MRC Funding Opportunities

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• MRC Funding Opportunities
• Birkbeck, University of London
• 7 December 2005
• Anne-Marie Philp
• (Research Management Group)
• Dr Shabih Syed
• (Research Career Awards)

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Todays Presentation

• MRC Background
• Funding Opportunities - Studentships
  Fellowships
• Funding Opportunities - Grants
• Deadlines, Peer Review Tips for writing a good
  Fellowship application
• Deadlines, Peer Review Tips for writing a good
  Grant application
• Award Rates
• Contacts
• Questions

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• MRC Background

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MRC Background

• MRC was established in 1913 and is 1 of 8
  Research Councils who come under the umbrella of
  RCUK
• We are a UK-wide public body, funded mainly by
  the UK Government, accountable to Parliament and
  reporting to the Office of Science Technology
  (OST), which is part of the Department of Trade
  Industry (DTI)
• We are independent in deciding which research to
  support
• Expenditure in 2004/2005 almost 450m
• Funds split roughly 5050 between MRC Institutes
  Units and grants in Universities
• Over 4,000 people (UK and overseas) in our
  Institutes/Units

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MRC Mission

• To encourage and support high quality research
  with the aim of maintaining and improving human
  health
• To produce skilled researchers, and to advance
  and disseminate knowledge and technology to
  improve the quality of life and economic
  competitiveness in the UK
• To promote dialogue with the public about medical
  research.

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Strategy delivery overview
Advice to CEO Council on ways of promoting
consumer involvement and ensuring MRC is
responsive to consumer interests and concerns
about research
Peer review strategy portfolio development
most funding decisions
SPOGs Boards
AGPI
Corporate Strategy Policy Financial planning
strategy (Board Strategic Budgets) Corporate
Performance
Strategic advice for CEO Council including
horizon scanning delivery
Strategy Overview Groups CROG, PHROG, BROG,
International
Council
Evaluation policy/ instruments Outputs
Outcomes Forms of support
Advice to Council via CEO on in year budget
management use of Strategic Budget delivery
against Delivery Plan and annual budget
allocations
Evaluation Subcommittee
Budgeting Delivery Subcommittee
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MRC partnerships
Treasury/OSTother Government departments
Patients/carers
Public/media
MRC NHS, UK Health Departments (UKCRC)
International
Research Councils
MRCT/ Industry
Research communities (intra- and extra- mural)
Wellcome Trust and other medical charities
Universities
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Government Spending Review 2004 (SR2004)

• Research Councils receive their allocation of
  funds every 2 years.
• MRCs allocation increases from 479M in 2005/06
  to 546M in 2007/08 25M extra in 06/07 and a
  further 43M in 07/08.
• Over half the new money is funds for MRCs share
  of FECs on grants, and for increasing
  attractiveness of research careers.
• MRC has 25M new money for science, earmarked by
  OST for clinical research and training.

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Research Boards and Panels
COUNCIL
Strategy Overview Groups
MCMB
HSPHRB
PSCSB
IIB
NMHB
Competition Panels
SPOG
SPOG
SPOG
SPOG
SPOG
College of Experts (CoE)
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Training Career Development Board and Panels
COUNCIL
Strategy Overview Groups
TCDB
Studentship Referee panels
Non-Clinical Panel
Clinical Panel
HSR/HOP Panel
Bio-informatics Panel
RTR panel
RTR panel
RTR panel
College of Experts (CoE)
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• Funding Opportunities
• Studentships Fellowships

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Grant Opportunities
Non Clinical Appointment
Fellowship Opportunities
PhD student
Studentships via Doctoral Training Account
Research Assistant Post on Grant
Post-Doc 1
Intermediate Awards Career Development
Post-Doc 2()
New Investigator Awards
Lecturer
Senior Fellowships
Readership
Research Grants
Professorship
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NHS Clinical Career Pathway
Clinical Academic Career Path
MRC Provision(Grants and Universities)
MRC Provision (Clinical Fellowships)
Clinical Research Training Fellowship
MD or PhD
Lecturer
NIA
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Senior lecturer
Research Grants / Collaboration grants
Senior Clinical Fellowships
Professor
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MRC PostgraduateProgrammes

