Research Fellowship

Expected to be of typically 12 months and no less than 6 months duration, to lead either to completion of a higher degree, a grant application or peer-reviewed publication.
 

Expected to be of typically and no more than 6 months duration for individuals who might otherwise not have the opportunity to gain high quality research experience, but who may wish to pursue a research career. Applications from more experienced clinicians/researchers requiring training in a specific research methodology or technique not currently available in their own country and of clear value to home department will also be considered.
 

• RRFS member working in EAN Member countries with more than 2 years of clinical (residency) training in neurology at the time of the event 
• Full member working in EAN Member countries, up to a maximum of 5 years after their latest degree in neurology
• fluent in English or in the local language of the hosting country.
• affiliated with a European academic neurological department

Please be aware that you must have an active RRFS or Full membership in order to apply for this fellowship. Approval of your membership may take up to 10 working days and we advise that you submit your complete membership application at least 3 weeks before the deadline for applications for this fellowship.

RRFS members are listed in the RRFS membership section, Full Members are listed here.

Awardees from previous years are no more qualified.

Deadline of application for 2025
August 31, 2024

Important note: Notifications will be sent by the end of November 2024, and successful fellowships are valid retroactively from September 1, 2024, if their stay in the hosting department started earlier.

All application documents must be submitted in one file, following the below indicated sequence, by August 31 via e-mail to: fellowship(at)ean.org

Hand-written or faxed applications will not be considered.

All application documents must be submitted by the deadline by email. Applicants are advised to keep a record of sending and request a read receipt. Original documents and/or fresh copies may be requested where felt necessary, so must be retained by the applicant until notified of the outcome of their application.
 

Application material

• Application form
• EAN CV form (including a list of publications)
• Copy of a document showing duration and proof of training in neurology (in English)
• Description of the project. The description should have the following sections: background, aims, methods, timetable, references.
• Recommendation form from the chair of the home department
• Recommendation letter from another neurologist
• Letter of acceptance / or acceptance form from the chair of the host institution (including short CV and short bibliography of the proposed mentor at the host institution)

TIPP: Applicants and hosts are expected to have consulted and worked together on any application to maximise the likelihood of success.

Host department interview form:
This form can be used as a guidance for the host/mentor, and will not to be used as scoring item for EAN when reviewing the fellowships.

Interview form

Reviewing process

The annual EAN Research Fellowship is set-up in a way that 72 months of support can be granted. Usually, this is 4-5 Research Training Fellowships for up to 12 months, and 2-3 Research Experience Fellowships of up to 6 months. This depends on the support of months each applicant asks for.

Each application is reviewed by 2 experts in the field (from among the EAN Scientific Panels) and one Education Committee member.

In order to have a reliable grading system, EAN has created a “scoring sheet” which enables and facilities the reviewing process. 
The score for each project is a result of 9 separate scores:

• 4 scores for the project (originality, feasibility, usefulness for career, methods)
• 2 scores for the candidate (CV, publications)
• 2 scores for the proposed host (department, supervisor) 
• 1 score for the overall impression

Some of the scores weight more than others such as feasibility, methods, host department, own CV, overall impression of applicant/application.

See scoring sheet

Start early: Check program websites for deadlines and requirements for the application process. 

Contact the program you are interested in, find out more if you have questions related to your possible application. 

Think about your career goals: Why a fellowship? What kind of fellowship? How long can you be on leave from your current residency programme? What specialty are you really interested in, and want to learn more that is relevant for your future?

Get informed: Consider the job market of your specialty, in your country and abroad, talk to other applicants or previous fellows, speak to your mentors (very important!), obtain input from professors. Where is the field going and where will it be when you are done training?

Draft a personal timeline: Create a timeline of when to submit applications and prepare for interviews with possible host departments.

Check your membership status: Apply for EAN membership (RRFS or Full Member) if you are not an EAN member yet. 

Organise your application: Prepare your CV (EAN CV form), necessary certificates with all dates, necessary forms and documents (e.g. letters, see below) for the fellowship you are interested in. Use your university address rather than your personal email, if possible.

Prepare your project: Receive information if the selected host department is the perfect place to go for your project. How can they support you? Indicate if this project is part of your PhD theses, if the timeframe you need is longer, and the requested grant is just a part of it.

Recommendation letters: Obtain strong letters that are well-written, and which inform the fellowship selection committee about your professional and personal skills. 

Keep in contact: If you have not received a note of reception for the fellowship documents, or heard anything in the given timeframe, you may check to see if your documents have been received, or something was missing.