UoB-EUniWell Visiting Fellowships

The University of Birmingham has been a member of the EUniWell alliance since 2020, alongside the Universities of Cologne, Florence, Linnaeus, Nantes, Semmelweis, and more recently Murcia, Konstanz, Santiago de Compostela and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In the next phase of the European University Initiative, Birmingham is regrettably no longer eligible for funding as the UK has withdrawn from Erasmus+. We have therefore repositioned our continued engagement in EUniWell on an associate partner basis.

For the remainder of the EUniWell Pilot Phase, we are keen to draw on our remaining external resourcing to support research connections with eligible EUniWell partners. In March 2023, we have therefore launched the University of Birmingham-EUniWell Visiting Fellowship Scheme. The scheme has been set up to support short-term ECR opportunities between UoB and EUniWell’s founding partners (Birmingham, Cologne, Florence, Linnaeus, Nantes and Semmelweis). Researchers from EUniWell’s founding members can apply for funding to visit UoB, and UoB researchers can apply to visit founding EUniWell partners. Visits can last for up to three months and must take place between May and end of September 2023.

The aims of the scheme are to:

• support the sharing of knowledge, expertise and networks from different country contexts with benefits for all researchers involved;
• stimulate research collaborations between designated partner universities in Europe and the University of Birmingham into aspects of well-being;
• enable incoming visiting fellows to obtain insight into the organisation and conduct of research, training and administration at the University of Birmingham, and in doing so create ambassadors who will champion UoB as a place to study and work upon return to their host institution and beyond;
• enable outgoing UoB researchers to deepen understanding of their research area in a broader European context by building connections and networks at their host institution;
• create connections that may lead to further research collaboration in the future, thus helping to secure external generate research income.

Applicants will need to show how their research project relates to one of EUniWell’s four research arenas, which are linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Well-being and health,
• Individual and social well-being,
• Environment, urbanity and well-being,
• Teacher education.

Priority will be given to projects that:

• Show innovation and added value (i.e. do not duplicate existing research, complement ongoing activities at the partner universities);
• Have some potential to ‘grow’, for example by laying the foundations for a larger-scale collaborative research project or bid in the future;
• Clearly demonstrate how they have taken account of EUniWell’s transversal themes of gender equality and reduced inequalities.

Projects that create or explore connections between society and education are particularly encouraged. This could be by bringing together university researchers with stakeholders from outside the sphere of higher education (such as public authorities, hospitals, schools, businesses and wider societal and community organisations), or by exploring an issue that relates specifically to civic or social well-being. 

EUniWell and the University of Birmingham are committed to reducing inequalities. We warmly welcome candidates from all backgrounds and in particular encourage applicants from groups which are under-represented in higher education.

Each visiting fellow will receive travel expenses of up to £500 and a monthly stipend of £1,500 (for a maximum of three months) to help cover living expenses and accommodation. Fellowships can last for between one and three months.

For researchers visiting Birmingham, it may be possible to book on-campus accommodation on fellows' behalf and the cost deducted from the stipend, however there is no guarantee that University accommodation will be available. Further information on private accommodation options and support with organising accommodation is available upon request.

The University of Birmingham EUniWell short-term fellowship scheme will open for applications on 15 March 2023. Please download and complete this application form, and return to: euniwell@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

The application timeline is as follows:

• Applications close: 15 April 2023
• Application results: 28 April 2023
• Fellowship period: Between May 2023 and September 2023

1. The Birmingham Global EUniWell team can offer support with identifying potential hosts either at Birmingham or partner universities, if required. Please contact us at euniwell@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
2. The Birmingham Global EUniWell team would also like to hear from academic colleagues who are interested in hosting a Fellow and may have a particular collaborative project that would be suitable to undertake for between one and three months. If you have something in mind, please contact the team.

Successful applicants will be asked to complete a short report form, outlining the objectives of their fellowship, the outcomes and impact achieved. This will include a short case study detailing their experience which will be used in our evaluations and posted to the EUniWell website. The report will be due no later than three weeks after the fellowship has concluded.