How to Win Funding in Medical Research

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

2. 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)

3. 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”

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Why Oxford? • Tradition • Excellence • Reputation • Possibilities • Resources • Location www.myenglandtravel.com

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. My timeline for application December 2007 Decided to apply for a WT-RCDF March 2008 Submitted a pre-submission inquiry June 2008 Submitted the full application November 2008 Got invited for an interview December 2008 interview December 2008 Got the news that I got the fellowship and reviewers comments Please notice that from start to end it is 1 year

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. I wish YOU the best of luck!!

17. 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

18. 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