2015
1st April 2015
1st April 2015
1st May 2015
1st April 2015
Travel stipend
Monthly
stipend
Application
documents
required
Candidates to
contact host
before applying
Outcome Date
NO, but if you
choose you must NO, but it is
initiate contact by recommended
1st Dec 2014
1st April 2015
1st April 2015
3 – 6 months
1st Oct 2015 –
30th Sept 2016
3 – 6 months
1st July 2015 –
30th June 2016
# Due to renovations, the Yale Center for British Art cannot host IPS fellows outside these dates. From 2016/17, the Yale Center for British Art can accept IPS
fellows for up to 6 months in a 12 month cycle. The number of available fellowships may also be increased.
THE INTERNATIONAL PLACEMENT SCHEME
Aims of the Scheme
1.
The aims of the International Placement Scheme are:
•
to provide early career researchers (ECR), doctoral level research assistants and AHRC/ESRCfunded doctoral students, with dedicated access to the internationally renowned collections/
programmes/ expertise held at the four IPS institutions;
• through such access, to enhance the depth, range and quality of research activities conducted by
scholars;
• to create opportunities for networking with other international scholars at those institutions.
IPS Fellowship Information
2.
For 2015/16, there are up to 60 IPS fellowships available across the seven IPS hosts.
3.
IPS fellowships must take place in one block of time. Fellowship durations and dates vary. For
permissible dates and durations by host, please see the table on page 2 of this guidance.
4.
In addition to access to their IPS host’s research collections, resources and scholars, IPS fellowships
include:
An IPS stipend comprising: - Travel stipend of £600 - £800, plus visa fees paid
- Living stipend of £1200 per month
A working or office space
5.
The IPS stipend will be paid as a lump sum to IPS fellows’ ROs by the earliest fellowship start date for
their chosen IPS host – see the table on page 2 for details of start dates. Fellows applying to travel
early in the placement cycle would have to arrange with their RO to receive their funds in advance,
or they would need to pay for their flight etc in advance of receiving their stipend. IPS fellows will
continue to receive any stipend/salary they receive as part of any current AHRC/ESRC award funding.
6.
Applicants must be applying to carry out primary research; placements cannot be used for writing up
7.
For candidates with current AHRC/ESRC funding, IPS fellowships must be accommodated within the
funded period of the current AHRC/ESRC award. This, for example, disqualifies PhD students, who
are not ECRs, from applying in their unfunded writing up year. Furthermore, no additional time will
be added to the AHRC/ESRC award end/submission date to compensate for time spent on the IPS.
8.
Fellowships cannot be extended beyond the duration applied for, so careful consideration must be
given to the time required to do the proposed research. Applicants should discuss their work plan
with their RO/ PI/ Supervisor/ Head of Department etc., to ensure that the research will be
completed within an adequate and realistic timescale, and will appropriately feed into the applicant’s
research or, if appropriate, into any AHRC/ESRC parent project. Candidates must ensure before
applying that their RO/ PI/ Supervisor/ Head of Department etc., will release them for the fellowship
should their application be successful.
9.
Deferred entry applications are not permitted. Applicants should only apply if they are able to accept
a placement of the minimum duration permitted by their IPS host, within the dates offered by their
IPS host. Should a successful applicant be unable to go during this time, they would have to resign
their place and re-apply the following year. In this instance, their application would be re-assessed
alongside all the new applications for that year and a successful outcome could not be guaranteed.
10. Applications must identify the specific and general collections/resources/facilities/scholars that the
candidate proposes to consult. Candidates should make it a priority to familiarise themselves with
the collections/resources relevant to their research, and demonstrating how and why they are
relevant to their proposed research. Candidates may wish to discuss their intended research with
their chosen host, but they should be aware that hosts may not wish to support requests for
information where a candidate has not carried out preliminary research on the host’s collections.
Therefore, only after candidates have thoroughly researched a host’s online information, if they have
questions not answered by the host’s website, or if they wish to discuss their research and the
available collections, should they contact their IPS host. In some cases, it is compulsory for
candidates to discuss their research with their intended host – see table on page 2 for details.
