Eligibility

Main awards – applicants must be independent, i.e. holding a post that includes responsibility for developing their own research agenda (e.g. an academic post as Professor or Associate Professor, or an independent research fellowship where they are driving their own research programme)

Small awards – researchers who are not yet independent (post-doctoral researchers) may apply with the support of their Line Manager.

Post-doctoral researchers may be named as Researcher Co-Investigators (RCo-Is) on the application if they have provided ‘significant intellectual input’ to the project. DPhil students should not usually be an RCo-I, except where they are close to completing their DPhil and the proposed project builds upon their DPhil project.

If an applicant is selected for funding, and has previously held a John Fell Fund award on which final reporting is still outstanding, their new award will be made conditional on submission of the outstanding final report.

For more information on applicant eligibility, please see Research Services pages on OxIntranet.

Applicants must not submit more than one application to a single round. Resubmissions of previously unsuccessful applications will not be accepted, unless explicitly invited by the John Fell Fund Committee or Divisional JFF Sub-committee. Invited resubmissions will be reviewed alongside the other proposals received in that round. Applicants may submit different applications to consecutive rounds.

Eligibility of costs – Awards are made only for the directly incurred costs of research including staff salaries, consumables, use of facilities, equipment, etc.

Publication costs (including open access fees), conference attendance, salary for the lead or co-applicants, bridging salaries or overheads are not eligible. Costs for travel and subsistence or hosting events or workshops must be very well justified and essential for delivering the application’s objectives.