Tagged / wellcome trust

WellBeing of Women – Two Calls

BU research, Funding opportunities

Research Training Fellowships

Wellbeing of Women in association with the RCOG invites applications for Research Training fellowships to encourage medical graduates to pursue a career in academic medicine.
 
The Fellowship must be undertaken in the UK or Eire and the research can be in basic science, clinical or translational research in one of the following three areas:

1. Gynaecological Cancers
2. Pregnancy and Birth including pre-term birth, miscarriage and fertility
3. Quality of Life issues including menopause, incontinence and prolapse, sexual health, menstrual disorders and endometriosis

The 2013 RTF round is now open. Applications must be received by Friday 7th September at 3pm

Fellowships are awarded for up to three years and cover the cost of a full time salary per annum for Specialty Registrars (or equivalent) and will be consistent with current NHS or academic scales.  Registration fees for a higher degree and reasonable research expenses may be allowed and should be specified in the application form.  The upper limit of this award is £200,000. Research Training Fellows will normally be expected to enrol for a higher degree.  A Fellowship will only be awarded to an applicant who has been accepted for a place in a department with established expertise in the specified field.  Candidates must also provide evidence of previous interest and a training component in research methodology.  Both the training and research project must be capable of being brought to a conclusion within the duration of the Fellowship.  Applications may be made for the financial support of work which is already in progress, or for a new project, provided a substantial element of training is provided during the course of the work.

Wellbeing of Women is delighted that our partnership with the Wellcome Trust which began in 2009 has continued. Suitable candidates may be considered by the Trust for the award of a Wellbeing of Women/Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship.

The award of a Fellowship is subject to the acceptance of the Wellbeing of Women’s Terms and Conditions for Research Grants and the following restrictions apply:

1.   Fellowships are not intended as a project grant and may not be used to fund sub-specialty training.

2.   Funds will not be released without evidence of ethical committee support.
3. 
WoW does not pay indirect costs.
4. 
Charges for administration by University or NHS Authorities will not be met.

The process:


Applications will be subject to external peer review.  Shortlisted applicants will be advised in late January and asked to attend for interview by members of the Wellbeing of Women Research Advisory Committee at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London usually in late January or early February . Reasonable interview expenses within the UK or Eire will be reimbursed. 

Shortlisted candidates will also be asked to formally agree to their application being considered by the Wellcome Trust, and may be asked to attend for interview at the Trust’s offices in London.These nominees will be required to sign up to the Wellcome Trust’s grant conditions, and any eventual award will be made in accordance with the Trust’s policy for costing Training Fellows.

Please complete the application form for Wellbeing of Women Research Training Fellowship 2013 and email a copy to Philip Matusavage at pmatusavage.wellbeingofwomen@rcog.org.uk. Please also send the original signed version to Philip Matusavage, Research Manager, 27 Sussex Place, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4SP to be received by 3:00pm on Friday 7th September 2012

Please read the Research Training Fellowship Guidelines before completing the application form. Your application may be rejected if it does not follow these guidelines.

Application   Guidelines

Entry Level Research Scholarships

Wellbeing of Woman in association with the RCOG, College of Midwives and the British Maternal Fetal Medicine Society, invites applications for Entry Level Scholarships to enable medical graduates to train in basic science, clinical or translational research in one of the following three areas:

1. Gynaecological Cancers
2. Pregnancy and Birth, including pre-term birth, miscarriage and fertility
3. Quality of Life issues; including menopause, incontinence and prolapse, sexual health, menstrual disorders and endometriosis

The research must be undertaken in the UK or Eire.  One scholarship is reserved for midwives.

The 2013 ELS Round is now open. Applications must be received by Friday 14th September at 3pm

They are pleased to announce that they are again joining with the Royal College of Midwives and the British Maternal Fetal Medicine Society in offering these scholarships.

Entry-Level Research Scholarships are to provide ‘pump-priming’ funds to enable trainees to be exposed to a research environment, or to obtain pilot data for bids for definitive funding. Applicants will normally be within the first few years of graduation, and would not previously have been involved in substantial research projects. Scholarships are a single payment up to a maximum of £20,000 to go towards salary and/or laboratory costs.

