Student Elective Prizes

Purpose

These awards enable outstanding medical students to gain experience and training in biomedical research during their elective period.

What's included

Awards are available for a period of not less than four weeks. Up to £1000 will be provided as a contribution towards the personal support of the student (including any overseas travel), and up to £600 research expenses.

Account will be taken of alternative sources of personal support when the level of the Trust's award is determined.

Eligibility

You should be a medical undergraduate undertaking your clinical studies at a medical school in the UK. Recipients of these awards will be required to conduct a specified research project under supervision.

The awards may be held in any discipline relating to medicine, including history of medicine. Continuation of intercalated BSc degree projects cannot be considered.

They may be held at an established research laboratory or unit in the UK or abroad, but may not be held in cancer research institutes. You are encouraged to arrange your elective away from your usual place of study.

This scheme does not normally provide support for clinical trials or for projects that are concerned with education. One-third of the awards will be for research into tropical medicine (not necessarily to be carried out in the tropics).

The proposed supervisor is responsible for ensuring that, where appropriate, animal licences and ethical permission have been obtained.

Application process

Each medical school is allocated a quota of awards and is asked to nominate one candidate for each award. Each medical school may also nominate one reserve candidate. We retain the right to veto any nomination.

Nominations will only be accepted from the dean of the medical school (or the director of a Wellcome Trust Overseas Research Unit), from whom application forms are available. Students should not contact the Trust directly.

Deadlines

Deans are asked to submit all the nominations from their school at the same time, at any time between November 2009 and May 2010.

A report should be submitted to the Trust within six weeks of completion of the research project. The report must be a maximum of two pages and should contain valid scientific data. Any publications arising from the visit must acknowledge our support.

Contacts

If you wish to apply for this award you should contact the dean of your medical school.