Please note:
The RCUK Academic Fellowships Scheme provides 800 of the UK's best researchers with a pathway to a permanent academic position. The scheme has successfully driven a culture change in the academic community, encouraging HEIs to develop their policies for the support of researchers and improve career paths. A number of HEIs have created their own schemes analogous to the Academic Fellowships model.
As a result, Research Councils UK will be looking to define its future approach and has no immediate plans to award new RCUK Academic Fellowships in the near future, but will continue to work with the sector to attract the most creative minds into research and to help research organisations manage their staff and develop their careers.
The Research Councils are committed to working with the cohort of 800 RCUK Academic Fellows through an annual meeting, which aims to share practice in their training and development of the skills required for future academic leaders. The next meeting 
is on 11 January 2010.
Introduction
In March 2004, the Chief Scientific Advisor launched the Academic Fellowship Scheme. The scheme was developed as part of the Government's response to the review "SET for Success" published in April 2002 by Sir Gareth Roberts, which concluded that the UK did not have an adequate supply of people with science, technology and mathematics skills.
The primary aim of the scheme is to provide contract research staff with more attractive and stable paths into academia. With this in mind, the five-year fellowships will be subject to the HEI guaranteeing a permanent, academic position following the end of the award. This permanent post will of course be subject to the successful completion of a probationary period, but must be appropriate to the career path of the individual fellow. Training provision towards an academic position must be provided by the HEI and the Fellow must undertake outreach to schools. Annual performance appraisals and personal development advice should be provided to the Fellows.
The RCUK Academic Fellowship scheme will be monitored in its first few years to ensure that the main aims and objectives are being met, and reports created from the result of a study of data from HEIs awarded Fellowships will be published on a regular basis.
Contact:
Rosie Beales
RCUK Academic Fellowship Coordinator
Tel: 01793 444159