School of Business, Management and Economics

Visiting Fellowships in BMEc

The School of Business, Management and Economics encourages 'Visiting' appointments to be offered to researchers and scholars who will contribute to the intellectual life of the School. Appointments can be made for periods of one month to three years, and must be approved by the relevant Heads of Department and the Head of School.

Normally, 'Visiting' status is offered to members of faculty at another institution, either in the UK or abroad, those working in the public or private sectors, and/or self-employed research consultants. A bench fee of £350 per month is applied to cover costs of administration, office space, and access to library and sporting facilities.

Who can propose Visiting Fellows?

Visiting Fellows must be sponsored by a member of faculty in BMEc, who should agree to act as their mentor for the period of their visit.

What are the expectations of Visiting Fellows?

The purpose of appointing Visiting Fellows is to contribute to the intellectual life of the School and Department in which they are based.

A Sponsor is the Fellow's key personal link with the Department and School, and this link should be developed before making an application. The sponsor will subsequently:

  • Endorse and support your application
  • Help you to integrate into the School and relevant Department professionally and socially
  • Arrange appointments for you to meet others in the School with overlapping interests
  • Give advice on practical aspects of living in the local area
  • Explain the administrative procedures within the School
  • Interact with you on a regular basis in connection with your study programme

Those sponsoring the appointment of a Visiting Fellow should agree with the Fellow in advance what outputs are expected from the Fellowship. These would normally include one or more of the following:

  • Giving a seminar to faculty and students or a Guest Lecture within an undergraduate or postgraduate course
  • Production of a working paper or equivalent
  • Giving advice to students (e.g. on dissertations, careers)
  • Production of a collaborative research proposal with a member of faculty
How do I request a Visiting Fellow appointment?

To request the award of a Visiting title, you need to:

  • Contact the BMEc Research and Enterprise Co-ordinator (REC) requesting the application form: J.French@sussex.ac.uk
  • Complete both pages of the form and return to the REC, together with a CV and an outline of your proposed research.

Visiting Fellowships are formally recognised appointments of the University of Sussex, and this requires a review and selection process. 

Contact with a potential sponsor

Before considering an application, you should make direct contact with the member of faculty with whom you hope to collaborate during the fellowship. If you do not already have such a contact, other pages on the website provide considerable details about:

Decisions on appointment to Visiting Fellow positions rest with the Heads of Departments and the Head of School, and will be based on the following criteria:

  • The quality of the proposed project or activity
  • The fit between the applicants' interests, and those of the proposer and the relevant department
  • The appropriateness of the proposed outputs
Finance/funding

BMEc and its departments are unable to fund a Visiting Fellow's study. Applications can only be considered from those who already have (or expect to have) adequate financial support. A desk charge is ordinarily applied to defray the costs of hosting the visiting research fellow.

Computer facilities

It is expected that Visiting Fellows will wish to use their own computers. These can be used in conjunction with the University's standard networking facilities. Prospective Fellows should contact their Sponsor about these arrangements at least one month in advance of their arrival. Sponsors may occasionally be able to arrange for a Fellow to use School computer facilities, but again contact about this should be made at least one month in advance of arrival.

Accommodation

It is usually not possible for the University to provide Visiting Fellows with accommodation on campus or in University-owned accommodation in the Brighton area. Advice about arranging private accommodation in the Brighton area can be obtained from the University Housing Office.