SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership

• Summary
• Information for Irish applicants
• Frequently asked questions

Summary

From 1 October 2010 the Wellcome Trust, in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Health Research Board (HRB), will fund biomedical research in the Republic of Ireland under the auspices of the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership.

In line with their strategic research agendas, SFI and the HRB will co-fund with the Wellcome Trust successful biomedical and clinical science applications under the following Trust funding schemes:

• Investigator Awards
• Fellowships, including Principal Research Fellowships (PRFs)
• Strategic Awards

The Wellcome Trust will be responsible for the administration of grant applications and awards made under this Partnership.

Information for applicants based in Irish research institutions

Important points to note about the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership:

1. The following Wellcome Trust grant schemes are covered by the Partnership agreement:

• Strategic Awards in Biomedical Sciences
• Senior Investigator Awards
• New Investigator Awards
• Principal Research Fellowships
• Senior Research Fellowships in Clinical Science
• Senior Research Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Science
• Intermediate Clinical Fellowships
• Research Career Development Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Science
• Research Training Fellowships
• Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships for Clinicians
• Career Re-entry Fellowships

Detailed information for each scheme is available from our scheme pages.

2. The Wellcome Trust may also be willing to consider applications from the Republic of Ireland for other biomedical science grant schemes. The Partnership agreement will not apply in these circumstances and funding would be provided in full by the Trust. If you wish to apply for a funding scheme not covered by the Partnership agreement, please contact the Trust for advice.

3. Applications should be made directly to the Wellcome Trust. The Trust will be responsible for the application assessment process and the final funding decision, liaising with the SFI and HRB at each stage.

4. Prospective applicants for PRFs and Strategic Awards must first liaise with SFI and the HRB, and provide an expression of interest to SFI and the HRB (as per instructions from SFI and the HRB). Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact SFI or the HRB to discuss potential applications in advance of submitting an expression of interest to the PRFs or the Strategic Awards. Grant applications made to the Trust for these schemes must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from SFI and the HRB. The decision to provide a letter of endorsement rests with SFI and the HRB and will be final.

5. The Wellcome Trust will manage successful applications for the duration of the award. Successful applicants must adhere to the terms and conditions associated with awards from the Wellcome Trust.

6. Research funded under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership must not comprise any component of the following:

• research intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer;
• research using human embryonic stem cells or tissues.

The Trust may be willing to fund such research outside the Partnership agreement. If you wish to apply for funding for this purpose, please contact the Trust for advice.

7. Funding in areas of technology transfer and medical humanities will not be considered under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership. The Wellcome Trust may be willing to consider such applications outside the Partnership agreement. Please refer to eligibility information for the relevant grant scheme on our scheme pages, or contact the Trust for advice.

Queries about Ireland’s participation in this scheme and requests for endorsement should be directed to: contact@wellcome-ireland.com.

Grant-specific queries should be directed to the Wellcome Trust’s Grants Helpdesk: grantenquiries@wellcome.ac.uk or telephone: 00 44 (0)20 7611 2020.

Frequently asked questions

1. Will funds be ring-fenced by the Wellcome Trust for awards under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership?
No; applications from the Republic of Ireland will be considered in competition with other applications from other countries (including the UK) that are eligible to apply.

2. Which schemes can I apply for?
A full list of Trust grant schemes covered by the Partnership agreement is listed above. Each of these schemes has different eligibility criteria, which is provided for each scheme on the Trust’s website. Eligibility may be affected by, for example, the type of employment contract you hold or the length of time you have been involved in research.

3. How do I apply for a Principal Research Fellowship?
Prospective Principal Research Fellowship (PRF) candidates should contact SFI or the HRB to discuss the requirements for the scheme. Following these discussions, prospective Principal Fellowship candidates should submit a concise expression of interest for endorsement (5 pages max.) to SFI/HRB. This will include:

• brief CV and track record of achievements, which substantiates the candidate’s suitability for a PRF;
• research programme outline and how it will develop within the proposed host institution;
• justification of the strategic alignment of the candidate’s research focus with that of the proposed host institution, including the expertise gap to be addressed;
• explanation of the relevance of the research programme to the strategic ambitions of SFI, HRB and the Wellcome Trust, as laid out in their respective Strategic Plans;
• letter of support from the proposed host institution.

4. In the case of PRFs, will relocations from the UK to Ireland be considered?
PRFs are particularly suitable for exceptional senior research scientists, currently based overseas, who wish to work in the UK or Republic of Ireland. Where a prospective PRF candidate holds an established post in the UK or Republic of Ireland, he/she will be required to make a strong case to justify the requested relocation. This justification should be explicit in the expression of interest for endorsement from SFI/HRB.

