Faculty of History Process
The Faculty of History is inviting applications for the 2022 round of MSCA European* Postdoctoral Fellowships. Please contact us at rf@history.ox.ac.uk as early as possible if you are interested in applying for one of these Fellowships. We recommend getting in touch with your proposed supervisor to confirm they are happy to support your application as soon as you can, as these applications do require considerable input from them.
Due to the volume of applications the Faculty of History usually receives for this scheme, and the high level of support these applications require from the Research Office, this year the Faculty is asking candidates to submit a brief Expression of Interest, comprising a one-page outline of their research proposal, CV and a short statement of support (400 words) from their proposed Faculty mentor, to the Research Office by Monday 6 June 2022, in case there is a need to shortlist the strongest candidates for support through to the EC’s own deadlines.
Expressions of Interest must be submitted via email, in Word or PDF format, to rf@history.ox.ac.uk. Your chosen Faculty mentor may send their statement directly to the same address, and can contact the Research Office for further guidance.
The Faculty of History’s internal selection will be rigorous, and we will only be able to put forward the strongest applications. Please note that in the interest of fairness, we will be unable to accept any applications received after the internal Faculty deadline.
The Research Office will then work with selected applicants to refine their proposals for submission to the EC for the scheme deadline of 14 September.
Scheme Details
These Fellowships fund post-doctoral researchers of any discipline to undertake a research project of their choice. International mobility is essential, and fellowships include personal and career development objectives. Applications must therefore be written jointly between the applicant, the prospective supervisor and the host Oxford Department/Faculty. Postdoctoral Fellowships are aimed at researchers who already have a doctorate awarded or equivalent research experience (more than 4 years full-time research experience). Applicants should have a maximum of eight years’ experience in research from the date of the award of their doctorate (with various exceptions).
For full details of the scheme and how to make an application, visit the EC’s Funding Tenders website here. Further information on the scheme is available here.
EU Funding Situation
At the current time, the UK has still not associated with the EU research programme, Horizon Europe, and there is a possibility that the negotiations will end without agreement. There is currently a UK government guarantee in place to fund proposals that have been submitted to earlier Horizon Europe calls in any eventuality. However, this guarantee has not been extended to the MSC Fellowship call this year, and no decision has been taken on whether it will be. There is a risk, therefore, that any applications to the scheme from UK institutions will not be funded. The Research Office are happy to discuss this with applicants, but at the current time we can only proceed as normal, but with awareness of the risk.
* The Faculty of History does not support applications for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships.
