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How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

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Page 1: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

How to Win Funding in Medical Research

Cecilia LindgrenWellcome Trust Research Career

Development Fellow

Page 2: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

The three P’s• Person=you

– CV• Publications• Awards• Grants

– National/international collaborations/net-works (reputation)• Place

– Is the centre known for the type of work you propose– Will the applicant have the necessary support (practical and intellectual)

• Project– Novelty– Will the project generate results– Is it a suitable framework for a career– Value for money for the funders– Appropriate for the funding body (i.e. fits with their goals)

Page 3: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Where was I when I decided to apply?

• Throne-Holst Visiting Fellowship from Sweden 2006

• DUK project grant 2006• NDM Scientific Leadership Fellow– 3 year Career Development Award 2007-2010– “a bridge between being a post-doctoral fellow

and being eligible for a Career Development Award from one of the larger funding bodies”

Page 4: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Work towards the goal

• Identify a topic that you feel strongly about and believe in, it will shine through

• Be active in publishing• Network and find independent collaborators• Be active in applying for prices and awards• Find an area of research and become an expert

(generalists?)• Develop independence from your supervisor• Collect preliminary data to build your application

Page 5: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

What is a competitive research project?

• Good preliminary data to show that you are on track already

• Focus on a research area where you have a track-record

• Facilities and collaborations to ensure success• Originality• Will this ensure publications and frameworks

for achieving your goals and the next round of funding

Page 6: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Things to consider & Funding options

• The first thing that I did was that I decided to stay in the UK• Grant/Award that covers the salary

– Often shorter time-spans– Less money

• Leave Oxford and take a tenured position at another University– Research environment– Teaching– Scientific freedom

• Career Development Fellowship (WT/MRC)– 3-6 years post PhD experience (exceptions can be considered)

• Senior (WT) or Intermediate (MRC) fellowships• level of CV required for this?• contact the funding body to check that you are eligible

Page 7: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Why Oxford?

• Tradition• Excellence• Reputation• Possibilities• Resources• Location www.myenglandtravel.com

Page 8: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Why WTCHG & OCDEM

• ‘Hot-houses’ for science– Multi-disciplinary research teams in human genetics,

functional genomics, bioinformatics, statistical genetics and structural biology

• Excellence – Ranked high in the RAE– A number of the leading authorities in the world on

relevant topics to my area of interest• Opportunity– Several relevant collaborators, clinically and

statistically but no direct overlap with existing efforts

Page 9: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Why Wellcome Trust?

• A Career development fellowship constitutes a framework for developing my own independent research program and team to build up my ‘portfolio’ to be eligible for a senior fellowship

• 5 years of funding, fits in my 5 year plan personally• First step on WT funding track, which is an attractive

option:– Generous fellowships– Wonderful support team at the WT, their aim is to make

everything for you to succeed and reach your goal

Page 10: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Having decided to apply for WT-RCDF-what next?

• Select which funding stream to chose• Make a time planning scheme to ensure that you have

planned out all deadlines• Inform your admin team• Check deadlines and requirements from research services• Select and invite collaborators, collect letters of support

and inform them about what they need to do• Letter of support from head of department• Choose sponsors and collect letters of support and inform

them about what they need to do• Check guidelines and instructions for how to submit and

what to submit

Page 11: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

My timeline for applicationDecided to

apply for a WT-RCDF

Submitted a pre-submission

inquiry

Submitted the full

application

Got invited for an

interview

interview

Got the news that I got the fellowship

and reviewers comments

March 2008

December 2007

June 2008

November 2008

December 2008

December 2008

Please notice that from start to end it is 1 yearPlease notice that from start to end it is 1 year

Page 12: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Prepare for the interview

• Read up on every aspect of your application• Have mock interviews, many (!!)• Discuss your project with your peers and ask for

comments, questions that they would ask• Think through what will happen if you do not

know the answer of a question, prepare for that• Dress nicely• Once there, enjoy

Page 13: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

What does the Wellcome Trust reviewers look for…

• The caliber of the candidate• The scientific merit of the proposed project• The significance of the research• The suitability of the sponsor and host

environment for the candidate's development as an independent researcher

• the three P’s

Page 14: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Final thoughts

• Discuss through carefully with peers and mentors about the appropriate funding options

• Work towards/start putting together a competitive CV

• Follow the instructions carefully and check, check again and re-check everything carefully

• Do not leave things till last minute• Keep the effort going till you get funded

• Discuss through carefully with peers and mentors about the appropriate funding options

• Work towards/start putting together a competitive CV

• Follow the instructions carefully and check, check again and re-check everything carefully

• Do not leave things till last minute• Keep the effort going till you get funded

Page 15: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Acknowledgements• Mark McCarthy -for sponsoring me and supporting my application• Chris Holmes -for sponsoring me and supporting my application• Peter Donnelly -for mock interview and being a great mentor• Fredrik Karpe -for mock interview and valuable clinical input• Krina Zondervan & Andrew Morris -for support & mock interviews• Anna Gloyn -for mock interview and support• Peter Ratcliffe -for mock interview and support• Liesel Osman – (The NDM Research Facilitation Team)- for mock

interview and support• And of course to the Wellcome Trust for funding me

Page 16: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

I wish YOU the best of luck!!

Page 17: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Wellcome Trust(http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/)

• The Wellcome Trust is an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health.

• Established in 1936 by Henry Wellcome • An endowment of around £13 billion • It is the UK's largest non-governmental source

of funds for biomedical research

Page 18: How to Win Funding in Medical Research Cecilia Lindgren Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow

Mentors, Sponsors and advisors

• WTCHG & OCDEM & NDM mentors with experience of different funding streams and application processes

• External mentors for advice about application, funding agencies and research panels