Visit to University of Stirling
Pam Hicks and Jennifer Anderson
Research Funding Policy and Delivery
Medical Research Council
29 September 2015
Contents
• MRC Mission
• Current MRC grants at Stirling
• MRC remit and funding opportunities
• Opportunities for early Career
researchers
• The end to end process – submission
to award
• Common errors in applications
Stirling Grants
Grant Ref
MR/N020030/1
MR/L017938/1
MR/J000523/1
Title
Partnership
Grant: UK
funding for the
International
Neuroinformatic
s Coordinating
Facility and UK
Node of the
INCF
Identifying and
measuring key
cognitions in
suicidal and
non-suicidal self
harm
Alcohol policy
interventions in
Scotland and
England
PI
Prof Leslie
Smith
Call
Research
Boards
Sep/Oct 15
Status
In progress
Dr Andrew
Siddaway
CRTF Pre-doc
Active
Dr Anne Marie
MacKintosh
NPRI
Active
Collaborations - Inbound
Inbound collaborations
Research Organisation (UK)
Number of COI
Grant Reference
Buckinghamshire
Open University
1 MR/J000523/1
South Yorkshire
University of Sheffield
Research Organisation (Non-UK)
1 MR/J000523/1
Number of COI Grant Reference
Australia
University of Wollongong
1 MR/J000523/1
Collaborations - Outbound
Outbound Collaborations
Research Organisation (UK)
Number of COI
Grant Reference
Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
1 MR/K023209/1
Gloucestershire
University of Bristol
1 MR/K025643/1
Lanarkshire
University of Glasgow
MR/M009807/1,
2 MR/L006367/1
Glasgow Caledonian University
1 MR/L003287/1
Nottinghamshire
University of Nottingham
1 MR/K023195/1
MRC mission
• Encourage and support high-quality
research with the aim of improving
human health.
• Produce skilled researchers.
• Advance and disseminate knowledge
and technology to improve the quality
of life and economic competitiveness
in the UK and worldwide.
• Promote dialogue with the public about
medical research.
MRC strategy
Research Changes Lives 2014-2019
Strategic intent: to support excellent discovery science and partnerships
to promote translation to accelerate the pace of improvements in health
and wealth.
•
Strategic Aim One: Picking research that delivers
Setting research priorities which are most likely to
deliver improved health outcomes
•
Strategic Aim Two: Research to people
Bringing the benefits of excellent research to all
sections of society
•
Strategic Aim Three: Going global
Accelerating progress in international health research
•
Strategic Aim Four: Supporting scientists
Sustaining a robust and flourishing environment for
world-class research
MRC remit and partners
•
MRC: basic research to early
clinical trials
–
–
–
–
–
•
– Government departments,
especially Health
– Other Research Councils
– Medical Charities
– Industry
– Innovate UK (was Technology
Strategy Board)
Underpinning and aetiological
Prevention
Detection and diagnosis
Treatment development & evaluation
Phase 1 & 2 trials
Basic
research
Discovery
Preclinical
Other funders/partners
Early
Clinical
Late
Clinical
HTA
MRC
BBSRC
NIHR
Medical Charities
Innovate UK (TSB)
MRC’s Translational Research Funding
Innovate UK
Translational
Research
Support
BMC:
Confidence
in
Concept
Biomedical Catalyst: DPFS
Efficacy
and
Mechanism
Evaluation
Programme
BMC:
Major
Awards
Committee
Biomedical Catalyst: RMRC
Health
Technology
Assessment
Programme
Proximity to Discovery Industry Engagement Fund
Basic research
Prototype
discovery
& design
Pre-clinical
development
Early
clinical
trials
MRC Lead
Continued
commitment to
basic research
Late
clinical
trials
Health
Technology
Assessment
NIHR Lead
MRC/NIHR Methodology Research Programme
BBSRC & EPSRC
Medical Charities
Our emerging strategic interests
• Enable a more productive research base
• Lead the UK response to major world-wide health
challenges
• Breakthroughs in complex diseases from human studies
• Informatics and computation at the heart of modern
interdisciplinary medical research
• Promote innovative, discovery science and high-risk,
high-gain basic research
• Encourage interdisciplinary science
• Accelerate translation and economic growth through
creative working across academia and industry
Devolved funding
Expand opportunities to devolve a portfolio of funding to
Universities for mutual benefits in agility, flexibility and
creativity
Planned investment of at least £20m in 2015
towards:
• Translation – bridge funding gaps, support speculative
early interactions, encourage collaborative R&D
• People – give flexibility to tailor training and develop
specific skills, encourage people exchange
• Discovery – accelerate development of critical mass in
important new areas of basic or interdisciplinary science
MRP Remit
The programme includes:
1. Methods development to underpin biomedical and health-related sciences.
2. Methods evaluation, refinement and implementation:
3. 'Methods in research’ for developing methods and their implementation in
research standards with the aim of improving quality and consistency in
practice, eg consensus statements.
