How to apply

Application guidance

Before applying, please read the information provided in the applicant guidance notes. 

For help identifying an industrial or academic host, you may find the konfer website helpful.

​Selection Process

Stage 1: Expert review

The full application will be assessed by a minimum of three expert reviews (usually Academy Fellows). Expert reviewers will provide comments and score against each of the following assessment criteria, the overall quality of the application and a recommendation on whether they should proceed to interview.

• Quality of the applicant
• Quality of the collaborative research programme
• Strength of the strategic partnership
• Beneficiaries and impact
• Financial costing of the proposal

Sift panel:

The Academy staff will collate all reviewers’ comments and scores into a summary table, and rank the applications by overall score and the Yes/No recommendations. These are presented to the sift panel for a final decision on which applications should proceed to interview stage. Those applicants not asked to attend an interview will be informed of this decision as soon as possible following the sift panel’s decision.

Stage 2: Interview

The interview will be conducted by a generalist panel consisting of at least three Academy Fellows. Each interview will take about 45 minutes. Panellists will provide comments against the assessment criteria outlined above.

The ranking of candidates during the preceding sift panels will have no bearing at interview. All interview candidates are considered to have equal standing. Following the interviews, the panel will rank the applications and select the top ranked candidates for awards.

Full details of the selection process are outlined in the Reviewer Guidance for Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships Applicant Guidance Note.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process, please contact the Research Team at [email protected] to discuss options.

Post-Award Guidance

The DSIT scheme provides funding for five years. Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £225,000 over the five-year period. 

In addition to the direct financial support, the scheme benefits include:

• mentoring support from an Academy Fellow to offer independent expert advice and guidance on research related matters throughout the duration of the award
• training, events and additional funding opportunities
• reduction of teaching and administrative duties to enable the awardees to focus on delivering use-inspired research, that creates impact for their industrial sponsors
• networking opportunities with other awardees and Academy Fellows.
• access to the Awardee Excellence Community, that brings together awardees from all career stages and disciplines to share their expertise, to collaborate and to contribute new perspectives to the Academy’s work. The community will give you the opportunity to meet, learn from and support other awardees beyond your immediate cohort, as well as a broader cross-section of Academy Fellows through a programme of events, and opportunities to connect in person and online. 

The awardee must submit an annual progress report to the Academy, which will be reviewed and evaluated by the assigned mentor. At the annual review meeting, the awardee, the host institution’s head of department/school, a representative of the industrial sponsor, the mentor, and a member of Academy staff will discuss progress and agree future plans.

Full details of the RAEng mentoring and reporting requirements are outlined in the Mentoring and Reporting Guidance for Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships.