Fellowship Application
Overview
The Norfolk Institute invites scholars, scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, and public intellectuals to take part in its international Fellowship Program. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with stakeholders, staff and other scholars in residence. The Institute accepts science-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that address key challenges confronting the planet. Fellows explore the space between the traditional domains of academia, government, and industry. Started in 2019, fellows in this new program work on projects that are directed by resident faculty and staff, but supported by government and industry partners. The two inaugural Projects focus on:
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Soil Health in Space
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Microgravity Soil Research
The Norfolk Institute Fellowship cohorts typically begin in July or August.
Project Proposal Requirements
It is essential to make your project clear to individuals outside your own field and to explain its broader implications. The following elements should be addressed in the proposal:
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a detailed description of the topic and its importance;
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the originality of the proposed study (explain what makes the project distinctive);
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the basic ideas and hypotheses;
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the methodology to be used (including the activities you will undertake to gather the data you need for your project and the techniques that you will use to analyze the data in order to prove your thesis);
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the present status of your research, including how much has already been done in relevant collections and archives, and what you would hope to accomplish at the Institute;
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the applied outcomes from the research and how the science or technology will be used;
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explain why you chose the Institute for your project;
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the relevance of the project to contemporary scientific and cultural issues; and
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the relevance of the project to the programmatic goals of the Institute.
Alignment with Programs and Cross-Regional Initiatives
The Norfolk Institute accepts science-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that address key challenges confronting the planet. Priority will be given to proposals which align with the programmatic work of the Institute and can result in work that reaches a broad audience. Within this framework, the Norfolk Institute supports projects that intersect with contemporary scientific, technical, societal, and policy issues and provide the historical and/or cultural context for some of today’s significant public scientific debates.
While in residence, Fellows will be affiliated with regional and/or topical programs working on issues that complement the Fellows’ projects. Program and project directors often collaborate with scholars in producing outputs such as journal entries, op-eds, and other short written products and in designing seminars, conferences, and/or meetings related to scholars’ research.