MRP covers:
– Research methods in disciplines including: biomedical, behavioural and social
science, experimental medicine, randomised trials, cohorts and other designs
of health, health care, health services and health policy research;
– Developing and evaluating theory and models relevant to health sciences;
– Methods for effective regulation (including indices for decision making),
approval, adaptation and reporting of new interventions (including
behavioural);
– Research methods for valid measures of health, e.g. health outcomes,
exposure and risk (including behaviour, cognition and emotion), and
wellbeing.
MRP Remit
Development of underpinning methodologies for areas such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The design, conduct and analysis of clinical trials: methods for the
assessment of risk, efficacy, safety and other issues related to regulatory
approvals for new medicines, devices and diagnostics
Health economics
Biostatistics, mathematical and computational modelling
Bio- and Health-informatics
Epidemiology
Behavioural sciences and health psychology, qualitative analysis and
mixed methods, medical sociology, organisational and management
science and bioethics
Methods for effective regulation (including indices for decision making),
approval, adaptation and reporting of new interventions
Research methods for valid measures of health, e.g. health outcomes,
exposure and risk (including behaviour, cognition and emotion), and well
being.
MRP does not cover:
•
Wet lab methodology development, or
•
Technology development (although does cover statistical and
computational analytic methods for data arising from these)
MRP Highlight Notices
•
•
•
•
•
Observational data in clinical decision making
Multiple testing/subgroup analyses
Missing data and propensity scores
Assessing quality of life in carers
Improved measurement methods for population
science research
• Methodology for stratified medicine
• Improving cross-sector comparisons; Beyond
QALY
• Methodology for Eliciting Expert Opinion
Proximity to Discovery: Industry
Engagement Fund
A new funding scheme to support research organisations to use
creative approaches to building relationships with industry
partners. Support to allow RO to be proactive in developing new
opportunities for collaboration.
 Enhance academic understanding of industry or vice
versa
 Enabling universities to highlight opportunities for
potential industry partners
 People exchanges to enhance skills, knowledge and
understanding
 Exchanges are not expected to exceed 6 months
 Providing awards up to £250,000
Tackling the Research Challenges in AMR –
a Cross Council Initiative
AMR Funders Forum - research councils, DH, government bodies
and charities
•
Antimicrobial resistance – a thematic approach
£30m available for research under four themes:
1. Understanding resistance – two research
collaboratives and 11 innovation grants funded
2. Accelerating therapeutic and diagnostics
development – calls closed
3. Understanding real world interactions – two calls
launched, deadlines 6 October and 3 December
4. Behaviour within and beyond the healthcare
setting – in development, call to be launched
early 2016
For more info: amr@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Europe: Joint Programming Initiative – AMR
•To develop integrated approaches to pursue unique world-class research
Funding Opportunities – Managed Mode
Calls
• Call to lead MRC-NIHR workshop on Effect Size
Methodology: Closes 1/11/2015
• Proximity to Discovery: Industrial Engagement
fund: Closes 15/10/2015
• Public Health Intervention Development Scheme:
Closes 19/11/2015
Funding Opportunities – Highlight
notices
• These are areas with current MRC strategic interest. Response mode
applications within these scientific remits should be submitted to the
relevant board/panel
•
•
•
•
Economic Impact
Environmental Exposure and chronic disease
Mechanistic research in nutrition
Novel tools and technologies for vaccinology
• Further information can be found at
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/how-we-fund-research/highlightnotices/
Funding Opportunities for Early Career
Researchers
Capacity, Skills and Infrastructure update
 Skills review
 Refresh priority areas
 Build skills to complement recent capital investments
 Careers review
 Delivering clarity on career pathways – ‘map’
 Review of impact and identify barriers: Student and Fellows next
destinations
 Review mechanisms to ensure right support at right time
 Signposting non-clinical career options
 Supporting transitions
 Promoting flexible opportunities
 Aligning training investments to skills priorities
Revising skills priorities
Consultation of ‘vulnerable’ skills, conducted in partnership with BBSRC:
main cross-cutting themes emerging:
• Quantitative skills (developing digital excellence) as applied to
variety of data sources (from ‘omics’ to health records)
• Interdisciplinary skills (at all interfaces including
chemical/physical/engineering, social/economical and clinical,
including for example imaging, health economics, antimicrobial
resistance etc).
• Whole organ/ organism physiology (maintains profile and
priority for high-cost in vivo training – mainly for studentships)
 Refocus Skills fellowships – early career/change discipline
 Alignment of studentships to skill priorities
 ‘Networked Training Investments’
MRC Fellowships
-
before
Non Clinical, Clinical and Strategic Skills fellowships
MRC Career Framework – Going Forward
Interactive Framework (map)
MRC Early-Career Grant
New Investigator Research Grants
– Researchers who are capable of becoming principal investigators and who
are now ready to take the next step towards that goal.