Candidates may wish to check that their proposed research and duration are appropriate, and that
materials they wish to consult will be available. Candidates are advised to consult their intended host
if their proposed research is practice-led, and/or if it involves exhibiting their work at their chosen
host. Links to online search tools for IPS hosts’ collections/resources, as well as contact details for
hosts, are available in the institution-specific ‘Application Guidance’ on each IPS host’s AHRC
webpage (opens in a new window).
11. Applicants should carefully consider which IPS institutions they wish to apply to depending on the fit
to collections/resources/scholars. ESRC candidates may only apply to LoC. AHRC candidates may
apply to multiple IPS institutions in each round, but they must make a separate application for each
institution. If multiple applications are made, each application must be distinct, and not interdependent. Dates applied for may be consecutive, but not concurrent; dates must be within the term
of the IPS hosts’ placement cycle. If the AHRC consider that dates/research overlap we reserve the
right to reject all related applications. Applicants making multiple applications may be awarded a
fellowship to one or at one of more of their chosen IPS hosts, but this will be determined by the
individual reviews (see Appendix C for the Reviewer Grading Scale) and the funding available.
12. Fellows are responsible for arranging all aspects of their trip, including finding accommodation
(although some hosts can assist with finding accommodation) travel, securing visas and health and
travel insurance (many ROs can assist with the planning; AHRC and the IPS host will provide the
necessary paperwork for fellows to make their visa application). IPS fellows requiring help with
practical arrangements should contact their RO.
13. On completion of the IPS fellowship, fellows must submit a report to the AHRC covering: how the
fellowship contributed to broader professional development outcomes, academic connections made,
key resources used, and how the experience added value to the fellow’s own research. IPS fellows
are also invited to give general feedback on the IPS.
IPS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
A. Applicants must be resident in the UK.
B. Applications must be submitted by the primary UK Research Organization (RO) or Independent
Research Organization (opens in a new window) (IRO) of the applicant. There is no cap on the number
of applications that an RO/IRO may submit.
C. AHRC candidates may apply to all hosts. ESRC candidates may apply to LoC only.
D. Applicants may be PhD students, doctoral level research assistants or early career researchers (ECR).
E. Doctoral students must be enrolled at an approved UK RO and be in receipt of AHRC/ESRC fees or full
PhD funding. The IPS research must be relevant to their current AHRC/ESRC-funded research. Their
AHRC/ESRC PhD funding must be ‘live’ from the point of application until the end of the IPS fellowship.
This disqualifies PhD students in their unfunded writing up year, unless they qualify as an ECR.
F. ECRs are defined researchers who are either: within eight years of the award of their PhD or
equivalent professional training; or within six years of their first academic appointment (i.e. a paid
contract of full/part time employment, with research and/or teaching listed as the primary function).
This includes postdoctoral fellows and research assistants. Research assistants must be of doctoral
standing and have a PhD or equivalent research experience.
G. ECRs are required to have a contract of employment with an AHRC-approved RO/IRO. This contract
must be in place at the time of application and must extend until at least the end of the IPS fellowship.
H. AHRC ECRs applying to National Institutes for the Humanities or Shanghai Theatre Academy must meet
the ECR eligibility criteria F & G above. They are not required to hold or have held AHRC funding.
I.
AHRC ECRs applying to all other hosts must meet the ECR eligibility criteria F & G above
AND must either hold or have previously held AHRC funding, including postgraduate funding,
OR have formally worked, or be working as a researcher on an AHRC-funded research project.
J.
ESRC ECR candidates may apply to Library of Congress only. They must meet the ECR eligibility criteria
F & G above AND must either hold or have previously held ESRC funding, including postgraduate
funding, OR have formally worked, or be working as a researcher on an ESRC-funded research project.
K. IPS fellowships cannot be used for writing up. Applicants must be applying to do primary research in an
AHRC/ESRC subject area/s.
L. Applications are open to full and part-time students/ECR staff. IPS fellows are expected to dedicate full
time hours to the IPS fellowship.
M. Applicants may apply to multiple IPS institutions in this round, but they must make a separate, distinct
and non-concurrent application for each institution.
N. Applicants may hold an IPS fellowship at the same IPS host once in each stage of their career i.e. once
as a student and once as an ECR.
O. Resubmission of a previously unsuccessful application is permitted.
P. Deferred entry applications are not permitted.
Detailed, institution-specific application guidance and eligibility information is published on each IPS
host’s AHRC webpage (opens in a new window).
