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MRC Clinical Fellowships and Awards Dr Desmond Walsh Programme Manager Academic Clinical Fellows/Specialist Registrars Training Day, Imperial College London Medical Research Council The leading publicly funded UK medical research organisation • high-quality research to improve human health • training, innovation, knowledge transfer • excellent science in the lab, clinic and population • engaging with the public Scientific Decision Making Research Boards and Panels COUNCIL MCMB PSCSB IIB NMHB HSPHRB College of Experts (CoE) TCDB – Training and Career Development Board TCDB Scientific Decision Making Training & Career Development Panels COUNCIL TCDB Non-Clinical Panel Clinical Panel RTR panel Studentship Referee panels Bio-informatics Panel RTR panel College of Experts (CoE) HSR/HOP Panel RTR panel Where to Start? Where fellowships fit in your training INTEGRATED ACADEMIC TRAINING PATH Medical School Foundation Programme Intercalated BSc Academic Position Specialist Training Academic Clinical Fellowship Academic Status MB CCT Academic Foundation Year Clinical Training 1 2 Clinical Lectureship 3 4 5 MB/PhD F1 Graduate Entry Training F2 MRC Personal Fellowship Other fellowships (Wellcome Trust, etc.) Clinical Research Training Fellowship 3-4 years Clinician Scientist Fellowship up to 4 years Senior Lecturer Further specialty/ sub-specialty training Senior Clinical Fellowship The timings of personal fellowships are indicative – there is flexibility according to individual career progression Fellowships: Pre- to post-doctoral Research training towards a PhD for clinical scientists • Clinical Research Training Fellowships (CRTFs) Early career entry for those with minimal previous lab experience • Health Services and Health Of The Public Research Fellowships (HSR/HoP) The investigation of the health needs of the community and the efficiency and effectiveness of the provision of services to meet those needs Clinical Research Training Fellowships •Combining research with clinical training 2 clinical sessions/week (3 for surgeons) 12 month abeyance of award for concentrated training •Personal salary •Research expenses - 10K p.a. plus animal costs •Travel allowance - £450 p.a. •Overseas training allowance •2 rounds p.a. (Jan & Sept) •Research overseas/ 2nd UK Centre/UK Industrial Training Seeking another centre: • Demonstrates applicant is looking for breadth of research experience • Should look for a centre appropriate for the particular research area • Explain how this would broaden research experience and training and benefit long-term career development • Outline how the experience will transfer newly acquired skills back to research base. CRTFs are able to spend all 3 years in our overseas units in the Gambia & Uganda Jointly Funded Clinical Research Training Fellowship Charities •Asthma UK •Chronic Granulomatous Disorder Research Trust •Cystic Fibrosis Trust •Kidney Research UK •MND Association Lady Edith Wolfson Fellowships •Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinical Research Training Fellowships Royal Colleges •Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists •Royal College of Physicians •Royal College of Radiologists •Royal College of Surgeons of England and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Welsh Assembly Clinical Research Training Fellowships Fellowships Process Application Peer Review Shortlisting Panel Interview Making a successful application 1 Planning & Preparation • Can take a year from submission to starting of award • Read & follow the instructions Case for support • Answer all the questions • Take account of what reviewers will be looking for • Write clearly and economically Hypothesis • Think about what your hypothesis is • Why do you want to do this research Focus • Not too many unrelated questions Making a successful application 2 Killer experiment • Prove hypothesis • Conclusive approach, e.g. functional knockout Design • Statistics and power Resources • Fully justify resources, do not under/over fund Review internally • Mentors for new applicants • Get a second opinion, proof read & spell check Quality Not Quantity Elements of successful proposals: • Emphasis on potential for early career investigators • Need a clear rationale for the research • Clarity & Succinctness key • Methodology - Preliminary Data • Collaborations • Quality of proposed training environment • High-risk/high pay-off research encouraged An application will fail because: • Unfocused, overambitious project • Unoriginal, pedestrian approach • No clear hypothesis, or not hypothesis-driven • Methodology not sufficiently detailed • Project not intellectually challenging • Training element incomplete/unclear • Centre has no international standing in research area • Lack of infrastructure/facilities in training environment Fellowships Process Application Peer Review Shortlisting Panel Interview Assessment of Fellowships • The individual – potential to develop into a competitive researcher • The science • The environment • The training proposed • Relevance / value of any proposed period overseas or in industry Fellowships Process Application Peer Review Shortlisting Panel Interview The Interview • Led by designated panel members • Collecting evidence against key criteria • Questioning by other panel members • Private scoring and discussion • Review of final ranking, including strategic importance of the area for training Award Rates 2006/07 Scheme Apps Awards Award Rate (%) SCF 8 1 13% CSF 41 10 24% CRTF 177 45 25% HSR/HoP 38 11 29% Fellowships: Intermediate Awards Transition from postdoctoral researcher to independent investigator •Clinician Scientist Fellowship Open to medical & dental graduates up to Consultant grade, nurses, midwives and other health profession researchers •Department Of Health Clinician Scientist Award Open to medical & dental graduates up to Special Registrar grade, nurses, midwives and other health profession researchers •Joint Collaborative Career Development Award in Stem Cell Research Open to clinical & non-clinical applicants Fellowships: Senior Awards Senior Clinical Fellowship •Open to medical & dental graduates up to Consultant grade, nurses, midwives and other health profession researchers •Awards for independent scientist/team leaders: national/international recognition Thank you! Contacts •General Enquiries [email protected] •Scientific queries via Programme Managers Details on MRC web-site under each Research Board (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/OurResearch/ TheResearchBoards/index.htm) Current Grant Schemes Response Mode (3 rounds of Board meetings a year) • New Investigator Research Grants • Research Grants • Collaboration Grants • Trial Grants • MRC Open LINK Annual Competition • Discipline Hopping Grants New Investigator Research Grants • Clinical and non-clinical researchers to establish themselves as independent principal investigators • First academic appointment or senior post doctoral position (between 3-10 years post PhD research experience) • Max funding of £420k (MRC pays up to £336k) over 3yrs: – – – – – research technical or other post consumables equipment travel costs Applicants for intermediate schemes need to demonstrate: • evidence of potential for research leadership • evidence of potential for scientific independence • commitment to a research career • the proposed project and centre will provide valuable training experience • the proposed centre is of international standing • the applicant will gain generic and transferable skills Applicants for Senior Fellowships must demonstrate: • evidence of scientific independence and ability to lead a research team • potential to international leadership in the field • not the same expectation to move centres.