• Doctoral Training Accounts
• 3 or4 year PhD
• Stand alone Masters including MRes
• Masters linked to PhD (4 years) including MRes
  PhD
• Research collaborative studentships
• Advanced course studentships
• 3 year quotas via a competition
• Capacity building studentships (PhD and Masters)
• Annual competition
• Industrial collaborative studentships (PhD and
  Masters)
• Annual competition

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Doctoral Training Accounts

• A system of grants to Universities for
  postgraduate training
• Large degree of flexibility on how the funds
  used eg local decisions on recruitment, stipend
  3 vs 4 yr PhDs
• Grants determined by algorithm proportional to
  grant income (not in the case of units)
• MRC adopted the system in 2004

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Doctoral Training Accounts

• MRC expectation is that HEIs will allocate a
  significant amount of the grant to MRC funded
  groups
• MRC studentship will comprise at least 50
  funding from stipend component the remainder can
  be funded flexibly from other sources
• MRC will still require annual data from HEIs and
  units via EPSRC JeS portal based system (ASPIRE)
• HESA to collect next destination data on behalf
  of RCs

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Advanced Course Studentships

• Advanced Course Studentships targeted at areas of
  public health and health related research not
  currently served by existing undergraduate
  courses
• strengthen the academic base of the field or
  discipline concerned.
• Invitation to apply for quota allocations for 3
  years
• 40 awards available p.a.
• 31 October deadline with decisions to be
  communicated in February 2006
• opportunity to undertake early research training,
  relevant for subsequent research at PhD level or
  employment in a research related capacity in
  academia or industry

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Advanced Course Studentships

• Applications are currently invited from Heads of
  Departments responsible for Masters Courses in
  the following priority areas
• Quantitative Biology - including computational
  neuroscience
• Bioinformatics - including neuroinformatics
• Health Services Research
• Health of the Public
• Medical Statistics
• Health Economics
• Epidemiology

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Capacity Building Studentships

• Closing date for applications for awards to be
  taken up in October 2006 was 12 August 2005
• The peer review period will run from September to
  December 2005.  
• Applicants will be notified of the outcome of
  their application in December 2005.
• 250-300 studentship applications for 50-55 awards
  p.a.
• An upper limit of 5 applications per institution
• All capacity studentships attract an extra 2000
  on top of the minimum stipend (Roberts additional
  funding for shortage areas)

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Capacity Building Studentships

• Applications invited in the following priority
  areas
• Infections (esp. vaccinology, clinical
  microbiology, experimental medicine or
  translational research at the clinical interface)
  
• Health Economics
• Modelling in Public Health
• Stem Cell
• Informatics (Priority will be given to
  applications in systems biology and mathematical
  modelling)
• Dementias
• Whole Animal Physiology
• Respiratory Medicine (Priority will be given to
  applications in chronic obstructive pulmonary
  disease and asthma)

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Industrial Collaborative Studentships

• The lead applicant is the industrial partner who
  normally takes the initiative in establishing a
  link with the academic partner
• scheme seeks to enhance links between industry
  and academia in the provision of high quality
  research training.
• Research training should be provided in medical
  or related biological subjects jointly supervised
  by an industrial partner
• 10 Industrial Collaborative studentships p.a. are
  available.  

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Numbers of new PhD students funded per year in
biomedical research by major funders
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Proportion of total students registered in
biomedical and life sciences funded by MRC
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Features of MRC Fellowship Awards

• There are no age limits for any MRC Awards
• Applications are considered from individuals
  returning to science following a career break
• Awards can be held on a part time basis to
  combine research and domestic responsibilities
• Support can be extended to reflect periods of
  maternity/sick leave
• Application and assessment procedures are
  designed to minimise discrimination, personal
  details such as gender, age or ethnic origin are
  not circulated to reviewers or interview panel
  members

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Pre- to Post-Doctoral Awards

• Clinical research training fellowships
• Special training fellowship in health services
  and health of the public research
• Special training fellowship in bioinformatics,
  neuroinformatics and computational biology
• Joint collaborative career development award in
  stem cell research
• Research training towards a PhD for clinical
  scientists or post
• doctoral research training for non-clinical
  scientists

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Intermediate Awards

• CLINICIAN SCIENTIST FELLOWSHIP
• Open to medical dental graduates up to Special
  Registrar grade, nurses, midwives and other
  health profession researchers
• CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD
• Open to non-clinical post-doctoral researchers
• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CLINICIAN SCIENTIST AWARD
• Open to medical dental graduates up to Special
  Registrar grade, nurses, midwives and other
  health profession researchers
• Post-doctoral/further post-doctoral experience/
  consolidation
• of skills. Transition from postdoctoral
  researcher to
• independent investigator