5. How do I apply for a Strategic Award?
Prospective Strategic Award applicants should contact SFI or the HRB to discuss the requirements for the scheme. Following these discussions, prospective Strategic Award applicants should submit a concise expression of interest for endorsement (5 pages max.) to SFI/HRB. This will include:

• an outline of the idea and its components;
• identification of the critical national infrastructure gap(s) that it proposes to address;
• identification of the strategic need to address this infrastructure gap(s) at this time;
• mapping of its potential impact on the national health and life sciences research agenda;
• an outline of how value for money will be delivered;
• explanation of its relevance to the strategic ambitions of SFI, HRB and the Wellcome Trust, as laid out in their respective Strategic Plans;
• description of the strengths and individual track records of the research consortium concerned to establish its credibility and synergies.

6. In the case of PRFs and Strategic Awards, how will my expression of interest be evaluated?
Expressions of interest will be evaluated internally by the SFI/HRB Joint Executive Committee, and externally as deemed appropriate. Prospective applicants should discuss the information and detail required for an expression of interest with SFI and the HRB.

7. What is the deadline for applications made under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership?
Fellowship applications (except PRFs) should be submitted directly to the Trust according to the deadlines indicated on the website for the specific scheme applied for. Investigator Award applications will be accepted by the Trust on a rolling basis. Applicants interested in applying for these schemes should first contact the Trust to discuss their proposal. Applications for Strategic Awards and Principal Research Fellowships will be accepted by the Trust on a rolling basis – applicants interested in applying for these particular schemes must first contact SFI/HRB to seek endorsement, prior to submitting preliminary applications to the Trust.

8. How will my application be assessed?
Information on the review process, decision-making bodies and the assessment criteria is provided for each scheme on the Trust’s website.

9. How long does the application and review process take?

Specific details on the application and review processes for Fellowships (except PRFs) and the Investigator Award scheme are available on the Trust’s website. The entire application and review process, including application for endorsement for PRFs and Strategic Awards, may take 12 months or more, depending on the timing of the application.

10. If my application is successful, from which agency will the funding be awarded?
Awards under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership will be made by the Wellcome Trust to the awardees’ host institution. A list of eligible research bodies is available on the SFI’s website. The grant award will be subject to and administered in accordance with the Trust’s Grant Conditions.

11. Which agency will manage the award?
The Wellcome Trust will manage all awards made under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership. Contact points within SFI and the HRB will also be available for assistance with queries at contact@wellcome-ireland.com.

12. Will the Wellcome Trust pay overheads under the Partnership?
No; overheads will not be covered by the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership, VAT and pension arrangements will adhere to Wellcome Trust policies.

13. What is the intellectual property policy related to the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership?
The Wellcome Trust’s policy on intellectual property and patenting will apply.

14. Will the progress of awards made under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership be formally reviewed?
Yes; grants will be formally reviewed by the Wellcome Trust. SFI, and the HRB will be informed of the review outcomes as deemed appropriate.

15. Can I hold more than one award under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership at one time?
This may be possible, depending on the type of grant. In the case of certain current large awards, applicants may be requested to justify and explain how they would propose to manage multiple work programmes.

16. Can I apply for an award under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership if I have previously received an award from the Wellcome Trust?
Yes.

17. Will my current grant or grant application be affected by these changes?
The Partnership agreement will only apply to applications submitted to the Trust after 1 October 2010. Current Trust grants, or applications already under consideration with the Trust, will not be party to the agreement.

18. Will the Wellcome Trust, SFI and the HRB share information about my application?
Yes; where an application is made under the Partnership, the Trust may share some or all of the information within this application, on a confidential basis, with SFI and the HRB. By submitting an application to the Trust, an applicant from the Republic of Ireland accepts that the Trust has the right to share information with SFI and the HRB in this way, without the need to obtain any further consent.

19. Will the progress and outputs of my previous awards from SFI, the HRB or the Wellcome Trust be considered when my application for an award under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership is being assessed?
Yes. SFI, the HRB and the Wellcome Trust will exchange information regarding the outcome of previous awards where it is considered appropriate.

20. How many applications under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership can I submit?
Applicants may have only one application per award category (e.g. fellowships, Investigator Awards, Strategic Awards), under review at any time (including the stage of letter of intent for PRFs and Strategic Awards).

21. If my application is declined following full review at the Wellcome Trust, can I reapply?
Applicants declined for funding following full review of their application at the Wellcome Trust may reapply according to the eligibility criteria specific to the Trust funding scheme applied for. PRF or Strategic Award applicants, who are declined a letter of endorsement from SFI and the HRB, may resubmit after 12 months of the date of the decision (unless notified otherwise).

22. Can I move my grant to another host institution during the lifetime of the award?
Grantholders who wish to transfer their grant from one institution to another should first contact the Trust to discuss their proposal.