The selection process for RIFP applications will consist of four stages:
An indicative timescale for the selection process is:
Selection criteria for each process can be found on the Review and Selection Criteria page.
At stages 1, 2 and 4, rejected candidates can appeal to the project Co-ordinator within one week of the decision being communicated to them. They will have the opportunity of providing reasons why they wish the decision to be reconsidered. This may include, but will not be limited to, mitigating circumstances such as illness. The Co-ordinator shall consider the candidate’s request, taking advice from other members of the management committee if needed, and shall decide whether or not the candidate’s application shall continue within the process. The Co-ordinator will inform the candidate of their decision within one week. If the candidate remains concerned regarding the decision, they can ask for this to be reconsidered by a member of the programme Advisory Board who will be delegated to deal with such disputes. The candidate will need to submit their request within one week of having received the Co-ordinator’s response. The Advisory Board member will consider the candidate’s request, and inform the candidate and Co-ordinator of their decision within 2 weeks. The Advisory Board member’s decision will be final.
The EU requires that the research proposed by applicants be subject to ethical scrutiny. In particular, the ethical principles of Horizon 2020 will govern the Fellowships. This will include the need for projects to have an exclusive focus on civil applications, and that projects aimed at human cloning for reproductive purposes, or those intended to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable, or those intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or stem cell procurement, will not be supported.
Applicants will be asked to identify any ethical issues which they feel their proposal will generate as part of their application using the template provided. The ethical issues forms will be reviewed by the management committee at Stage 1 of the evaluation process. Potential ethical issues will be referred to the Director of the relevant host department. The Director will be asked to consider the research proposed from an ethical and legal point of view, and to advise the management committee on the nature of the issue and how it should be addressed. In the event of a research proposal being contrary to Horizon 2020 ethical principles, UK legislation or to UK Research Council policy or the policy of the host department, the application will be removed from the process, the candidate informed and given the opportunity to appeal as described above.
Last updated: 13 July 2017