Applications
Applications are now open for funding beginning in August 2026. The deadline for Applications and Statements of Support is 5pm on Friday 29th May 2026.
Applications are open to Administrative Staff with not less than 2 year's higher education experience, to help administrators in Scottish higher education institutions pay short visits to other HEI to benefit from seeing differences of approach or structure.
Funding for the trip should be matched by the applicant Home Institution, and the Robbie Ewen Fellowship may contribute 50% of the total cost of the trip.
For the purposes of the Fellowship, Administrative Staff refers to any staff not directly teaching or actively involved in research. The Trustees welcome and encourage any administrative staff from any level to apply, for networking opportunities.
Applications should include information on the date and location of the proposed visit, as well as a breakdown of costs for the visit. A 500-word proposal of the visit, and its benefit, is requested.
A Statement of Support should also be completed by Applicant's Head of Service. Funding should be matched by Applicant's Home Institution.
Successful applicants will be contacted following the Trustee meeting in June and arrangements made for funding to be transferred to their Institution.
Application Form Guidance
Guidance on the questions that will appear on the form can be found below. The Application Forms are a Microsoft Form, so please bear in mind that these cannot be saved as in draft format and returned to.
You can download a word.doc sample of the application form questions here:
Proposal
A 500-word (max) proposal of the visit, and its benefit, is required to apply for funds from the Fellowship.
The Trustees recommend a breakdown including:
- Benefits to you personally and the value to your personal development within your institute.
- Benefits to your Home Institution and the benefits of seeing differences of approach and structure.
- Benefits to the Sector
- The relevance of your role to the institution(s) you intend to visit
Below is an example of a successful application:
"The biggest priority for my role is to communicate health-related research to industry, with the aim of attracting new collaborations. This fellowship will enable me to develop a more strategic and evidence-based approach to achieving this.
I’ll visit a mix of organisations that are highly relevant to my Home Institutions context. These visits will allow me to explore how other organisations communicate research to industry, including the formats, channels, messaging and internal structures that support effective engagement.
Benefits to me
This fellowship will build my expertise in communicating research to industry stakeholders and directly inform my work. I’ll develop new skills, grow my effectiveness, develop a more strategic approach to research-to-industry communications, test and adapt best practice models, and build a network of peers.
Benefits to the University
I’ll bring new ideas to my Home Institution to directly inform communications strategies, enabling us to adapt approaches proven at other universities. This will strengthen our ability to showcase research in ways that resonate with industry and ultimately support increased collaboration, innovation and impact.
Benefits to the sector
Many universities face similar challenges in effectively communicating research to industry. I’ll be both learning about best practice and also sharing it. This knowledge-sharing process will generate insights that are transferable across the sector.
I’ll contact colleagues at other Scottish institutions, to learn from them and share the insights I gathered during these visits.“
Proposed Visit
You will be asked to provide the name of the Institution that you propose to visit, as well as the provisional dates you intend to travel. These do not need to be fully confirmed at the time of applying, but an agreement in principal should be in place. If you are arranging visits to more than one institution, this agreement can be fluid depending on budget and funding allowances.
There is no minimum or maximum visit length. Your visit should be agreed in advance with the appropriate staff at your Home Institution, as well as the guest Institution.
Applications for visits for a combined application from a team will be considered. Please ensure that the application clearly communicates the collective objectives, and what capacity each insitution will play in the coordinated effort. Do also bear in mind the financial cost, and the expectation that the cost of the overall trips must be matched by your Home Institution.
Your visit must take place within the UofG financial year (August to July). Please note extensions beyond the financial year are not possible and all spending must be complete by end of the financial year (31st July).
Proposals may be made for any HEI UK or Overseas Institution. There is no recommended list of institutions and applicants should approach potential institutions for visits directly, to arrange.
Financial Information
You will be asked to provide a breakdown of the costs involved in your travel to the guest Institution. Please include travel, transport, accommodation and sundry costs. These do not need to be booked prior to your application, but can be used as a guide. We appreciate that costs may change between time of application and funding being awarded, so do take this into account.
Funding for the trip should be matched by your Home Institution, and the Robbie Ewen Fellowship may contribute 50% of the total cost of the trip. You will need to confirm if your Home Institution is matching or exceeding the contribution made by the Fellowship.
Please also confirm if another funding source (excluding your Home Institution) will be contributing to the visit, specifying the amount, source, and whether funding is secured or pending.
If successful, the Fellowship will arrange for funding to be sent to your Institution. Please provide the contact details for the appropriate staff member to discuss this with - a colleague who is able to advise on ordering, raising invoices, etc. Ordinarily, institutions will be expected to generate an invoice to receive funds - currently most institutions receive reimbursement for costs following visits.
University of Glasgow staff will be asked to provide a Cost Centre and Sub-Project Code for disbursement.
All spending should be made in line with your Institution policies and procedures.
Your visit must take place within your Home Institution financial year. Please note extensions beyond the financial year are not possible and all spending must be complete by end of the financial year (31st July).
A breakdown of total spend should be reported to the Fellowship administrator, and any monies not spent should be returned to the Robbie Ewen Fellowship at the end of the financial year (31st July).
Funding will be transferred at the beginning of the UofG Financial Year (1st August) or at a time appropriate to both institutions. At the time of application, please provide the contact email address of the most appropriate staff member who can discuss transfer of funds.
Statement of Support
A Statement of Support is required from any Applicant's Head of Service or appropriate senior colleague.
They should submit a 500 word (max) supporting statement, in line with the applicant's proposal, aims and benefits to the individual and the institution, and sectoral interest and benefit.
The statement should confirm an Applicant's eligibility in terms of their role and experience working in higher education (minimum 2 years prior to funding beginning).
The deadline for Applications and Statements of Support is 5pm on Friday 29th May 2026.
Report
Successful applicants are required to produce a report for distribution via the University of Glasgow Robbie Ewen Fellowship web pages for wider interest.
The report should be a Word document, of around 250 - 500 words, detailing the outcomes and impact of the visit, the benefits to your work, and any insights you would like to share.
Do not name institution staff or give specific details of procedures, systems, etc., where possible. Reports must be completed and sent within 3 months of the visit.
If your application is successful, please indicate if you wish any restriction on distribution of your report.
Your report will initially be sent to the Trustees then published on the above web pages. You may also circulate to your Home Institution as you see fit.
Key Dates
Applications Open
3rd February 2026
Applications Close
29th May 2026 (5pm)
Trustees Meeting
23rd June 2026 *please note this has been rescheduled due to unforseen circumstances. Now 17th August 2026*
Funding will commence following the Trustee meeting and transfer and all spending must be complete by 31st July 2027.