Health and Care Research Wales - Precision Medicine Fellowship call

Health and Care Research Wales

Health and Care Research Wales funds a large infrastructure to support translational and applied health and social care research. Much of this infrastructure either directly conducts innovative precision medicine research or acts as a platform for current / future high quality precision medicine discoveries. Altogether, the total Health and Care Research Wales investment in precision medicine is in excess of £31M. Coupled with other Welsh Government investments over recent years, it is clear that there is a strong base in Wales upon which to build.

It is important that investments in precision medicine research in Wales are strategically aligned and that relevant departments in Welsh Government work together seamlessly across the translational spectrum of research.  In recognition of this, Welsh Government departments are working together to maximise available funding from European schemes to build and strengthen the research base in ‘Grand challenge’ areas of unmet need.

The development of a precision medicine fellowship scheme will help to broaden research and build capacity in areas of unmet need whilst leveraging EU Structural Funds managed from Wales by WEFO. Such an approach reduces duplication in funding and provides greater prominence and international recognition of high quality Welsh research.

Health and Care Research Wales - Precision Medicine call

Health and Care Research Wales’ discrete call for fellowships relevant to precision medicine (within the Ser Cymru II WEFO programme) is now open. Fellowships will be 3 years in length and part funded by the European Commission and the Welsh Government. Applicants are required to contact their potential host institution (who will be providing the rest of the match funding) to discuss their proposed project before submitting an application. Collaboration with a relevant commercial partner based in Wales is desirable.  Applicants are expected to show evidence of a clear commitment to a research career and demonstrate how the award will support the potential to become an independent researcher.

Focus of call

Health and Care Research Wales supports translational research with a particular focus on applied and public health research. To help applicants develop and frame ideas, a position paper outlining future initiatives in experimental and precision medicine is available via www.healthandcareresearch.gov.wales.

The following suggested areas are by no means exhaustive but aim to give an idea about the scope of research eligible for the Precision Medicine Fellowship Award:

  • Research in areas of clinical unmet need, focusing on the stratification of patient populations to underpin the development of better treatments / interventions,

  • Research which uses currently available tissue collections in Wales for biomarker discovery / evaluation,

  • Research focused on improved service delivery and service configuration for precision medicine.

Eligibility

The Health and Care Research Wales Fellowship scheme is open to applicants based within NHS Wales (such as doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, allied health professions and clinical scientists) and Welsh Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Applicants based in HEIs should demonstrate that the project will be underpinned by strong links and collaborative working with NHS Wales.  Applicants from NHS Wales organisations should contact their relevant HEI to identify a relevant supervisor and seek sponsorship (a list of key contacts for Welsh HEIs can be found here: https://businesswales.gov.wales/expertisewales/list-host-institutions). Eligibility criteria include the following:

  • Applicants must have a PhD, UK MD, or other research-based professional doctorate in health-related research.

  • Applicants must be based at an institution or organisation in Wales at the time of applying and have no more than 60 months of FTE post-doctoral research experience.

  • Applications must have the support of the Host Institution and the support of a named senior academic or NHS colleague.

  • Applicants can be of any nationality.

  • Applicants must submit a completed application form.

  • Applications must comply with the fundamental ethic principles.

Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria or do not adhere to the guidelines given here will be rejected by the management team.

Funding

The maximum cost of the project can be £208,000 with a maximum of £178,000 being salaries (including pension and national insurance contributions), a maximum of £27,000 for consumables and a maximum of £3,000 for associated spend (travel and subsistence and publishing costs). Applicants who require salaries in excess of £45,000 per annum are advised to contact their sponsor within the relevant HEI or NHS organisation.

The Health and Care Research Wales Precision Medicine call is funded by the Welsh Government in conjunction with the European Regional Development Fund managed by WEFO. Contributions from funders will therefore depend upon geographical location of the successful applicant. Shared funding will be based on the percentage figures (on front page).

Application Process

Applicants will need to propose a suitable project to be carried out in a Welsh host institution. Projects should be described in no more than 12 pages and the appropriate application form completed.

The research project will be created by the applicant but they must discuss this with their potential supervisor before submission. 

Applicants should also submit a copy of their most recent CV, no more than 3 pages in length.  This should include information about their education, previous employment and other relevant experience, information about any career breaks taken for maternity or caring responsibilities and so forth; and a list of all their publications and grants awarded (if any). 

Applicants should also provide in a covering email the names of two referees who know their work and the proposed area of research.

Host institutions should provide a breakdown of the costs using the tables within their application forms. 

Application Forms

The names of 2 nominated referees should be included in the email.

Applications will be limited to 12 pages plus a 3 page CV’, font size 11 in Times New Roman or Arial with margin sizes of no less than 2cm (left, right and bottom) and 1 cm at the top.  References should be listed at the end of the document and will count towards the page limit. 

You will receive acknowledgment of your form within 5 working days.  If you do not receive this please contact the management team at the same email address.

The full process for review and selection of application is given on the Review of applications page.