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Senior Awards

• SENIOR CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP
• Open to medical dental graduates up to
  Consultant grade, nurses, midwives and other
  health profession researchers
• SENIOR NON-CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP
• Open to non-clinical post-doctoral researchers,
  nurses and other health profession researchers
• Awards for independent scientist/team leaders
• National/international recognition

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New Investigator Awards

• Key new scheme
• provide support for clinical and non-clinical
  researchers in their first steps towards
  establishing themselves as independent principal
  investigators
• Applicants should be at the start of their first
  academic appointment, or in a senior post
  doctoral position
• funds for three years including Salary of the
  principal investigator where they do not hold a
  tenured position Support for an additional
  research, technical or other post Consumables
  Equipment Travel costs.
• 2004 Pilot Competition (awarded in Autumn 2004)
• Made 21 awards (from 141 applications) within a
  budget of 5m
• 2005 Competition (awarded in December 2005)
• Merged with CEG scheme
• extended eligibility combined budgets (to 11m
  for 2005)
• High volume of applications (270) and aiming to
  make 30 awards

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New Investigator Awards (NIA)

• Applicants are expected to be at the beginning
  of their independent research careers. They will
• have a PhD, D Phil or an MD.
• have a minimum of three years post qualification
  research experience (account will be taken of
  career breaks).
• be within three years of the start of their first
  established academic appointment (or within five
  years for clinicians and this may be at Senior
  Lecturer level)
• be in a senior post doctoral position taking
  their first steps towards establishing themselves
  as an independent principal investigator.

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• Funding Opportunities
• Grants

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Objectives of grant schemes

• Smaller number of grant schemes with flexible
  scale and duration - driven by research needs
  not by funding and duration limits
• Better support for early career researchers
• Enhanced clinical research and training
• Additional funding for formal collaborations/share
  d infrastructure between grant-holders

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Current Grant Schemes

• Research Grants
• Collaboration grants
• Trial Grants
• Centre Grants
• New Investigator Awards
• Others Discipline Hopping, Interdisciplinary
  Bridging Awards LINK

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Research grants

• Support flexible, for any period up to five
  years, the duration will depend on the needs of
  the research being supported high quality
  investigator initiated research in UK higher
  education institutions, NHS Trusts or academic
  analogues
• Duration 0-5 years (normally 3-5 years)
• Intended to support the full range of research
  needs short long term, focussed projects or
  broad based programmes of work, method
  development, development of continuation of
  research facilities, collaboration between gt1
  group and/or gt1 HEI
• 2 years or less ONLY FOR proof of principle/pilot
  work
• Funding no pre-set limits subject to peer
  review of VFM
• Note flexibility offered is not currently being
  used (still finding mainly 3 5 year grants
  being submitted)

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Collaboration grants

• Available to holders of Research Grants, Career
  Establishment Grants/New Investigator Awards or
  Senior Fellows who wish to promote and enhance
  collaboration between themselves and other
  researchers working in complimentary research
• Duration 2-5 years
• Funding 50k - 1m (if involving large capital
  items)
• No outlines
• Collaboration/ partnership to add value to
  individual projects and improve the productivity
  of the research
• Funding available for shared equipment, staff,
  networking, workshops
• Can submit application in conjunction with MRC
  parent research grant or apply mid parent grant
  as opportunities to collaborate crystallise
• Collaboration grant to be co-terminous with the
  parent MRC grant

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Trial grants

• Provide support for trials to provide high
  quality evidence on the efficacy and
  effectiveness of interventions in medicine and
  the health services.
• Process
• Outlines for all Trials are considered by the
  Clinical Trials Cross Board Subgroup
• Full proposals are considered by Health Services
  and Public Health Research Board.
• Fast Track Process (for experienced applicants)
• Full application direct to the Clinical Trials
  Cross Board Subgroup
• If short listed considered by next Board meeting.

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• Peer review

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Core Assessment Criteria

• importance how important are the questions, or
  gaps in knowledge, that are being addressed?
• scientific potential what are the prospects for
  good scientific progress?
• resources are the funds requested essential for
  the work, and do the importance and scientific
  potential justify funding on the scale requested?