APPLICATION, ASSESSMENT AND OUTCOMES
Application Submission
1. The application deadline is 16:00 on 15th January 2015. Late applications cannot be accepted.
2. Applicants and their Research Organisation should consult Appendices A, B and C of this document
for detailed guidance and terms and conditions on submitting an application.
3. Applications must be submitted online via the RCUK Je-S system (see Appendices A & B for details).
Assessment Criteria
4. Candidates are advised to refer to the ‘Grading Scale for Reviewers’ (Appendix C) to ensure that they
submit the highest quality application possible. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the
aims of the scheme as well as the following criteria:
i. the extent to which their proposed research fits the host’s specific collections/resources;
ii. the extent to which the fellowship and collections to be consulted would ‘add value’ to their
research (especially if the collections are unique or rare); applicants may suggest how their
fellowship may be of value to their IPS host;
iii. the extent to which the fellowship would be an effective use of the applicant’s time – applicants
may include a timetable;
iv. the extent to which the proposal identifies personal development opportunities through
networking with other research scholars. This might include the presentation of on-going work
or immediate or longer term collaborative opportunities;
v. if the intended IPS research is to be practice-led, the applicant’s own practice must be an
integral part of the research proposal and the creative/performative aspects of the research
must be made explicit. The applicant must explain how practice is an integral part of the project
and not just the outcome;
vi. where appropriate, candidates must demonstrate that they have the appropriate skills to
undertake their intended research;
vii. when applying to work with foreign language materials or applying to a host where English will
not be the native language, applicants must demonstrate that they have the necessary language
expertise. A language requirement is compulsory for some IPS hosts.
Assessment and Outcome Announcement
Applications are assessed by the IPS host. This reviewer will judge, along with the above criteria, the fit of
the proposed project with the host’s collections, resources and scholars. These reviews are the basis upon
which AHRC make the funding decisions. All funding decisions are ratified by IPS hosts.
Outcomes will be emailed to the applicant and their RO. Outcome dates vary by IPS host – see the table on
page 2 for details. Applicants should consider their outcome date alongside the visa requirements for their
relevant nationality when choosing a start date for their fellowship. As a visa application may take several
weeks, those applying to go early in the placement cycle are advised to begin their visa application as soon
as they accept their award. As per article 5 of this guidance, the IPS stipend will be paid on the earliest
fellowship start date for their chosen IPS host – see the table on page 2 for details of all host start dates.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any queries about making an IPS application, please contact [email protected].
Appendix A: Applicant and Research Organisation Guidance on Submitting an Application
A1. Applications must be submitted online via the RCUK Je-S system (opens in a new window).
A2. The AHRC cannot accept applications directly from students: the application may not be in the
student’s name and the student’s RO must physically submit the application on their student’s
behalf. (Direct applications from early career researchers are permitted.) Student applicants MUST
contact their RO in advance of starting their application to check their RO’s internal application
submission process, and to find out who to use as the named person on their application (see
Appendix B, ‘Guide to Completing the Application Form’ for further details).
A3. When creating a Je-S account it is vital that the named applicant enters an e-mail address where they
wish AHRC IPS correspondence to be sent. It is important that this is kept up-to-date as we may need
to contact them during the processing of their application.
A4. Parts of the application form have character limits which cannot be exceeded (see Appendix B,
‘Completing the Application Form’ for further details).
A5. All sections of the application form should be fully completed; we are unable to accept incomplete
applications. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all parties have completed the relevant
sections of the form in time for it to reach the AHRC by the closing deadline of 16.00 on 15th January
2015.
A6. A sample application form (opens in a new window) is available for information only on the AHRC IPS
webpage (opens in a new window). This form cannot be used to make an application and is not how
the information will appear in Je-S
A7. To ensure that applicants submit by the deadline of 16.00 on 15th January 2015, they should allow
time for their RO to approve/submit the application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that
applications made on their behalf by their RO are submitted by the deadline. Applications received
late, even if not the fault of the applicant, cannot be accepted.
A8. The AHRC rules on the IPS scheme require ROs to pay their successful applicants in advance of the
RO receiving the payment from the AHRC. In submitting an application on behalf of the applicant,
the RO is confirming their acceptance of this requirement.
