Professional doctorate: clinical research training fellowship

What the assessor looks for

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area of its focus
• is timely, given current trends, context, and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment
• identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be
• identify potential improvements in human or population health, whether through contributing to relieving disease or disability burden, improving quality of life or providing benefit to the health service or health-related industry
• outline your plans for engagement, communication and dissemination about your research and its outcomes with the research community and, where appropriate, with potentially interested wider audiences

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how you will manage them
• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
• summarises the previous work and describes how you will build on and progress this work (if applicable)
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work
• provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan, including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or diagram
• explain who you intend to collaborate with at the host organisation and your plans for wider research collaborations (project partner details should be provided only in that section)
• include details of work that will take place as part of the proposed fellowship at a second UK or overseas organisation (if applicable)
• explain and justify how you will approach diversity and inclusion in the study population and follow the MRC embedding diversity in research design policy (if applicable)
• show how you will use male and female animals or tissues and cells from female and male donors (if applicable) in your research. If you are not proposing to do this, justify why
• explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships (if applicable) and the added value these offer

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career
• the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the proposed work
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
• the appropriate team working or leadership skills (appropriate to career stage)
• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge, this may include your previous funding and key outputs such as publications
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation, users and audiences, and towards wider societal benefit, including public partnerships

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• your professional registration number (name of body and registration number, for example, HCPC or GMC 1234567)
• your clinical speciality or profession
• your current training stage or nearest equivalent (foundation, speciality registrar with grade, consultant)
• your completion of training date
• Royal College Examination, with name of exam and date or anticipated date
• if you intend to be clinically active during or after the fellowship
• if you will seek an honorary clinical contract
• the percentage of your time you will spend on clinical duties. You may spend up to 20% of your time on clinical duties as part of a full-time fellowship (two clinical sessions a week). However, do not deduct this from your total FTE allocation or cost calculations (example: a full-time fellowship undertaking two clinical sessions per week should be costed at 100% FTE, not 80% FTE)
• the percentage of this time that will have direct relevance to your proposed work

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity
• how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field)
• how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in expert review, influencing policy, public engagement, or outreach
• how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like research, leadership, communication and management

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the supervisor’s name and current position
• in what capacity they know you
• how long they have known you
• their views on your research ability and suitability for this fellowship
• measures of research activity where you will be based, such as the number of academic staff
• the suitability and quality of the support, training and skills that you will receive, including how your research area fits with the priorities of the research environment
• their suitability and experience to oversee your fellowship
• evidence of their track record in supporting candidates to complete a PhD/MD

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the name and title of the head of department (or equivalent) providing the written statement
• evidence detailing how the host will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship
• how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project how the host organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected
• what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations
• what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the name and title of the head of department (or industry equivalent), that has written your supporting statement
• evidence detailing how the second host research organisation or industry partner will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship
• how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project
• how the second host research or industry organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected
• what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations
• what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) as outlined in Fellowship application and policy guide for the Funding Service
• any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• training costs
• support to work at a second organisation in the UK or overseas
• support for public and patient involvement and engagement
• support for preserving, long-term storage, or sharing of data
• NHS research costs , when they are associated with NHS studies
• tuition fees at standard home student rate (set by the research organisation)
• supervisor costs (only if not requesting tuition fees, and in exceptional circumstances; the request must not exceed 5% of their time, or a total of 5% FTE across all supervisors if more than one)
• staff costs, justifying the exceptional circumstances why these are needed to deliver the project

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant ethical or RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the fellowship

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• population cohorts; longitudinal studies; genetic, omics and imaging data; biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words
• all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)
• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit, where indicated on the facility information list
• confirmation you have their agreement where required

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• collaboration agreements
• definitions of basic or applied research
• internationally based companies
• subsidy control
• intellectual property (IP) arrangements
• fully flexible and gated contributions
• the ICF assessment criteria
• Name the industry or company project partner considered under ICF.
• Indicate whether your application is basic research or applied research.
• Explain why, in the absence of the requested UKRI funding, the collaboration and the planned research could not be undertaken.
• State whether your application is under the category of fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the industry or company partner).
• Outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each partner, including the academic partner, will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which partners may access these assets.

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• Addiction Healthcare Goals (AHG), led by the Office for Life Sciences (OLS)
• The Borne Foundation
• Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF))
• British Journal of Anaesthesia
• DEBRA (the butterfly skin charity)
• Epilepsy Research Institute
• Kidney Research UK
• Macular Society
• Medical Research Foundation
• Motor Neurone Disease Association
• Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Muscular Dystrophy UK

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.