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• Deadlines, Peer Review Tips for writing a good
  Fellowship application

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When should you submit your Research Career Award
applications ?

• Doctoral Training Accounts (Studentships)
• Univeristy Departments in receipt of MRC awards
  will be notified of their allocation in December
  for awards to be taken up in the following
  October.
• Capacity Building and Industrial Collaborative
  Studentships
• The 2005 competition for take-up of awards in
  October 2006 has now closed. Applicants will be
  notified in December 2005 of the outcome of their
  application.
• Advanced Course Masters Studentships
• The 2005 competition deadline was 31 October and
  applicants
• will be notified in February 2006.
• Fellowships
• Annual Competition
• except clinical Research Training Fellowship (two
  rounds per year)

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Assessment of MRC Fellowships The
Process Referees Shortlisting Panel Interview
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Assessment of Eligibility

• Typeface (Verdana 10)
• Page length limits
• Signatures of HEI Finance Officers
• Financial Information
• Demonstration of relevant connection for junior
  fellowships

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Fellowship Review Process

• Intermediate and Senior Fellowships
• Involves CoE plus Specialist Reviewers (UK and
  International).
• Short-listed candidates interviewed.

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Fellowship Review Process

• Junior Fellowship Schemes
• Research Training Referee (RTR) panels for 3
  junior schemes
• Special Training Fellowships in Health Services
  Health of the Public
• Clinical Research Training Fellowships
• Special training Fellowships in Bioinformatics/
  Neuroinformatics/ Computational Biology
• Short-listing meeting (as a triage mechanism) and
  
• Short-listed candidates interviewed.

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• Main Assessment Criteria
• Standing and potential of individual
• Excellence of the centre
• Suitability/merit of the project
• Ethical issues
• Detailed questions depend on type of award

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RESOURCES

• Main Assessment Criteria
• Quality of science
• Scientific justification of resources
• Resources
• Consumables
• Equipment
• Animals
• Staff
• Salaries
• Need to request competitive salaries in view of
  prestige award

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• Deadlines, Peer Review Tips for writing a good
  Grant application

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When should you submit your grant applications?

• Research Boards consider majority of grant
  applications
• i.e. Research, Collaboration and Trials
• Meet three times a year (May/June, Oct/Nov and
  Feb/Mar)
• Next round of deadlines (May/Jun06 Boards) - 9
  Jan 06 to 6 Feb 06.
• Clinical Trial Grants need an outline first
• Next Trial Outline deadline is 16 Dec 06 to be
  considered at 26 Apr 06 meeting
• There are annual calls for
• Centre Grants (next call for translational
  Centres to be advertised shortly)
• New Investigator Awards (2005 competition closed
  awards in Dec05)
• Institutional Discipline Bridging (2 Dec 05)
  Discipline Hopping Awards (25 Nov 05)
• Deadlines advertised MRC website, MRC Network
  publications

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When should you submit your grant applications?

• Current Calls for Proposals
• Methodology and Implementation
• (ITAs 27 January 06 Full proposals 1 March 06)
• New Highlight Notices
• Emerging Infections with Epidemic Pandemic
  Potential
• Details advertised
• MRC website MRC Network publications

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Grants Review process

• Reviewers Assessment
• applications are refereed by sensible numbers of
  reviewers
• Use members of the College of Experts (UK) plus
  Specialist Reviewers (UK and International)
• applications scored (1-10)
• the number of applications currently being
  submitted means that MRC has to triage out at
  an early stage all those proposals which are
  unlikely to be funded. This is to allow the
  Boards to focus on those proposals most likely to
  be funded
• triage decisions are made by the Chair and Deputy
  Chair of the Board, based almost entirely on the
  views of the referees and Board members
• referees comments are fed back to all applicants
  (anonymously)

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Grants Review process

• Research Board/Panel Assessment
• (short-listed applications only)
• applicants can comment on feedback from reviewers
  and these comments will be forwarded to Board
• all short-listed applications are assessed by the
  Research Boards/Panels
• feedback will be given on all applications
  reviewed by the Board (via a Board Assessment
  Template)

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College of Experts (CoE)

