The NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) are expecting to  receive funding from the NIHR to support individuals interested in commencing a research career in experimental medicine. Candidates will be Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), nurses, pharmacists, healthcare scientists, statisticians or methodologists working (holding a permanent contract) within University Hospitals Southampton, University of Southampton, the wider Wessex Health Partnership or Local Authorities.​

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Scheme Outline

 

The funds will be used to support the salary of the successful applicants for up to 12 months (at up to 0.4 Full Time Equivalent - tailored to individual’s requirements). The funds will be used to introduce successful applicants to research, develop research CVs, and enable generation of data to support further training applications. The expectation is that the award would make applicants competitive for further research funding (particularly predoctoral fellowships or potentially PhDs), which would then support the applicant beyond the funded period. 

 

All successful awardees are expected to be active in making external training fellowship applications during their award. As the applicants are likely to have a clinical background, permission to be released from the appropriate clinical area will need to have been secured and consideration given to their position beyond the end of the BRC support. BRC personnel can assist with discussing flexible approaches to the funding structure/schedule with applicants and their Line Management to facilitate release.

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The fund includes salary backfill (max 0.4FTE for 1 year capped at £32k), supervisor/mentor costs (total of £500 annualised), training costs (capped at £2k annualised), and patient and public involvement (PPI; total of £500 annualised). There is no provision for the cost of any consumables. Intended use of the available funds should be included in the relevant section of the application form.

The topic of the planned research application must align with at least 1 of the 5 BRC Theme research priorities and accompanying SMART Objectives or planned future experimental Theme work. Topics involving more than one Theme are encouraged. The proposed fellowships must fit within the NIHR and BRC remit, with a particular emphasis on experimental medicine which does not include any animal research. Theme Research Strategy and SMART objectives can be found here. Potential applicants are advised to engage with research supervisors prior to application to help shape project ideas.

 

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Theme Leads (or Theme representatives) to discuss their projects before making an application to ensure project alignment.​

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Theme leads

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• Data Health and Society: Christopher Kipps (Christopher.Kipps@uhs.nhs.uk) and Age Chapman (Adriane.Chapman@soton.ac.uk)

• Microbiology, Immunology and Infection: Robert C Read (r.c.read@soton.ac.uk) and Saul Faust (s.faust@soton.ac.uk)

• Nutrition Lifestyle and Metabolism: Jonathan Swann (J.Swann@soton.ac.uk) and Keith Godfrey (kmg@mrc.soton.ac.uk)

• Perioperative and Critical Care: Michael Grocott (mike.grocott@soton.ac.uk) and Denny Levett (d.levett@soton.ac.uk)

• Respiratory and Allergy: Graham Roberts (g.c.roberts@soton.ac.uk) and Thomas Wilkinson (t.wilkinson@soton.ac.uk)

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Application Criteria

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Candidates whose proposed research projects align with the scientific programmes of the BRC are eligible to apply for these development funds.

 

Applicants must:

 

• Be an AHP, nurse, pharmacist, healthcare scientist, statistician or methodologist.

 

• Hold a permanent contract with University Hospitals Southampton, Wessex Health Partnership or Local Authorities.

 

• Have a bachelor’s degree in a health-related subject.

 

• Have their Line Manager’s support.

 

Applicants must not already be registered for another fellowship or hold their own research funding at time of the award.

 

To apply, please send the following to BRC-applications@uhs.nhs.uk by 6th December 2024 for peer review:

 

• Pre-Application Support Fund - Application form with all sections completed and word limits respected. Please use this version of the form. Timeline/GANTT charts can be sent as a separate document if needed.

 

• A summary CV (max two sides of A4, size 11 font). The CV should contain basic information about education, employment history and academic responsibilities, and identify any publications (if applicable).

 

• A letter of support from the proposed supervisor(s). The letter should indicate the supervisor’s level of supervisory experience, how well the supervisor knows the applicant and familiarity with the planned research project.

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For further information, please contact BRC-applications@uhs.nhs.uk. 

 

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