A9. In submitting an application on behalf of the applicant, the RO is confirming their support of the
application and undertaking to provide the support outlined in article 12.
A10. All IPS awards require the RO to submit a Final Expenditure Statement (FES). Fellows are not
required to submit living expenditure receipts, but receipts for flights and visas are required.
A11. Once the RO submits the application, Je-S will automatically send an email acknowledgement to the
submitter. If this is not received within 24 hours of submitting an application, the RO/ applicant should
check with the Je-S helpdesk (opens in a new window).
Application Technical Support - Je-S Helpdesk
There is a dedicated Helpdesk for the Je-S application system. Telephone and email support is available
between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, via 01793 444164 or [email protected]. The AHRC cannot
assist with technical queries about Je-S.
Appendix B: Applicant & Research Organisation Guidance on Completing the Application Form
Guide to Creating the Application Form
Applicants will need to ‘create’ the application form as follows:
1. Log into Je-S (opens in a new window) once their account is set up
2. Select ‘Documents’ from the menu on the left of the page
3. Select ‘New Document’
4. In the ‘Add New Document’ page please select as follows:
-Select Council:
AHRC
-Select Document Type:
Studentship Proposal
-Select Scheme:
International Placements
5. Select ‘Create Document’
A Document Menu will be presented displaying a list of sections that need to be completed. In addition to
these sections there are a few functions available to help during or after completion of the form. These are
accessible from the Document Menu (the main menu):
•
Validate Document
Selecting this will display at the bottom of the screen a list of any sections which have not yet been
completed or which have been completed incorrectly. Applicants will not be able to submit the form to
their RO’s approver/submitter pool until these issues have been addressed.
•
Create Document for Printing
Applicants can print the application form at any time using this function and can also save a noneditable version to their computer for future reference.
•
User Access Privileges
Applicants can allow other people to edit this application form by using this function and selecting
‘Add Editor’. For example, an applicant may wish to allow their supervisor/mentor/Head of
Department etc., access so that they can edit, check or complete some of the sections.
Guide to Completing the Application Form
GRANT HOLDER
Person name
Early Career Researchers should use their own name as the ‘Grant Holder’.
RCUK rules do not allow students to be named on grants; for students, the named ‘Grant Holder’ must be a
designated contact at their RO. Students must check who the correct contact person is within their RO. (It is
likely to be the contact on the student’s BGP/CDA/DTC award, or a member of staff in the Research/Grants
office. We recommend that students do not use their supervisor or an academic contact unless that
contact is prepared to be responsible for the grant administration.) The ‘Grant Holder’ must have a contract
of employment at the applicant’s RO and be a registered Je-S user in order to be named on the
application. The application outcome will be emailed, so the ‘Grant Holder’ must ensure that their email
address is correct in Je-S. In order to submit a proposal, both the ‘Grant Holder’ and the submitting RO (the
one that will hold the IPS award) must be registered on Je-S. It may be useful for the student applicant to
create their own basic Je-S account to speed up the application process.
Organisation/ Department
These sections will be pre-populated from the nominated person’s Je-S account details and are therefore
not editable. If the information is incorrect, the nominated person should update their information in their
Je-S account.
QUALIFICATIONS
Early Career applicants should provide details of their highest/most relevant HE qualification.
Students should provide details of their current doctoral level of study.
Information on additional qualifications is not required.
RESEARCH ORGANISATION
Organisation & Department
Applicants should enter the details of their UK home RO and department
PROJECT DETAILS
Award dates
Start Date
For the Je-S form, ALL applicants MUST use 1st July 2015 as their start date. This is for RCUK-system
reasons and is not the date that the award must start.
Applicants MUST state their actual proposed start and end dates and duration in their ‘Applicant
Statement’. Actual permitted start dates are:
· For Harry Ransom Center and Shanghai Theatre Academy, the earliest start date is 1st Sept 2015.
· For Huntington and NIHU, the earliest fellowship start date is 1st July 2015.
· For LoC and Smithsonian, the earliest start date is 1st October 2015.
· For Yale Center for British Art the earliest start date is 2nd February 2016.
LoC fellows must start on the first working Monday of a month. LoC cannot accept new starters in July.
