August 2016

Application form

The only Fellowship programme open for applications is the British Council 90th Anniversary Research Fellowships.

Applications are now closed for all other postdoctoral and early-career Fellowships for 2025-26. The deadline for postdoctoral applicants was 25 April 2025. Our mid-career and senior programmes are also now closed - the next application round (for visits between August 2026 and July 2027) will close in February 2026.

All applicants are requested to read the following information carefully before completing their applications.
1) IASH does not support research in the sciences. If your work is in chemistry, biology, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc. please DO NOT complete this application. Interdisciplinary topics such as history of science, medical humanities and veterinary humanities can be supported, and we welcome research in those areas.
2) You must have contacted staff at the University of Edinburgh before making your application. Your main collaborator / mentor should be named in the form below. If you list a member of staff at another university as your mentor / collaborator, your application will be rejected. It is the applicant's responsibility to make contact with staff at the University of Edinburgh and to gain their agreement to act as mentor, but they do not need to provide a letter of support or reference.
3) You must ensure that your referees submit their references to iash@ed.ac.uk by the deadline. Applications without references will not be considered.

Please note that the majority of our Fellowships require applicants to hold a doctorate, or to be able to provide a transcript, testamur, or a letter of completion / eligibility to graduate as part of an application, if you have not yet graduated; you do not need to have actually graduated at the time you apply.
If you do not currently have a position within academia, please put "independent researcher".
If you do not currently have a position within academia, please put "independent researcher".
Address to which correspondence should be sent
Summary of project (not more than 50 words) in terms which will be understood by a non-specialist in the subject.
You must name a current or emeritus/emerita member of staff at the University of Edinburgh in order for your application to be eligible. Applications which do not have support from at least one member of staff at Edinburgh will not be considered. Full details of all staff research interests are available on the university website: https://www.ed.ac.uk/
Our Fellowships vary in duration. Most senior/mid-career Fellowships allow a visit between 2 and 6 months, while most postdoctoral/early-career Fellowships allow visits up to 10 months. For guidelines, please consult the web page for the Fellowship Programme to which you are applying.
If 'Yes', please give details.
If you are applying for one of our funded Fellowship programmes and are not successful, would you like your application to also be considered for the current round of unfunded Visiting Research Fellowships? This assumes you have access to departmental / grant / sabbatical funding to support your visit. NOTE: VRFs are also selected on merit via competitive application.
Signature of applicant
Please enter your name

Today's date: 3:21am June 24, 2025

Supporting documents
Please upload your CV and Research Proposal as separate documents in .doc, .docx or .pdf format. Please use an easy-to-read font, such as Arial or Times in 11pt or 12pt. Your files should be named 'LASTNAME,Firstname-CV' and 'LASTNAME,Firstname-ResearchProposal' (and 'LASTNAME,Firstname-CoverLetter' if applying for the British Council Fellowship only - cover letters are not required for any other Fellowship programmes). Research Proposals that exceed the specified word limit (details below) will not be considered. Additional supporting documents (articles, etc) may be emailed to IASH@ed.ac.uk NOTE THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE AN ERROR MESSAGE AT TIMES OF HIGH TRAFFIC, SAYING YOUR ATTACHMENT IS TOO LARGE - PLEASE IGNORE THIS ERROR IF YOUR FILE IS BELOW 8MB, AND SUBMIT THE FORM ANYWAY. YOU MAY NEED TO REFRESH THE PAGE. IF YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION, THEN YOUR APPLICATION HAS SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED. WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF THE ATTACHMENT FAILS TO APPEAR IN THE PORTAL.
Please upload your cover letter (maximum 2 pages) in Word or PDF format. No other formats are accepted. The maximum individual file size is 8MB. If you receive an error message during upload, please try again, as the system can be slow to respond at busy times. The cover letter should outline how the Fellowship will support the British Council’s objectives for this programme: To generate new knowledge that builds on or complements British Council data, evidence, insight and expertise and supports British Council programming and strategy; To diversify and broaden the British Council’s knowledge base, including through providing opportunities for knowledge exchange with researchers from regions and communities under-represented in global research production and discourse; To support the international capacity building and professional development of up-and-coming research experts from eligible countries; To foster longer-term connections, networks and partnerships between UK and international researchers and British Council staff; To promote the academic engagement and professional networking of British Council staff and partners; To enhance the visibility, use and application of the data, evidence and other forms of knowledge and insight generated through the British Council’s programmes and network; To contribute more broadly to the UK research and skills agenda (including the UK Research and Development Roadmap and the Research England Knowledge Exchange Framework).
More information
  • Files must be less than 8 MB.
  • Allowed file types: pdf doc docx.
Please upload your academic CV (maximum 4 pages) in Word or PDF format. No other formats are accepted. The maximum individual file size is 8MB. If you receive an error message during upload, please try again, as the system can be slow to respond at busy times. NOTE: If applying for the American Philosophical Society Fellowship only, you are asked to supply a CV of maximum 1 page, listing publications related to your proposal, and up to ten most significant publications) and a project proposal of no more than 2 pages including a bibliography, and a 1-page budget statement. Your budget should detail amounts for travel, subsistence, photo-reproduction, supplies / other (please specify) and a total amount requested. You should then provide a short statement explaining the reasons for the requested budget allocations.
More information
  • Files must be less than 8 MB.
  • Allowed file types: pdf doc docx.
Please upload your project proposal in Word or PDF format. No other formats are accepted. The maximum individual file size is 8MB. If you receive an error message during upload, please try again, as the system can be slow to respond at busy times. Your proposal should use the following word counts: OUTLINE OF RESEARCH (500-750 Words) Describe the research you would like to undertake during an IASH Fellowship, including a brief overview of the background, methodologies and potential outputs. Research which is innovative and/or interdisciplinary is particularly encouraged. IMPORTANCE & TIMELINESS (Max. 250 Words) Describe why your proposed research is important and how it will make a contribution to your chosen field at this point in time. Please note that we are asking about TIMELINESS, meaning urgency or aptness of the research, not the TIMELINES of your individual research components! Applicants may wish to include a short table, Gantt chart or list of key milestones in their proposal, if appropriate, but this is not mandatory. RELEVANCE TO EDINBURGH & COLLABORATIVE OUTCOMES (Max. 250 Words) Describe the relevance of your research to the priorities of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh, the priorities of the British Council, and/or the importance to your work of research resources specific to the Edinburgh context. Include details of any further contacts you have made with academic staff at the University of Edinburgh, as well as any planned collaborative outcomes. References and footnotes are not included in the word count.
More information
  • Files must be less than 8 MB.
  • Allowed file types: pdf doc docx.

Notes on funding:

The Fellowship provides a bursary of £2,500 per month and travel expenses. UK visa fees and NHS surcharge will be reimbursed.

Data Protection Statement

Personal data processed for any purpose shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose.

You can view the full data protection policy here.

Fellows' Publications

A large number of books and articles have resulted from the research done at the Institute by our Fellows. Over the years many Fellows have generously donated copies of their publications to the Institute and this represents a valuable resource across a wide range of disciplines and languages. The Fellows' collection is housed in the Institute and is primarily for the use of other Visiting Fellows.

The Timothy Sprigge Library

Timothy Lauro Squire Sprigge (1932 – 2007)

Regius Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, 1979-1989 and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1993+). His own publications include: A Vindication of Absolute Idealism (1983); James and Bradley: American Truth and British Reality (1993); Santayana: An Examination of his Philosophy (1995); and The God of Metaphysics (2006).