Published on Fri, 24/02/2023 - 13:50
We would like to make you aware that the Royal Society has announced some major changes to the Newton International Fellowship this year (deadline 28th March 2023).
Fellowships awarded in the 2023 round will be awarded for three years' duration instead of two and they will move to a Full Economic Cost model. For researchers at higher education institutions, the Royal Society will provide funding at 80% of the FEC for Directly Incurred staff costs, Directly Allocated costs and Indirect costs - this is part of the Society’s wider changes to their costing policy.
There will no longer be capped limits under each of the different budget headings for this scheme, instead, there will be a total maximum grant value for applicants to work within which has been set at £350,000 over three years. Indications are that this budget cap may not be sufficient to cover the staff and research costs anticipated for projects costed over three years and so Departments are encouraged to carefully consider what financial support they would need to provide to supplement these awards.
We are actively discussing our concerns with the Royal Society about the restrictions that this financial cap imposes on the projects and should there be any changes as a result of these discussions, we will circulate further guidance.
In addition, Newton International Fellows will no longer be visiting researchers on a stipend, but salaried employees in receipt of a reasonable salary set by the host institution. This change is significant and Departments should carefully consider the implications of these Fellowships now being offered as employed positions (e.g. associated redundancy costs etc.).
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this scheme in further detail, please contact your Research Development Team in the ROO.