Intermediate Clinical Fellowships

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Purpose

This scheme is for medical, dental, veterinary or clinical psychology graduates who have had an outstanding start to their research career. It will enable successful candidates to continue their research interests at a postdoctoral level in an appropriate unit or clinical research facility.

Fellows are expected to develop towards independence with a view to a long-term career in academic medicine during the course of the fellowship.

Research-active clinical lecturers may also be interested in the Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers scheme. This opportunity, administered by the Academy of Medical Sciences, provides modest funding to cover the cost of research consumables, enabling awardees to gather data to strengthen their applications for longer-term fellowships and funding.

What's included

Fellowships are for up to four or five years, depending on situation (see 'Eligibility'). They provide research expenses (materials and consumables, travel, support to attend scientific meetings, fieldwork and data collection) and the fellow's salary, set by the host institution according to age and experience.

Requests for specific items of equipment, where relevant, may be considered, and research or technical assistance may be requested. However, a laboratory appropriate to the research proposed should be selected, and the necessary facilities required for the proposed research must be available to the candidate.

Funding for a period of research abroad may be requested if scientifically justified, and we provide appropriate allowances for fellows based overseas.

No funding is provided for course fees or examination fees.

Fellowships may be taken up on a part-time employment basis, where appropriate. Applicants are advised to consult their training authority on conversion to a flexible national training number and to discuss this with us.

We are prepared to consider salary requests at consultant level for fellows who are awarded an honorary consultant contract during the tenure of the fellowship.

Successful candidates for this scheme may be considered for a Wellcome-Beit Prize Fellowship. These are intended to provide additional recognition for outstanding biomedical researchers who have been awarded Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowships.

Eligibility

The award is open to individuals with a relevant connection to the EEA.

You should have previously undergone a period of research training and will have completed, or be about to complete, a higher degree.

Due allowance will be given to those whose career has been affected by a late start or for personal reasons (e.g. time away due to maternity, paternity, adoption leave or other caring responsibilities, or ill-health).

You should have completed general professional training as defined by the relevant college.

Medical and dental candidates should either have a National Training Number (NTN) or Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) or equivalent.
Veterinary candidates should have a degree in veterinary medicine (e.g. BVSc, BVM&S, BVMS, BVetMed, VetMB) and some experience in clinical practice and will have completed, or be about to complete, a higher research degree (preferably a PhD).
GPs are advised to contact the office to clarify their eligibility.
Clinical Psychologists must have obtained a professional Doctorate-level qualification in Clinical Psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society.

To apply for up to four years' support, you must be close to completing your higher clinical training, or have finished your higher clinical training but have not yet taken up a permanent post. Clinical work during the fellowship is restricted to eight hours or two programmed activities per week.

If you require further clinical training of between one and two years at specialist registrar level, you can apply for up to five years' support, comprising three years of research and up to two years of higher clinical training. You should demonstrate that you merit special help to continue your research career while completing clinical training, and, if successful, you can consider yourself a clinical scientist. Time permitted for clinical duties or other non-research activity during the fellowship may be up to 40 per cent.

The proposed research should fall within our normal funding remit.

Applications that previously would have fallen under the remit of tropical medicine are now considered under this scheme. Candidates carrying out research in the areas of public health and tropical medicine will be considered by the Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee.

Applicants undertaking internationally competitive postdoctoral research in stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation may be awarded a jointly funded Wellcome Trust/ Stroke Association fellowship under this scheme. Eligible applications will be administered by the Trust in the usual way.

Resubmissions are only allowed in exceptional circumstances. If your application has been unsuccessful, please contact the Office for further advice.

Sponsorship

You can apply through any eligible UK or Republic of Ireland sponsoring institution. For research to be carried out primarily in a low- or middle-income country, an appropriate training institute, such as a Wellcome Trust Centre for Research in Clinical Tropical Medicine, must be identified.

The sponsor must have a contract of employment with the academic institution or, in the case of a NHS employee, an honorary academic appointment. He/she must also have tenure beyond the duration of the proposed fellowship.

Your sponsor should possess a strong track record in research and mentoring, and is expected to provide guidance during the application process as well as mentorship throughout the fellowship.

Sponsors are advised to read all the scheme information provided here.

Application process

A preliminary application form [Word 326KB] should be completed and submitted at any time before the appropriate deadline. It should be sent electronically (as a Word document) to the appropriate funding stream at the Trust (see ‘Contacts’).

If successful, you will be invited to submit a full application.

Full applications will initially be shortlisted by the relevant Interview Committee. Applications from candidates carrying out research in the areas of public health and tropical medicine will be considered by the Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee (PHATIC). All other candidates will be considered by the Clinical Interview Committee (CIC).

Application advice

Applicants are encouraged to contact the office if they have any queries regarding the scheme, a potential application or career issues.

Reviewers typically assess:

your research and clinical career to date
the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposed project
the significance of the science
the suitability of the supervisor, sponsor and host environment.

Successful candidates will have a good performance record, indicating enthusiasm and aptitude for a long-term career in academic medicine. In addition, robust knowledge of the scientific background should be apparent, and the research should be focused and practicable within the time scale proposed.

You should give careful thought to the choice of sponsor. This individual should possess a strong track record in research and mentoring, and is expected to provide guidance during the application process as well as mentorship throughout the fellowship.

If you are applying for clinical-scientist status you will need to discuss your clinical training plans with local advisers in your specialty before submission. These Intermediate Clinical Fellows may be able to apply to transfer their national training number to a national academic training number.

Your sponsor is encouraged to view his/her support as part of a longer-term commitment to your career aspirations to be a clinical academic.

You may not apply for more than one Wellcome Trust fellowship scheme at any one time.

Resubmissions are only allowed in exceptional circumstances. If your application has been unsuccessful, please contact the Office for further advice.

Successful applicants may have the opportunity to apply for Enhancement funding. Details can be found here.

Deadlines

Applications are considered twice a year.

Shortlisted candidates carrying out research in the areas of public health and tropical medicine will be considered by the Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee (PHATIC). All other candidates will be considered by the Clinical Interview Committee (CIC).

Candidates will be notified two weeks before the interview date as to whether they have been shortlisted. Interviews will be conducted at the Wellcome Trust’s offices in London.

Next preliminary application deadline: 4 October 2013
Full application deadline: 6 January 2014
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 14-15 May 2014 (CIC) and 18-20 June 2014 (PHATIC)

Schedule for preliminary applications submitted to 22 April 2013 deadline:

Full application deadline: 5 July 2013
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 21-22 November 2013 (CIC) and 25-27 November 2013 (PHATIC)

Schedule for preliminary applications submitted to 8 October 2012 deadline:

Full application deadline: 7 January 2013
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 21-22 May 2013 (CIC) and 18-19 June 2013 (PHATIC)

Late applications will not be accepted at any stage.

Fellowships must be taken up within one year of award.

Contacts

Enquiries may be directed to the appropriate stream, or by telephone to the Grants Service Desk: +44 (0)20 7611 2020.

Immunology and Infectious Disease
E iid@wellcome.ac.uk

Population and Public Health
E pph@wellcome.ac.uk

Neuroscience and Mental Health
E nmh@wellcome.ac.uk

Cellular, Developmental and Physiological Sciences
E cdps@wellcome.ac.uk

Genetic and Molecular Sciences
E gms@wellcome.ac.uk

See Contact us for our postal address.