1. The Wellcome Trust’s Support for Clinical Academics Academic Training Day, Imperial College London 17 November 2011 James Harden Clinical Activities Manager

2. The talk Why do research ? The Wellcome Trust and its schemes Tips on writing a good application The interview Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

3. Why do research? Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

4. Slide title here Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust GMC Good Medical Practice ‘Good doctors make the care of their patients their first concern: they are competent, keep their knowledge and skills up to date, establish and maintain good relationships with patients and colleagues, are honest and trustworthy, and act with integrity’ Themes covered under three headings relate to the doctor as….. A scientist and scholar As a practitioner As a professional

5. A new environment… Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Collaboration & organisation UK Clinical Research Collaboration Office for Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research NIHR Ring-fenced fund for R&D Tooke Report Darzi – Next Stage Review Infrastructure Clinical Research Facilities Clinical Research Networks Biomedical Research Centres Flexible Academic Career Pathways Science Genetics Medical Imaging – physiology Medical engineering Genomic and proteomic analysis e-health and informatics

6. The Wellcome Trust and its Schemes Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

7. The Wellcome Trust Independent research-funding charity Established in 1936 Funded from a private endowment Spend approx £600M/year on grants Our interests range from science to the history of medicine to public engagement Our vision is to achieve extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. Our mission is to support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

8. Clinical Fellowships Principal Research Fellowships Senior Research Fellowships in Clinical Science MB/PhD Postdoctoral Fellowships Clinical PhD Programmes Research Training Fellowships Academic career development Senior Investigator Awards New Investigator Awards Integrated Training Fellowship for Veterinarians Veterinary Postdoctoral Fellowships Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowships Intermediate Clinical Fellowships Academic Training Day, Imperial College London

9. Why Apply for a Fellowship? Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Allows protected research time All of our current Senior Clinical Fellows have previously held competitive fellowships from a major funder during their research career

10. Research Training Fellowships Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust For medical, dental and veterinary graduates who have little or no research training but who wish to develop a career in academic medicine Applications from individuals who wish to undertake a high- quality research training leading to a PhD High-quality research project that balances provision of training with the opportunity to advance knowledge in a given area Research Training Fellowship – up to 3-year award (Clinical salary and research expenses) Considered three times a year with interviews in December, March and June/July - no preliminary application. Next deadline for full applications: 3 February 2012

11. PhD Programmes for Clinicians Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Complement Research Training Fellowships Tailored to the unique needs of clinician-scientists Programmes provide: a structured, well-mentored environments access to high-quality research environments 170 training slots over five years - 30-35 training slots available annually University of Oxford University of Cambridge Imperial College London University of Edinburgh University of Dundee University of Liverpool London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine University of Birmingham Institute of Cancer Research

12. Interdisciplinary Training Programmes for Clinicians in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust High-quality integrated research training programmes for clinicians Will provide clinicians with the expertise to design and conduct studies that aim to develop and evaluate novel therapies in humans Partnerships: from a single academic institution and industrial partner Programmes provide a range of training opportunities tailored to a clinician's needs at several levels Imperial Edinburgh Cambridge Newcastle

13. Who has been successful? Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

14. Postdoctoral opportunities and beyond… Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Training Fellowship for MB/PhD Graduates Early Postdoctoral Training Fellowship for Clinician Scientists Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers Intermediate Clinical Fellowship Senior Clinical Fellowship

15. Early Postdoctoral Training Fellowship for Clinician Scientists Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust A new fellowship opportunity for the most promising clinician scientists who have recently obtained a higher degree. A chance to gain a postdoctoral research training in the best laboratories in the UK and overseas. Support for 3 years. Research time decreased to 50% in the final year to allow re-integration into clinical training. Three decision points per annum Preliminary application deadline for Round 1: 21 November 2011

16. Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

17. Intermediate Clinical Fellowships Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust For outstanding individuals to continue to develop their research career through a period of post doctoral research training Will hold a PhD/MD and have published papers in good quality journals Four year award (fellowship salary and research expenses) for applicants who have completed, or are about to complete, their clinical training ‘Clinician Scientist’ five year award (fellowship salary and research expenses) allows applicant to complete clinical training Considered twice a year with interviews in December and June/July. Next preliminary application deadline: 20 April 2012

18. Senior Clinical Fellowships Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust For outstanding individuals of exceptional ability to continue their independent programmes of research 4–~6 years’ postdoctoral research experience 5-year award funded in full (fellowship salary and research expenses) by the Trust Renewable for five-year periods with 50% fellowship salary funded by the host institution

19. Tips on writing a good application Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

20. First hurdle: shortlisting Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

21. Before starting your application… Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Read the application form and guidance notes carefully and think about the answers to all the questions Check deadlines to avoid rushed applications and accept what the word “deadline” means e.g. it’s not necessarily ready to submit when you have finished with it as it must have been through your admin office too Queries? Concerns? Contact the Trust for advice. Also seek local expertise/advice: talk to current Fellows in your institution

22. A ‘Good’ Application – Part 1 Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust A strong and original central hypothesis Evident knowledge of the area  Consider what’s already known, address conflicting opinions, use appropriate citations and references. Clear research plan  Is the technical approach feasible? Is the timescale realistic? What are the potential pitfalls and your fall-back plans? Are the requested resources appropriate? Convincing preliminary data Not over- or under- ambitious Appropriate expertise

23. A ‘Good’ Application – Part 2 Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Easy to understand and read Consider all readers, avoid jargon and abbreviations; check grammar and spelling All staff, equipment and materials & consumables should be fully justified Animal use should be carefully justified and power calculations provided, where appropriate Should offer the very best value for money

24. The assessment criteria… Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Fellowships: person, project, place: Standing of the candidate, e.g. track record Candidate’s suitability for the type of fellowship - e.g. vision of how the award will enhance their career development and their longer term aspirations Importance of the research question Relevance of background information Strengths and weaknesses of application; quality of science, feasibility. Resources requested; are they appropriate? Candidate’s choice of appropriate sponsor & what that location offers Comparison with other applications of the same type – it’s a competition

25. The interview Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust

26. Before the interview Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Practice, practice, practice! No substitute for mock interviews Know your application backwards – own the project! Know recent data in the field Be prepared to give a concise summary of your proposed project and your research career to date

27. The interview itself Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Calm, confident, not cocky! Make a positive impression… Smile, make eye contact, remember to breath! Appearance does matter! No trick questions Listen carefully, and ensure you answer the question posed, not something similar Answer concisely Be prepared to defend, know when to concede

28. Final issues to consider Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Have I built a competitive CV? Do I have the right sponsor, supervisor and mentor? Is this the ‘right’ project for me? When is the best time in my career to do research? Am I being realistic? Will I enjoy it?

29. The last word Academic Training Day, Imperial College London Wellcome Trust Check scheme details and deadlines well in advance. Our website is a comprehensive source of information, but don’t hesitate to contact the Trust Staff if you need advice. www.wellcome.ac.uk j.harden@wellcome.ac.uk Good Luck!