Who can apply

The scheme is open to medically trained clinicians who have already obtained an MD or PhD and who currently hold a research active Clinical Lectureship post.

The grants are intended as start-up funding and as such are not intended for applicants who have already obtained substantial funding through, for example, Clinician Scientist Fellowships, New Investigator Awards or large project grants.

Considerations to note

  • You should hold a medical or dental undergraduate degree and have a registration with the General Medical Council or General Dental Council.

  • The scheme is targeted at Clinical Lecturers in the early stage of their lectureship.  As the majority of Clinical Lectureships are allocated during higher specialty training you should hold an NTN/NTNA number. 

  • Ordinarily we do not expect to award a Starter Grant to individuals who have completed their clinical training and attained a CCT.  However, as the training pathway for Clinical Lecturers in Primary Care differs from that of other specialties and across UK countries, we have amended the eligibility criteria for this group accordingly.

    -  Many Clinical Lectureships in Primary Care are awarded post CCT and we welcome applications from this group.  Please note however that you must fulfil all other eligibility requirements and you must be in the early stage of your Clinical Lectureship. If you would like further information, please do contact the office.

    -  For Clinical Lecturers in other specialties

    i) if you have attained your CCT and feel you have circumstances that should be considered, please contact the office, prior to the application deadline, in writing.

    ii) if you are due to receive your CCT before the completion of your research as detailed within your application, please provide written confirmation that you will have sufficient research time post-CCT to complete it.  This should be provided by your host institution and endorsed by the Postgraduate Dean.  Please note that in general the earliest at which an award will be made is four months after you submit an application.

  • To be considered as ‘research active’ for the purpose of this scheme, we envisage that at least half an applicant’s working time will be allocated to research.
  • Clinical Lecturers from across the UK are eligible to apply.  Please note that this includes applications from NHS Education Scotland funded Clinical Lecturers.
  • Preference is given to candidates in the earlier years of their Clinical Lecturer appointment.
  • Where an applicant has qualified abroad with an MD they should have undertaken a substantial period of research equivalent to a PhD or research MD and we would normally expect this to have been awarded.

  • Senior Clinical Lecturers are considered too advanced for the remit of the scheme and as such are not eligible to apply.

  • The scheme is not open to Clinical Psychologists.

  • These grants are not intended to support staff costs as they are primarily aimed at the purchase of research consumables.  We do not normally anticipate that successful applicants would employ staff, such as research assistants, PhD students or post-docs through these grants and monies cannot be used for personal salary costs. 

    However, the scheme will consider requests towards the provision of dedicated technical support that is available within the applicant’s host institution. 

    In exceptional circumstances a request might include a high proportion of technical support.  This might, for example, be where a research programme required the administration of detailed questionnaires or interviews of study participants.  In this instance the applicant would need to provide a clear justification within their application.
  • An allowance for inflation of 3pc can be included between year one and two. A maximum of £30,000 if total can be requested. The amount awarded cannot be increased and, naturally, applicants should apply only for the costs they require.

  • The Academy of Medical Sciences is an NIHR Partner Organisation in respect of this funding stream. 

    This means that studies funded are eligible for inclusion in the NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio and therefore able to access NHS support via the NIHR Clinical Research Network infrastructure. 

    You can find further information on the NIHR website: http://www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/index/clinical/portfolio_new.html.

  • Successful applicants cannot reapply.
Further information

Overview
How to apply
Scheme partners