Fellowship Opportunity | A Manifesto for Circular Plastic Management
Future Island-Island’s Waste Free Island concept and Beach Clean 2.0 work provides a basis for wider discussion about circular plastic management in Northern Ireland. This fellowship aims to translate that work through a multi-stakeholder deliberative process.
It is envisaged the Fellow will design and facilitate a multi-stakeholder process to develop and disseminate a manifesto for circular plastic management in Northern Ireland, building on Waste Free Island and Beach Clean 2.0 principles.
The manifesto will enable island communities, policymakers, regional planners and island visitors to engage in and enact circular plastics flow behaviours, enable circular plastics planning and envision a future towards closing the circularity gap in relation to plastic use on islands.
The fellowship draws on existing work of the co-investigators in relation to Actor Network Mapping and Bio-Regional Planning (Dr Michael Pierre Johnson) and Beach Clean 2.0 and Enviro-Leisure Activism (Dr Susan Power).
Required Skills & Experience
The Fellow should have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the circular economy and circular economy principles as per the Ellen McArthur Foundation, and will have experience in deliberative and participatory decision-making and multi-stakeholder engagement. They may have already used a variety of participatory policy design and research techniques. Relevant to this fellowship are excellent communication skills, time management and organisation. Design Fellows should be able to articulate complex issues in both policy language and lay-person language and be able to communicate those via a manifesto which may take various creative forms.
Potential Outcomes
Applicants are encouraged to propose outcomes that reflect their creative approach and the focus of their fellowship. These will incorporate:
- A structured multi-stakeholder deliberative process.
- A manifesto for circular plastic management in small island communities.
- A dissemination approach that connects the manifesto to relevant stakeholders and audiences.
Fellowship Value
The Fellowship will be offered up to £10,000 and applicants will be required to provide a full breakdown of costs. Eligible costs include the Fellow’s time, consumables or materials, travel, accommodation and subsistence. Equipment costs are ineligible. Costs associated with Studentships or PhD study are ineligible. Applicants should indicate the funding amount requested. The evaluation panel may recommend a different amount based on the proposal content and budget justification.
How to Apply
Please apply through this form. Please complete all sections by 23:45 on Thursday, 22nd of October 2026.