Duration and End Date
For the Je-S form, ALL applicants MUST use 30th September 2016 as their end date. This is for RCUKsystem reasons and is not the date that the award must end. Once the applicant has entered the start date
of 1st July, they should enter ‘15’ in the ‘duration’ field and select ‘calculate’; this will automatically
populate the end date as 30/09/2016.
Applicants MUST include their actual proposed start and end dates in their ‘Applicant Statement’:
· For Harry Ransom Center, all placements must be completed by 31st May 2016.
· For Huntington, NIHU, Yale Center for British Art and Shanghai Theatre Academy, all placements
must be completed by 30th June 2016.
· For LoC and Smithsonian, all placements must be completed by 30th September 2016.
Award durations as outlined in the ‘Applicant Statement’ cannot be changed once an application is
successful, although start/end dates may be changed - subject to the approval of the host institution.
Your Reference
If you wish to give the application your own reference number, please state it in this field.
Project title (150 characters including spaces)
Applicants MUST prefix their project title with their full name in parenthesis e.g.
(Stephen McCoombe) A study of the collections at the Yale Center for British Art.
PLACEMENT ORGANISATIONS
Applicants should indicate their chosen IPS institution by ticking the corresponding box. As per article 11 of
this document, AHRC applicants may apply to more than one IPS institution in this round, but they must
make a separate, distinct and non-concurrent application for each institution. If the applicant is applying to
more than one IPS institution, the applicant’s supervisor/ mentor/ Head of Department etc., must ensure
that their supporting statement for each application is distinct.
PROJECT SUMMARY (up to 1000 characters including spaces)
Applicants should provide a summary of the research they propose to conduct on their IPS fellowship.
APPLICANT STATEMENT (up to 4000 characters including spaces)
The ‘Applicant Statement’ should include:
• a brief summary of the applicant’s current research;
• the stage in the research at which the IPS fellowship would take place, e.g. details of the research
undertaken to date, the number of months/years of study completed on the project, and the timescale
for completing the research;
• the duration and dates being applied for (see ‘Award Dates’ section on the previous page of this
document); they should also include a breakdown of how the time would be used;
• if particular collections or resources are to be used these must be mentioned in the application. It is
essential that the applicant demonstrates the relevance of the identified aspects of the collections
to the applicant’s own research;
• whether alternate institutions could offer equal or greater access to similar collections;
• how access to the identified collections and expertise would add value to the applicant’s current and
planned research activities; if applicable, how the applicant’s research may be of value to their chosen
IPS institution;
• whether the fellowship would provide personal development opportunities other than those arising
directly from the research (e.g. networking with other scholars, giving presentations of current work,
or immediate or long term collaborative opportunities);
• if the intended research is to be practice-led, how practice is an integral part of the project;
• whether the applicant has the necessary skills, including language or linguistic expertise required to
undertake the proposed research;
APPLIED PREVIOUSLY
If you have previously made an unsuccessful IPS application you should provide the reference number.
GRANT REFERENCE NUMBER
AHRC student applicants must provide the reference number for their AHRC award. If that award is part of
an institutional block grant or consortia grant (BGP/DTP/DTC/CDA/CDP etc.), we require that grant
reference number.
AHRC ECRs should provide the reference number for the AHRC grant they hold/held.
All AHRC grant numbers begin AH/…. Applicants unsure of their grant number must contact their RO.
All ESRC applicants & AHRC ECRs applying to NIHU & STA who do not hold/have not held AHRC funding
should use the reference number AH/J201516/1.
SUPERVISOR STAFF
Applicants should enter the name and institutional information of their supervisor/ mentor/Head of
Department etc., who is providing the main application reference. Applicants should use the ‘Select
Supervisor’ button to search for them in the list of existing Je-S accounts. If the person is not listed, use the
‘Add New Person’ button to manually enter their details.
SUPERVISION DETAILS (up to 4000 characters including spaces)
The applicant’s academic supervisor/ mentor/ Head of Department etc., should provide a statement in
support of the application, which includes:
• an account of how the proposed research and time spent at the IPS institution will add value to the
current and on-going work of the applicant; if applicable, how the applicant’s research may be of value
to the IPS institution;
• confirmation that the applicant has the skills necessary, including language proficiency if applicable, to
exploit effectively the resources available;
• information on whether the chosen IPS institution is the most appropriate institution for the applicant
to conduct their research;
• details of the supervisory arrangements that will be in place whilst the applicant is undertaking their
research during this placement, including assurance that the time spent at on the IPS placement will
not result in extra time being required to complete the current research funded by the AHRC/ESRC.
