SHOULD I APPLY?
- Melinda Aleshire
Faculty external Fellowships make it possible to go big with ideas, problems and solutions, they help take your research to the next level. Here’s what to consider when deciding on whether or not to apply.
How long is the fellowship?
Does it stretch across a semester or full academic year?
External fellowships often require a portion of your academic year to be devoted to research endeavors, which means you’ll likely need some kind of leave or release from instructional duties. Check with your Chair about what may be involved.
How much of your salary will the fellowship cover?
The amount of salary an external fellowship covers impacts the type of leave required for accepting the fellowship. For example, if you apply for and receive a CoLA Co-Sponsored External Fellowship (CSEF) award to supplement your academic salary, and the CSEF covers 50% or more of your salary, you will likely need to take an OVPR-managed Faculty Development Leave (FDL).
Are health insurance/benefits included as part of the award? If insurance/benefits are allowable as part of the award, CoLA HR will calculate that fringe from within the total amount of the award, potentially cutting into how much of your salary will be covered by the external fellowship. And again, this triggers which type of leave you’ll need to take, as well as whether or not you are eligible for a CSEF award.
Is the recipient required to accept the funder’s insurance/health benefits package as part of the fellowship? This can impact whether or not it makes sense to run the funding through UT.
Does the fellowship cover fringe benefits on top of the salary?
If not, what, if anything, is your department able to contribute toward these costs as a show of support for your nomination, and acceptance of the fellowship?
(Check with your chair)
Where does the fellowship take place?
At your home institution, another country, in residence at the funder’s location?
Is the location considered a Restricted Region?
If so, ‘how restricted?’ --Consult the Restricted Regions list to find out!
Will there be additional travel considerations related to the location of the fellowship?
As mentioned above, will the fellowship require you to be on leave or get a release from teaching?
Are you eligible for leave or a release from teaching?
RELATED:
CoLA HR: Faculty Leaves & Awards
OVPR Faculty Development Leave
How are the fellowship funds dispersed? --THIS IS IMPORTANT
Do you have options for how funds are distributed, or does funder specify distribution method?
If distribution method is only to you as an individual outside of UT, and:
The fellowship doesn’t fully cover your salary, and:
You are planning to apply for an OVPR/CoLA Co-Sponsored External Fellowship award (CSEF):
Are you prepared to go on LEAVE WITHOUT PAY for the portion of time that the fellowship funds covers directly (while remaining employed and paid by the University for the CSEF portion of time)?
If the fellowship funds don’t run through UT and you do not obtain a CSEF award, are you prepared for your health insurance/benefits to be discontinued throughout the fellowship, and to be 100% on leave without pay from the university?
Please note there is no bridge program that would allow you to cover your own costs for fringe benefits during the academic year, nor are you able to ‘gift’ the funds to UT for the purpose of covering this type of cost.
BEFORE APPLYING, REACH OUT TO YOUR CHAIR TO DISCUSS:
Types of leave you can take – See CoLA’s Faculty Leave wiki
Disposition of teaching duties, if applicable
Whether or not the fellowship would require additional financial support, such as a portion of salary and/or fringe benefits
If the fellowship doesn’t cover fringe, what assistance is the department able to provide?
Would you need to apply for CoLA’s Co-Sponsored External Fellowship award?
Are you eligible for the CSEF award and associated leave?
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS:
Make sure you are aware of how the fellowship and associated leave impacts your tenure-track probationary period, aka: tenure clock!
BEFORE APPLYING, REACH OUT TO CoLA RSO:
Send in the Intent to Submit Notice
Must include program or fellowship terms of acceptance or a link to program guidelines or terms
RSO requests 1 week or more in advance of submission deadline to review terms and conditions, as well as notify you in the event of there being any details worth highlighting.
OPTIONAL FELLOWSHIP SERVICES
Planning way ahead to ensure enough time to put your best foot forward? We applaud you!
If you know that upon receiving the fellowship, the University would be administering the funds, consider providing a rough draft of your budget and budget narrative to the RSO 2+ weeks in advance of your proposed fellowship submission date, in order to receive a soft review. RSO can make sure the budget and narrative align with University requirements, which could reduce the amount of time it takes to process through OSP Pre-Award Services, OSP Grants Team, and Post-Award Services.
Email your budget and justification to CoLA Office of Research & Scholarship and we’ll follow up ASAP! Or even better, submit your proposal documents to CoLA RSO 3+ weeks in advance (including your budget and budget justification) via the RSO Intake Form (RIF) and we’ll give you a FULL REVIEW prior to submission to funder!
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