Zvi Meitar/Vice-Chancellor Oxford University Research Prize

The University has launched a prestigious new research prize, to be awarded to scholars in the early stages of their career who have shown outstanding promise. The prize is intended to support the further career development of young researchers within the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Two awards, each of £35,000, will be made each year, one to be held within Humanities, one within the Social Sciences. The awards may be used to support and develop the research activity of those employed by the University or by one of its Colleges on research or teaching contracts. The money can be used either directly on research projects, or to 'buy-out' time for research leave. The research that is funded should produce a scholarly publication that acknowledges the prize as the funding source. It is intended that the publications will become part of a special collection or series.

Eligibility. Candidates should ordinarily have been awarded their D.Phil. or Ph.D. no more than five years prior to the time of their application for an award. They should be employed on a teaching or research contract by a department or faculty within the Social Sciences or Humanities Divisions, or by a college of the University.

The awarding panel may take into account other sources of research support available to or held by the candidate.

Application process. Applications for prizes in 2006–7 should be submitted to the office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research by Friday of second week of Hilary Term (25 January 2007), and will be considered by the Vice-Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, the Heads of the Social Sciences and Humanities Divisions and one Head of House. Awards will be announced by the end of March.

The applications should be no longer than four sides of A4, and should contain a short summary of achievements so far, and the future direction of the research to be undertaken following receipt of the prize.

Applications should be accompanied by a curriculum vitae and details of other research funding available or held already. Candidates should explain their case in terms that will be comprehensible to a generalist audience of academics, and supply the names of two referees within the collegiate University who are able to explain the importance of the research for the candidate's career.

Candidates who are short-listed will be asked to supply, in addition, a sample of recent scholarly work.