Successful completion of an Entry-Level Research Scholarship will be viewed positively should an applicant subsequently choose to apply for a Wellbeing of Women Research Training Fellowship.

The award of a Scholarship is subject to the acceptance of Wellbeing of Women’s Terms and Conditions for Research Grants, and the following restrictions apply:

1. Funds will not be released without evidence of ethics committee support.
2. The research must be undertaken in the UK or Eire. 
3. WoW does not pay indirect costs.
4. Charges for administration by University or NHS Authorities will not be met.
5. WoW does not cover University fees.
6. Midwives must be a full member of the RCM at the time of application and for the duration of the project
 
Please complete the application form for Wellbeing of Women/RCM/BMFMS Entry-Level Research Scholarship 2013 and email a copy to Philip Matusavage at pmatusavage.wellbeingofwomen@rcog.org.uk. Please also send the original signed version to Philip Matusavage, Research Manager, 27 Sussex Place, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4SP to be received by 3:00pm on Friday 14th September 2012
Please read the Entry-Level Research Scholarship Guidelines before completing the application form. Your application may be rejected if it does not follow these guidelines.
 

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

Gamify your PhD

Funding opportunities, PG research

A new way to communicate cutting-edge research

The ‘Gamify Your PhD’ competition is an exciting new project that puts the researcher in the role of games designer.

The Wellcome Trust is looking for researchers in biomedical sciences or medical humanities to send them game ideas based on their PhD work. They’re also inviting game development teams to join them for a couple of days of game-hacking to transform the best ideas into playable video games.

The best game that comes out of the hack session will receive further backing to polish it for release.

For more information, visit the Wellcome Trust web site.

Wellcome Trust – University Awards in Medical History and Humanities

BU research, Funding opportunities

This scheme allows universities to attract outstanding research staff by providing support for up to five years, after which time the award holder takes up a guaranteed permanent post in the university.

A monograph and other substantial publications are expected to result from an award, so teaching and other non-research commitments are expected to be minimal during the period of full Wellcome Trust support.

Up to five years’ support is available, providing your full salary for three years, 50 per cent in the fourth year and 25 per cent in the fifth year.

Travel expenses to attend meetings are provided for five years, but research expenses are provided for the first three years of the award only.

You must be nominated by your prospective head of department and have an undertaking from the head of the institution, vice-chancellor, principal or dean that your personal support will be taken over by the institution at the end of the award.

Support is normally available only at lecturer level, although in exceptional cases awards to senior-lecturer level may be possible.

Initial enquiries about the scheme may be made by you (the potential candidate) or a department in an institution.

These enquiries should be followed by a preliminary application from you by e-mail or post including

  • an explicit statement from the head of the institution, vice-chancellor or dean demonstrating the institution’s commitment to the history of medicine field, and a statement confirming that the institution will provide 50 per cent salary costs in year four, 75 per cent in year five and full salary thereafter
  • CV and full publication list
  • an outline of no more than two pages of the proposed project
  • a letter of support from the head of department, including a statement on your expected teaching/administrative load for the five-year period (this can be sent by separate cover)
  • the approximate cost of the proposal, broken down into your salary, equipment and project running costs.

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

A preliminary application must be submitted before a full application is invited.

Preliminary application deadlines are:
20 June (with a full application deadline of 1 August)
1 December (with a full application deadline of 1 February)

Contact: Grants Management – Medical History and Humanities
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK

T +44 (0)20 7611 8499
E mhh@wellcome.ac.uk

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

Wellcome Trust call for Small Arts Awards

Funding opportunities

Arts Awards support imaginative and experimental arts projects that investigate biomedical science.

The scheme aims to:

  • stimulate interest, excitement and debate about biomedical science through the arts
  • examine the social, cultural and ethical contexts of biomedical science
  • encourage new ways of thinking
  • promote high-quality interdisciplinary practice and collaborations between arts, science and education practice
  • support formal and informal learning.