If the applicant is making an application to more than one IPS institution, the applicant’s
supervisor/mentor/HoD must ensure that their supporting statement for each application is distinct.
PROPOSAL CLASSIFICATIONS
Using the subject classification list in Je-S, the applicant should state which AHRC subject area their
application relates to, plus provide up to six ‘key words’ which best identify the focus of their research. If
applicants require additional guidance on subject classifications, please see AHRC Funding Guide (opens in a
new window).
ATTACHMENTS
All applicants must attach a 2 page academic CV with their application. The CV must use the file naming
format “Surname CV IPS Host Name 2015” e.g.: Farrell CV IPS Yale Center for British Art 2015.
Huntington applicants must also attach a 1 page second academic reference. The reference must use
the file naming format “Surname Reference IPS Host Name 2015” e.g.: Farrell Reference IPS Huntington 2015.
Proposals containing attachments exceeding the stated limits, or not adhering to the specified format,
will not be considered. Other types of attachments than those listed above will not be considered.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Once an application and its attachments are complete in Je-S, the application needs to be sent to the RO’s
approver and/or submitter pool for the RO-approved Je-S contact to submit the application. Applicants are
responsible for familiarising themselves with their RO’s submission process and timing, and ensuring that
applications made on their behalf by their RO are submitted on time. Late applications, even if not the fault
of the applicant, cannot be accepted.
Appendix C: IPS Grading Scale for Reviewers
Candidates should familiarise themselves with the following Grading Scale, which IPS reviewers will use to
grade applications:
Grade
6
Descriptor
A proposal that is outstanding in all of the following: scholarship; originality; quality; and
significance. It fully meets all the assessment criteria for the scheme and excels in many or all of
these. It provides full and consistent evidence and justification that the
collections/programmes/scholars attached to this institution are essential to the proposed research;
that this institution is the only place where the research can be carried out; and that the research to
be carried out here is essential to the applicant’s wider research.
It should be funded as a matter of the very highest priority.
5
A proposal that is excellent in all of the following: scholarship, originality; quality; and significance. It
provides full and consistent evidence and justification that the collections/programmes/scholars
attached to this institution are important to the research; that this institution is the best place for
the research to be carried out; and that the research to be carried out here is important to the
applicant’s wider research.
It should be funded as a matter of priority, but does not merit the very highest priority rating.
4
A very good proposal demonstrating high standards of scholarship, originality, quality and
significance. It provides full and consistent evidence and justification that the
collections/programmes/scholars attached to this institution are important to the research; that this
institution is a relevant place where the research could be carried out; and the research to be carried
out here is of value to the applicant’s wider research.
It is worthy of consideration for funding, but in a competitive context may not be a funding priority.
3
A satisfactory proposal in terms of the overall standard of scholarship and quality, but which is not
competitive and/or is more limited in terms of originality/innovation, significance and/or its
contribution to the research field. It satisfies at least minimum requirements in relation to the
assessment criteria for the scheme, and provides reasonable evidence and justification that this
institution is a relevant, but not the only, place where the research could be carried out; and that the
research to be carried out here is relevant to the applicant’s wider research.
The proposal is not considered of sufficient quality to recommend for funding.
2
A proposal of inconsistent quality which has some strengths, innovative ideas and/or good
components or dimensions, but also has significant weaknesses or flaws in one or more of the
following: conceptualisation; design; methodology; management and/or relevance to the
institution’s collections/programmes/scholars. As a result of the flaws or weaknesses identified the
proposal is not considered to be of fundable quality. (A proposal should also be graded 2 if it does
not meet all the assessment criteria for the scheme.)
It is not recommended for funding.
1
A proposal which falls into one or more of the following categories:
• has unsatisfactory levels of originality, quality and/or significance
• falls significantly short of meeting the assessment criteria for the scheme
• contains insufficient evidence and justification for the proposal
• displays limited potential to advance the research field
• the potential outcomes or outputs do not merit the levels of funding sought
• is unconvincing in terms of its management arrangements or capacity to deliver the
proposed activities
• does not identify institutional collections/programmes/scholars relevant to the research.
It is not suitable for funding.