The Institute is increasing the standard bursary for early-career and postdoctoral Fellows from August 2024, in light of ongoing financial pressures in the UK, and especially Edinburgh's increasingly expensive property rental market.
The new monthly rate for postdoctoral bursaries will be £2,000 per month, based on three days per week (0.6FTE) working at IASH. The new funding is drawn via accumulated income from our endowment, generously established by Mrs Sophia M.W. Gifford. In 1984, Mrs Gifford made a donation of £250,000 to IASH in memory of her husband T.J. Carlyle Gifford, former Chancellor’s Assessor at the University of Edinburgh, and founder of Baillie Gifford & Co. Her second donation of £250,000 was made in 1987. The bequest has supported four decades of postdoctoral scholarship at IASH, and forms the foundation of our external income to this day. We hope that the increased bursary will maintain IASH's position as one of the world's most attractive Institutes of Advanced Study.
The rates for externally funded Fellowships such as the Charles Wallace India Trust Fellowship and Daiches-Manning Memorial Fellowship in 18th-Century Scottish Studies will not increase, as these programmes are not supported via the endowment, but they may be 'topped up' where appropriate if an early-career researcher is selected. Our bursaries for senior and mid-career scholars already vary, depending on the programme partner, and each Fellow's requirements and ability to access institutional or sabbatical funds.
Ben Fletcher-Watson, Deputy Director of IASH, said, "We are grateful to everyone who has helped us to raise the bursary rate for future years, supporting emerging scholars at what can be the most precarious point in their careers. Colleagues across the College have assisted us, along with our Management Group and Advisory Board, to find a sustainable way forward, and we thank them for all their help. As a former Fellow myself, I know how vital IASH's bursaries are in both keeping IASH internationally competitive, and more importantly, ensuring that researchers feel able to focus on their projects in a supportive environment."
Applications for postdoctoral Fellowships in 2024-25 must be submitted by 5pm BST on Friday 26 April. Full details of all programmes are available here. Please see our FAQs section for advice.