Application Deadline: midnight UTC+1 on Sunday 16 June 2019.
The Commonwealth Blue Charter affirms our collective commitment to preserving and nurturing the world’s oceans. Part of this includes tackling marine pollution – specifically the issue of marine plastics, which are drastically affecting the health of our oceans, marine life, and the Blue Economy.
As part of the Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research & Innovation Framework (MPRIF), through generous funding from Waitrose & Partners, the ACU is launching a second round of our Blue Charter Fellowship Programme that will provide 10 academic fellows with placements of up to 6-months at ACU member universities across the Commonwealth, as well as in industry.
These fellowships will support world-class research and innovation in marine plastics, and help fulfil the objectives of the MPRIF.
Research and research translation areas will cover the broad area of marine plastics, specifically the following priority areas of the MPRIF:
- preventing plastics from getting into the sea
- developing alternatives to plastics
- the potential for cleaning up the seas
Eligibility
Applicants must be Post-PhD research staff or PhD students at ACU member institutions in any Commonwealth country.
Applications from early career researchers (ECRs) are particularly welcomed. Early career is defined as current PhD students, researchers up to 10 years post-PhD, and also researchers who are returning to academic work following a career break.
Applicants from any discipline will be considered, as long as they can demonstrate how their work relates to one or more of the three areas outlined above.
The fellowship must take place at an ACU member institution, or in industry, outside the fellow’s country of residence. A list of institutions and supervisors who have expressed interest in hosting a Fellow is available on the Host Institutions page.
Fellows are expected to be highly skilled and motivated researchers whose proposed research topic is innovative, timely, and likely to lead to wider impact beyond the academic community.
Applicants must submit proof that the host institution is happy to host their fellowship as part of the application process.
Applicants based in Asia or Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly encouraged to apply.
Mentoring
Fellows who are ECRs will be assigned a specialist mentor at a third-party institution, which is not their home or host institution, who will provide support and advice during the fellowship.
Timings
The fellowships will last up to 6 months and must take place between 1 September 2019 and 30 June 2020.
Value of fellowships
Fellows will receive a grant of up to £14,000 GBP to cover travel, accommodation, sustenance, travel insurance, vaccinations and visa costs.
All fellows will also receive a research grant of £4,000 GBP for research costs associated with the Fellowship. This can also be used to contribute to conference participation associated with the fellowship work.
How to apply
Please complete the online application form by midnight UTC+1 on Sunday 16 June 2019.
As part of the application, applicants must submit the following:
- CV
- Reference from their home university head of department / supervisor
- Letter of support from their host university or industry collaborator / supervisor
They must also respond to the following questions:
- Summarise the collaborative work you plan to carry out during the fellowship. This should be written for an audience without prior knowledge of the subject, and must not be overly technical. Any abbreviations or specialist terms must be explained. (200-300 words)
- If this is an existing collaboration, briefly describe the work carried out to date (100-150 words)
- Describe how the work carried out during and after the fellowship will contribute to the Commonwealth Blue Charter (100-150 words)
- Describe the likely impact of your research globally, nationally and locally. Think about who will benefit from the work, considering both academic and social impact. (200-300 words)
- List the planned outcomes and outputs of the fellowship. This could be in the form of journal articles, conference participation, grant applications, media, community or policy engagement, exchange agreements with your host institution, etc. (50-150 words)
- How will the Fellowship help you to overcome barriers you are facing in carrying out your research at your home institution? (200-300 words)
- Please provide a brief outline of how you plan to communicate your research to relevant stakeholders in order to maximise the potential impact of your research (200-300 words)
- What motivates you to apply for the fellowship, and why did you choose your current field of research? (100-150 words)
Please note that applications addressing the above three research areas will be prioritised. We also strongly encourage applications from researchers based in or to be hosted by ACU Member institutions in Asia and SIDS countries. Successful applicants from the first round of Blue Charter Fellowships are not eligible to apply.
Reporting
Fellows will be required to submit a written report within a month of the end of their fellowship, respond to a follow-up survey 12 months later. They will also have the opportunity to participate in the ACU Fellows’ alumni scheme.
Contact
For any queries about the fellowships, please contact BlueCharter@acu.ac.uk
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the ACU Commonwealth Blue Charter Fellowship 2019/2020