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Policy placements

The call for applications is closed

Next application deadline: 2010 TBA

A 3-month placement opportunity for BBSRC-funded PhD students to gain experience of working in science policy.

Placements are available at:

• Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
• Members' Research Service (MRS) at the National Assembly for Wales
• The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)
• The Royal Society Science Policy Centre

During their placement successful applicants will work on an area of science policy by:

• Producing a POSTnote
• Contributing to a longer report
• Assisting a select committee in a current inquiry
• Responding to queries for information
• And/or other related activities

Number of awards

Up to 6 placements are available this round.

Successful applicants will receive a 3-month extension to their PhD funding as well as travel and accommodation costs for those who live outside reasonable commuting distance.

Eligibility

Open to all BBSRC-funded postgraduate students registered for a PhD, who are currently engaged in their penultimate or final year of funded study between 2009 and 2010.

How to apply

Placements are awarded competitively.

Please submit, as a Word document, to the contact below:

• A completed application form
• A POSTnote-style summary briefing on a topic that you think could be the subject of an actual POSTnote or other briefing or report
• A completed equal opportunities form

Guidance notes are available in the downloads section.

Assessment

Applications will be assessed by a panel of representatives from the host organisations and BBSRC.

Shortlisted applicants will be expected to attend an interview in London.

Case study

Ellen Colebrook, a PhD student at BBSRC's John Innes Centre, recently completed a 3-month secondment to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) - UK Parliament's in-house source of independent analyses of public policy issues related to science and technology.

Working alongside the secretariat of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee, Ellen had a unique opportunity to gain experience of a broad range of policy issues - including providing questions and briefing for Science Question Time with the Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson.

"This placement has given me invaluable insight into how science policy is formed and scrutinised," says Colebrook. "Working to short deadlines in a small team was a real change from the more independent research environment, and I feel I really learnt from that experience".

Further details on Ellen's placement are in a recent article 'Science in Parliament' in The Biochemist (see download section.)

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