Review Process

  1. An eligibility check of candidates will be carried out by the programme management team. Any applicants that do not meet the criteria as highlighted in the eligibility guidance will not progress.The first ethical issues check will also be carried out at this stage.
  2. Applications from eligible candidates will be sent out to external reviewers, experts in the relevant field of research, to receive independent views on the excellence of the application.The programme management team will aim to receive at least 3 reviews for each proposal. Each referee will submit a report on the proposal they have been asked to consider using the relevant referees report template
  3. Applicants will be given a chance to respond to reviewers comments and, in some cases, will be invited to interview. The interview will be conducted via Skype and will consist of the candidate briefly presenting their research proposal to a small panel made up from members of the Independent Evaluation Panel (membership), followed by a question and answer session.
  4. Applications, along with their response to the reviewers’ comments and the interview report form will be considered by the Independent Evaluation Panel who will make a judgement on the proposal.
  5. Candidates will be informed of the outcome of their proposals and successful candidates can expect to receive an employment contract from their host institution within 3 months of receiving their decision.
  • For other applications, proposals will be ranked around quality of the candidate, strategic fit and sustainability of the post/research area
  • For COFUND fellowships, final scores for each candidate will be made up from 3 x external reviewers plus an Independent Evaluation Panel (70% of the final score) and interview panel score (30% of final score). According to the shortlist of candidates created in this way, the Independent Evaluation panel will make a final recommendation for funding to the Programme Beneficiary Board.

Evaluation criteria for application review and selection

a. Cofund fellowships

Applications will need to demonstrate scientific excellence.  They will need to complement activity already taking place in Wales and contribute to the Science for Wales Strategy and Smart Specialisation where appropriate.  Excellence will be based upon i) the research potential of the applicant, ii) the expertise of the supervisor and the appropriateness of the research environment from the information provided in the application form, and iii) the scientific case for the project proposed.   The different parts of the evaluation will be weighted as shown in the table below:
 

Excellence (50%)

Impact (30%)

Implementation (20%)

Quality of candidates previous research and experience

Provision of new skills and career perspectives for the Fellow

Coherence, effectiveness and appropriateness of work plan

Quality of supervision and appropriateness of research facilities in host institution

Effectiveness of the proposed activities  for dissemination of results and levels of public engagement activity

Appointment conditions of the Fellow

Quality of research options available to the Fellow in terms of science,transnational mobility,intersectoral experience and interdisciplinarity where appropriate

Potential for research to have an effect on the economy, society,culture,public policy or services, health, environment or quality of life

Competence of host institution to support the Fellow

Quality of training provided beyond SIRCIW central training provision

Level of activity of  Fellow in wider research community

Support to the development of Fellow as a future research leader

 

b. RISING STARS, RECAPTURING TALENT AND SER CYMRU II FELLOWSHIPS

Applications will need to demonstrate scientific excellence. They will need to complement activity already taking place in Wales and contribute to the Science for Wales Strategy and Smart Specialisation where appropriate. Excellence will be based upon i) the research potential of the applicant, ii) the expertise of the supervisor/partner  and the appropriateness of the research environment from the information provided in the application form, and iii) the scientific case for the project proposed. Applications will be ranked according to quality of the candidate, strategic fit and sustainability of the post/research area.