The scheme is open to a wide range of people, including artists, scientists, curators, film makers, writers, producers, directors, academics, science communicators, teachers, arts workers and education officers.

Your project must involve the creation of new artistic work and have biomedical scientific input into the process, either through a scientist taking on an advisory role or through direct collaboration. This expert may be from an ethics, science or history background, but must be an expert in the area of biomedical science you are investigating.

If your proposed project has an artistic dimension but does not involve the creation of new work, then it may be more appropriate to apply for a People/Society Award.

You can apply for funding at two levels:

Small Arts Awards (small to medium-sized projects – up to and including £30 000)
Funding can support the development of new project ideas, deliver small productions or workshops, investigate and experiment with new methods of engagement through the arts, or develop new collaborative relationships between artists and scientists.

Large Arts Awards (larger projects – above £30 000)
This funding can support full or part production costs for high-quality large arts projects that aim to have significant impact on the public’s engagement with biomedical science.

Projects that are not eligible for Arts Award support include health promotion, education or campaign projects, arts projects for therapeutic purposes, straight documentaries, work that is purely illustrative, and projects dealing with non-biomedical sciences.

You should refer to the application guidelines, Grant Conditions and evaluation guidelines before completing your application.

Complete a full application form, via the Trust’s eGrants online application system (select the ‘Small Arts Awards’ form in the ‘Full application’ drop-down menu), and submit it at any time before the deadline of 27th July 2012.  Funding decisions will be made approximately three months after the relevant deadline.

 The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

The ENORMOUS benefits of open access publishing

Guidance, Research news

open access logo, Public Library of ScienceThe BU Open Access Publication Fund is 12 months old! Over the past year we have funded the publication of 18 papers authored by BU staff in open access, peer-reviewed outlets such as PLoS ONE.

Open access publishing turns the traditional publishing route (readers paying subscriptions to publishers) on its head as researchers pay a fee to the publisher to publish their research and in turn the publisher makes the article available free of charge to readers immediately on publication.

For researchers, open access publishing increases visibility, usage and impact or research, and institutions enjoy the same benefits in aggregated form.  Society as a whole benefits because research is more efficient, effective and more easily accessible, and delivers better and faster outcomes for us all. In addition there is increasingly evidence to show that countries also benefit because open access publishing increases the impact of the research in which they invest public money and therefore there is a better return on investment.

One of the UK’s major supporters of open access publishing, the Wellcome Trust, states that it “supports unrestricted access to the published output of research as a fundamental part of its charitable mission and a public benefit to be encouraged wherever possible.” The European Commission are also one of the major supporters of the open access movement and have recently announced plans to publish a proposal to increase open access to research result in the EU. It is anticipated that the plans will reflext the EC’s decision to  make all outputs from research funded under Horizon 2020 (due to replace the current FP7 programme) openly accessible. Previous research by the EC demonstrates that the broad dissemination of research findings can accelerate scientific progress and has significant benefits to both the scientific community and to society.

Despite all of this growing evidence to demonstrate the benefits to individual researchers, institutions and countries, few UK universities operate open-access funds for their staff. Recent research conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham found that only 13% of the 52 UK universities who responded to their survey have a dedicated fund to pay fees for open access publishing. Of the remaining institutions who said they didn’t have such a fund, only 10% said they were likely to create one in the next 12 months.

We are very lucky at BU to have access to a dedicated central fund for open access publishing, clearly demonstrating BU’s commitment to supporting academic staff to publish and make their research findings freely available.

If you are interested in applying to the BU Open Access Publication Fund, click here for further information: BU Open Access Publication Fund

The Wellcome Trust has a blog!

Research news

The Wellcome Trust has an excellent blog which you can access here: http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com

The blog provides a place where researchers can share stories about the research funded by the Wellcome Trust. Over the past few months blog posts have been added about a huge variety of research projects covering everything from the neuroscience of language and masculinity and madness in the Victorian age to stem cells and drug screening and brain imaging.

Why not check it out and read about the excellent research being undertaken! As with our Research Blog you can choose to subscribe to receive regular email updates. There is a subscribe box on the right hand side of the home page.