My winning proposal: Permission to prioritise the big ideas

To be successful with the Mind Association, philosophers must dare to dream

Top tips:

• The Mind Association is happy to accept highly theoretical bids and there is no need to bolt on an applied component.
• The association favours proposals that are bold over those that promise a small, incremental contribution.
• Time your bid carefully and consider waiting a year; you will need a good publication record to get through as this is a prestigious scheme where the applicants’ profiles are scrutinised.
• Although the Mind Association is a specialist philosophy funder, applicants should still explain why their work is important and write for a general philosophical audience, not for specialists in the same field.
• Be realistic about what you can achieve; the six-month fellowship is more appropriate for finishing a big project than starting one.

The Mind Association’s annual fellowships enable early or mid-career philosophers to take a break from teaching and administration duties and focus on their research.