• Recently established
• over 800 members (to rise to 1000 by end of year)
• each member affiliated to one Research Board
• membership for up to 4 years
• sign up to review at least 6 applications per
  session
• take part in referee panels or competition
  funding panels
• respond to requests for advice on review of
  schemes/processes/strategy
• annual regional meetings (including induction)
• copy of contract to VC in recognition of
  reviewing work for the MRC

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• Tips on how to
• write a good
• grant
• application

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Shift in focus for MRC grants

• More emphasis on track record for established
  investigators
• More emphasis on individual potential for early
  career investigators
• Require less detail about long-term experimental
  plans (look more at rationale for the research)
• Look at recent quality of work productivity
• Continue to encourage high-risk/high pay-off
  research

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Tips on how to write a good application

• Case for support
• Set out work under each of the headings specified
  in the guidance notes for each scheme
• Address each of the schemes specific points in
  the guidance notes
• Take account of what the reviewers will be
  looking for
• Adhere to page lengths and allowable PDF
  attachments (otherwise application will be
  returned)

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Scheme specific criteria

• Research Grant Scheme
• How innovative are the research plans?
• Are they realistic given the aims and resources?
• Research Grant Pilots (or proof of principle)
• How will the work be developed?
• How feasible are subsequent proposals?

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Scheme specific criteria

• Collaboration Grant Scheme
• Would funding by this scheme provide added value?
• How original is it or are there similar
  collaboration elsewhere (UK or International)?
• Is the management strategy proposed coherent?

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Tips on how to write a good application

• From consultation with MRC Advisory Board
  reviewers, they were keen to see good
  information on the following key points
• Clarity, Succinctness, Accessibility
• Background, Context, Publications
• Outcomes, Alternatives, Timelines
• Methodology
• Preliminary Data
• Cost
• Track Record, Collaborations, Environment

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Tips on writing a good application

• Resources
• Fully justify
• Do not underfund
• cheaper does not mean more likely to be funded
• MRC is looking for quality not quantity

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• Award Rates

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Award Rates

• Grant Award Rates
• Session/Fin Year Award Rate Est. Whole
  Life Value
• 2002/03 185/777 (24) 85.4m
• 2003/04    232/603 (38) 85.7m
• 2004/05 324/1610 (20) 159.7m
• Fellowship Award Rates
• Session/Fin Year Award Rate
• 2002/03 77/498 (16)
• 2003/04    70/473 (15)
• 2004/05 96/588 (16)
• Financial Year

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Demand Management

• Due to significant increase in numbers of grant
  applications to the MRC
• Need to ensure do not put too heavy a burden on
  reviewers and Board members
• Will use Triage reduce numbers going to Research
  Boards
• Publicise funds available vs. demand so PIs can
  make informed decision when to apply

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• Contacts

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Research Career Awards

• frances.rawle_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
• (Head of Research Career Awards)
• shabih.syed_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
• (Programme Manager of Research Career Awards)
• fellows_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
• http//www.mrc.ac.uk/index/funding/funding-persona
  l_awards/funding-fellowships.htm
• students_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
• http//www.mrc.ac.uk/index/funding/funding-persona
  l_awards/funding-studentship.htm

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Grants

• Scientific queries
• Programme Managers
• http//www.mrc.ac.uk/index/about/about-contact/
  about-head_office/about-research_management_group.
  htm
• Clinical Trials Manager
• chris.watkins_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
• General Enquiries on Grant Schemes
• Rbg_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

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Awards Management Team

• Newly established Team are responsible for the
  post-award administration of all existing and
  future grants and fellowships from the point of
  award to final reconciliation
• Are the initial point of contact for all awards
  management issues e.g. spending periods
  extensions, extensions, supplements,
  maternity/paternity/sick leave etc.
• Split into two areas
• payments
• awards letters post award administration
• New Procedure - all queries need to be directed
  through the Research Organisation before
  submitting to the MRC.

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Awards Management Team

• Payments
• Grants payments
• Shirley Ellis 020 7670 5307
• Tim Ovenden 020 7670 5026
• Fellowship Studentship payments
• Bhana Nathwani 020 7670 5025
• Award letters and Post award administration
• Jacky Molyneaux 020 7670 5456
• Luke Beswick 020 7670 5108
• Ehud Gershuni 020 7670 5462
• Ari Gnanamuttu 020 7670 5374
• Ann Holt 020 7670 5447
• Mail box for all queries amt_at_headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

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• Questions