– Can provide early-career scientists with a route into a permanent
lectureship position. For those with a post: funding and ‘protected time’
with which to establish an independent research career
– Currently between 3 and 10 years post doc research experience and
should either be in first lecturer appointment, hold a junior fellowship, or
be in a senior post-doctoral position
– Time attributed to the NIRG project is commensurate with career stage
and academic responsibilities
– Usually 3 years funding – not renewable
– Requires commitment from your host organisation
NB Criteria currently under review
Fellowship or Research Grant?
Fellowship
Research Grant (inc NIRG)
Only open to non-tenured staff
and researchers from other
research organisations
Open to tenured, non-tenured and
researchers from other research
organisations
Opportunities for predoc and
postdoc researchers
Postdoc researchers only for NIRGs
(predocs can apply for research
grants but would not be
competitive)
Focused on the person, then the
project
Focused on the project, then the
person
Applicant invited to interview
Proposals discussed at board/panel
3 to 7 year’s funding depending
on fellowship
3 year’s funding
The end to end process – submission to
award
Elements of Successful Proposals
•
A clear rationale for the research
− Background
− Hypothesis
− Aims
•
Preliminary data
•
Methodology
•
Have a plan B
− Risk & Mitigation!
•
•
People, environment
− Training for fellowships
Resources well justified
Making a successful
application: The Abstract
• Summary of the entire proposal –
write it last!
• Understandable by researchers
outside the field – don’t
underestimate the importance of
the lay abstract either!
• Will be the first thing read by
primary reviewers
• May be the ONLY thing read by other committee members
(but not at MRC of course)
• Will influence the way reviewers approach the rest of the
proposal
What happens to your application once
you hit the ‘submit’ button
Pathways to Impact
Input
Outputs/Outcomes
Generation of new
Knowledge/
publication
Trained people
Funding for
Research and
Training
Impacts (Academic/Economic/Social)
Improvements to health (living longer and
with better quality of life)
Academic impact (effects on further
research including other disciplines)
Development of
collaborative networks
Improving the performance of existing
businesses
Intellectual property/
Licensing
Creating new businesses (that contribute to
economic growth and further R&D)
Research materials/
Technologies
Influences on
policy & practice
Development of new
products/processes
Dissemination of
research
Delivering highly skilled people to the
labour market
Attracting R&D investment (from global
business and non-UK funding sources)
Improving public policy and public services
(including the NHS)
Engaging public support for medical
research
Common reasons why applications
are returned
•
•
•
•
CVs and publications listed on one document
Costs requested for open access/publishing
Letter of support is not signed and/or dated
Letter of support for human tissue not provided (when
applicable)
• Equipment costs requested at 100%
• For New Investigator Research Grants:
− Letter of support not signed by both Head of Dept
and Vice-Chancellor (or equivalent)
− Research Organisation letter of support does not
include salary details
− CV not on NIRG CV template
Expectations on Experimental Design in
MRC Grant Applications
Aims
• To increase reproducibility
• Ensure appropriate use of animal numbers
All applications for research funding with animals
must include:
• Justification for use of animals
• Calculations for determining sample size requested
• Justification of size used
• Plans for avoidance of experimental bias
If these are not included in the proposal form’s ‘Statistical
Analysis’ section, the application will be returned for
amendment. If the issues are not satisfactorily addressed,
the application will be rejected.
Expectations on Experimental Design in
MRC Grant Applications
For further information
• Guidance: (http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/arrive-guidelines )
• MRC Guidance for applicants, section 8.2 p39
(http://www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/guidance-forapplicants/)
Two-stage Review Process
Referee Assessment
• Detailed evaluation of scientific quality, importance and
resource request
• Inform short-listing decisions (triage) and final funding decision
• Minimum of 3 reviewers per application, mix of UK/international
reviewers
• Score 1-6
• Role of Board / Panel is to consider the comments of the
referees more carefully than the score, which is only ever an
indicator.
Board Assessment
• Make funding decisions on behalf of MRC taking into account
broader strategic considerations (Council & Board) and portfolio
balance
• Score 1-10
Starting the process
• Talk to the MRC
• Consider all the options
• Types of Grants
− Fellowships
− New Investigator Research Grants
− Research Grants
• Different Calls
− Managed mode calls looking at specific science areas
− Response Mode – Boards rounds take place 3 times a year,
standing panels in field of Translation, Methodology Research
Panel etc also take place on a regular basis
− Studentships – Case Studentships
• Take account of feedback provided to improve future applications
• Ensure application fits the remit of the call applied for
Board and Panel recruitment
MRC are currently recruiting for board and panel members for the
following: Closing Date 4pm on 2 October
•
Boards: All 4 boards
• Funding Panels:
• Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme
• MRC-NIHR Methodology Research Programme
• Training and Career Development Panels:
• Clinical Training and Career Development
• Non-Clinical Training and Career Development
• Skills Development
www.mrc.ac.uk/board-panel-vacancies
Going Forward
For further information
please contact
rfpd@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk