1. Careers in Medical Research
MRC Council – Newcastle 10th July 2014
Dr Anne-Marie Coriat
Director Capacity Skills and Infrastructure

2. Training and Careers Supported through multiple routes
Personal fellowships
Intramural & MRC University Centres
Block PhD Training Partnerships (DTPs) to universities
Training & development with industry
Concordat for research

3. MRC Fellowships Non-Clinical, Clinical and Strategic Skills fellowships
Updated (added by Julia Dickinson)

4. 2014 priorities – Supporting key stages
Medical Careers review :
Why? delivering clarity on career pathways develop better signposting, complemented by case studies
Assess success/ gather feedback: Review of fellows’, students’ and grant holders’ next destinations & challenges faced in pursuing a research career – headline messages in July
Right stage: Use outcomes to inform how we support flexible careers and identify areas where more targeted support is needed e.g. key transitions
Route finder
Will provide clarity on career options
Range of career options which are equally valued and recognised (non –heirarchical). Complemented with case studies, skills and experience and signposting to further information
Working with AMS, RS, RC’s Wellcome trust, Industry partners (AZ & Pfizer)
Next destinations
Discussions with stakeholders and anecdotal evidence suggests transitions are particularly difficult
Carrying out a survey to provide evidence, assess the impact of funding and better understand the blockers
Identify barriers and ways in which they can be reduced
Right stage
Review / align existing funding mechanisms against each career stage and type to ensure right support at right time
Support flexible careers, provide support for transitions within career paths, e.g. PhD to post-doc and between career paths, e.g. academic to industry

5. 2014 priorities – Supporting key skills
Skills review:
Why now?:
Skills to complement recent capital initiatives
Need to refresh – last reviewed in 2011
Approach:
Evaluation of past investment, with particular focus on informatics/data analytics
Open call for evidence for “vulnerable skills” (current and emerging)
Working with partners (other Research Councils, BIS, ABPI)
Aiming to review skills priorities:
Number of large capital investments made recently in e-health, informatics and clinical infrastructure
Need to ensure that these investments are sustainable and that we have the people capacity to complement the capital
We haven’t reviewed our skills priorities for a number of years
These things combined means to we need to check that we are investing in the right skills for UK science needs
Refining review with partners (BIS, ABPI, other RCs). Considering:
evaluation against past priorities (particularly in vivo, biomedical imaging and informatics/data analytics) – including mapping of our skills investments nationally
open call for evidence in areas of current shortage and vulnerability in future – will be asking for input
Will use resulting evidence to consider what MRC’s role should be.

6. Themes: Ensuring equalities and diversity is embedded in all we do
reducing barriers , facilitating transitions & partnerships
ensuring MRC investments in strategic skills are aligned to emerging needs
partnership and multi-disciplinarity

7. MRC Research career highlights:
Dr Mark Humphries: Systems Neurophysiology , Manchester
Dr Amy Reeve: Centre for Brain Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle
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