MIT-Administered Externally Sponsored Fellowships

If an externally sponsored fellowship is awarded to MIT, with the funds flowing from the sponsor through MIT to the fellow, RAS advises on the proposal and setup of the award.

Just because a sponsor labels funding as a “fellowship” or for a fellow does not make it a fellowship; it must meet MIT’s definition and practices.

Fellowship Contacts at MIT

RAS does not advise on all externally-funded fellowships. Work with the appropriate office or contact based on fellowship award documentation:

Awarded to MIT: RAS
Awarded directly to graduate fellow: Graduate Fellowships (grad-fellowships@mit.edu) in Office of Graduate Education
- Note: Graduate fellowships to individuals may include stipend and/or tuition that are processed by MIT but do not require institutional signature to accept.
Awarded directly to postdoctoral fellow: DLCI HR administrators and Postdoctoral Services (postdocservices@mit.edu)

Criteria for Fellowships

Fellowships are individual awards that support the scholarly progress and/or professional development of an individual. Fellowship funding attaches to the individual fellow rather than to a specific project, grant, or research group, giving fellows the flexibility to pursue their own research and scholarly interests with any faculty or research supervisor. The primary objective is to support mentored scholarship rather than specific research deliverables or services rendered to MIT or to a sponsoring entity.

Distinguishing fellowships from research

Fellowships differ from research because of their focus on training and mentorship. In general, fellowships set up through RAS differ from research based on the following characteristics:

KC Activity Type By Characteristics
KC Activity Type	Fellowship	Research or Other Activity
Purpose	Development and training of a fellow who pursues a research agenda of their own choosing	Development of research, with specific outcome or deliverable in service of a grant or contract
Reporting	Reporting focuses on training and development	Reporting focuses on research progress toward grant or contract deliverables
Mentor role	Named mentor with mentor statement or training plan	May include effort by mentor; mentor may also serve as supervisor directing specific work
SOW and/or research goals	Developed by fellow	Developed by mentor or required by sponsor
Charges to award	May be eligible for tuition, stipend and health insurance	Eligible for tuition subsidy
Funding attachment	Attaches to the individual fellow, independent of any specific project, grant, or research group	Attaches to a specific project, grant, or contract
Employment documentation and tax treatment	Not an employment relationship; no I-9 verification or W-2 issued	Employment relationship; I-9 verification and W-2 required

All industry-supported fellowships must meet the criteria listed above, including being training-focused. Where a sponsor conditions an award on specific deliverables, IP generation, or research outcomes that primarily serve the sponsor’s interests rather than the fellow’s development, the award will generally be characterized as sponsored research rather than a fellowship.

Certain activities are better classified as other sponsored activities rather than fellowships:

Career development awards are not treated as fellowships.

Sponsor-awarded indirect cost rates are accepted with no under-recovery. RAS creates a 27* account for the award.

Though some sponsors use the term “faculty fellowships”, these are typically for other sponsored activity. They are not treated as fellowships. RAS creates a 27* account for the award.

Proposal Submission to RAS

Fellowship proposals must:

Include a named mentor and developed mentoring plan
Budget for compensation meeting the MIT minimum. Structure will depend on what the sponsor allows:
- Stipend and health insurance (for postdoctoral fellows or graduate fellows)
- Salary and employee benefits (for postdoctoral associates)
Include any allowable fees or research and lab expenses permitted by the sponsor
Request the indirect cost rate permitted by the sponsor
List Fellowship as the Activity Type in KC (unless RAS specific guidance is provided)
Any other documentation requested by the sponsor

For awards routed through RAS, the DLCI or PI must cover any shortfall in salary or stipend or health insurance not covered by the sponsor. MIT is committed to equalizing the cost of health insurance between postdoctoral fellows and associates.

KC Proposal Certification and Guest Accounts

For fellowship proposals routed through RAS, the faculty mentor is listed as the Investigator in the KC proposal and the fellow is listed as a Key Person. These designations are kept at the award stage.

Both the fellow and the faculty mentor must certify. To ensure the fellow certifies:

If the sponsor is among the COI hierarchy: KC will automatically require a certification.
If the sponsor is not among the COI hierarchy: Add a KP flag under Supplemental Information.

For fellows without Kerberos IDs, request a guest account at least three days before adding the fellow to the proposal. Fellows cannot certify without a Kerberos ID.

Setting Up a Fellowship Award

RAS creates either a 23* or 27* account for an award. A 23* account does not charge benefits or indirect costs to the award. The 27* account will charge indirect costs and/or employee benefits based on the sponsor terms.

Account Types for Fellowships
Account Type	Appointment Type	Activity Type in KC
23*	Graduate fellow or postdoctoral fellow	Fellowship - Pre-doctoral or Fellowship - Post-doctoral
27*	Postdoctoral associate	Other (allows for charging indirect costs and employee benefits)