1 Contents:
1 Contents: 2
2 Introduction 5
3 Who can Apply – Research Organisations and Applicants 6
3.1 Types of Research Organisations 6
3.2Responsibilities of Research Organisations 6
3.3 People named on the Grant 6
3.3.1 The Principal Investigator (PI) 6
3.3.2 Co-Investigators 7
3.3.4 Sponsors/Supervisors 7
3.3.5 Mentors 7
3.3.6 Research Staff 7
4 What can be applied for 8
4.1.1 MRC Fellowships 8
4.1.2 New Investigator Research Grant 8
4.1.3 MRC Fellowship Partnership Awards 8
5 What to consider before applying 9
5.1 Eligibility Criteria for Fellowship 9
5.2 Pre-Doctoral Fellowships 9
5.3 Applicants for Post-Doctoral Fellowships expecting to receive their PhD 9
5.4 Post- Doctoral Research 9
5.5 Overseas Applicants 9
5.6 Resubmissions 10
An applicant can only apply to the same fellowship twice. Therefore, it is important for the applicant to consider whether they are applying at the right stage in their career. When an applicant applies to the same fellowship for a second time, they should ensure that any feedback provided from the first submission is taken into account and that the proposal is improved accordingly. If the application is rejected a second time, the applicant will not be permitted to resubmit again to that fellowship. 10
The normal MRC requirement is that applicants should not resubmit until a year has elapsed between applications, to allow applicants enough time to amend their application and take into account new developments. For fellowships with two closing dates per year, applicants who feel they need to reapply within a year should contact the relevant programme manager prior to resubmission 10
5.7 Multiple Submissions 10
5.8 Equal Opportunities 10
5.8.1 Returning to research following a career break 10
5.8.2 Part-Time working 10
6 How to Apply 11
6.1 Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S) 11
6.2 Who can submit 11
7 The Application 12
7.1 The Proposal Form 12
7.1.1 Project Details 12
7.1.2 Fellow Details 12
7.1.3 Objectives 13
7.1.5 Summary 13
7.1.6 Technical summary 14
7.1.7 Academic Beneficiaries 14
7.1.8 Communications Plan 14
7.1.9 Resource Summary 15
7.1.10 Related Proposals 15
7.2 CV and Publications 15
7.3 Case for Support 16
7.4 Letters of Support 17
8 Resources – Pre-Doctoral Fellowships 18
9 Resources – Post Doctoral Fellowships - Full Economic Costing (FEC) 19
9.1 Fund Headings 19
9.1.1 Directly Incurred – Staff 19
9.1.2 Directly Allocated - Staff 20
9.1.3 Directly Incurred – Travel and Subsistence 20
9.1.4 Directly Incurred – Equipment 20
9.1.5 Estates Costs 20
9.1.6 Indirect Costs 20
9.1.7 Research Facilities/Existing Equipment 21
9.1.8 Animal Costs 21
9.1.9 Research Council Facilities 21
9.1.10 Open Access Publishing 21
9.1.11 Project Partners 21
9.1.12 NHS Costs 22
9.2 Sponsors 22
9.2.1 Overseas Training 22
10 Special Considerations 23
10.1 Ethical Information: 23
10.2 Human Participation 23
10.3 Animal Research: 23
10.3.1 Animal Species 24
10.3.2 Reporting on the use of animals 24
10.4 Genetic and Biological Risk 24
10.5 Implications 24
10.6 Approvals 24
10.7 Honorary Clinical Contract and Clinical Details 24
10.8 Classifications: 24
10.9 Board or Panel Portfolio 24
10.10 Human Biological Samples 25
10.11 Technology Development 25
10.12 Clinical Speciality 25
10.13 Clinical Sub-Speciality 25
10.14 Research Setting 25
10.15 Stem Cells 25
11 Protection of Confidentiality 26
12 Open Source Software 27
13 The Peer Review Process 28
13.1 Peer Reviewing applications 28
13.2 Nominating Peer Reviewers 28
13.3 How to nominate peer reviewers on Je-S 28
Annex 1: Joint Funded Clinical Research Training Fellowships 29
Annex 2: Additional information for Fellowships involving Clinical Trials 30
2 Introduction
This handbook covers areas which are specific to Fellowships and should be used in conjunction with the Handbook for Applicants and Grant Holders which covers areas that are applicable to both Research and Fellowship Grants.
The Handbook covers both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships. Pre-doctoral fellowships are also subject to the eligibility criteria as set out in the Postgraduate Studentship Handbook.
3 Who can Apply – Research Organisations and Applicants
3.1 Types of Research Organisations
The Fellow MUST be based at the lead organisation during their fellowship. The lead organisation are responsible for administering the grant and must be one of the following:
3.1.1 Higher Education Institutions
All UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in receipt of HEFCE funding are eligible to apply for both Responsive and Managed mode funding.
3.1.2 Independent Research Organisations
A number of Independent Research organisations (IROs) are also eligible to apply for funding. A full list of IROs and the application process to become an IRO can be found on the RCUK website. Please note that fellowships come under responsive mode, so the IRO must be eligible for responsive mode for the applicant to apply through them.
For MRC applications, IROs encompass NHS Trusts.
3.1.3 MRC Units/Institutes
Individuals employed by the MRC in one of the MRC Units or Institutes and proposing to hold their Fellowship within the same Institute are only eligible to apply provided their post is supported by a grant or is a non-core funded supernumerary post (normally for at least 12 months). If you are unsure about eligibility please contact the MRC Grants Policy and Service Delivery by e-mail on to discuss further.
3.1.4 Overseas Organisations
The MRC are supportive of fellows who wish to spend part of their fellowship carrying out research at an overseas organisation. However, during their period abroad, the fellowship will still need to be administered by a UK HEI or IRO.
3.2Responsibilities of Research Organisations
By submitting a proposal to the MRC, a Research Organisation (RO) indicates their formal acceptance of the proposal, their acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of an MRC award, and the approval of the salaries and resources sought.
Administrative authorities have responsibility for ensuring that the salaries and resources cited in the proposals are sufficient to undertake the proposed research, to attract sufficiently experienced and skilled staff, and represent good value for money.
3.3 People named on the Grant
3.3.1 The Principal Investigator (PI)
The Fellow (applicant) is the PI on the grant and must be based at the lead organisation at which the award will be administered
MRC expects all of the researchers it funds, both clinical and non-clinical, to adopt the highest achievable standards in the conduct of their research. This means exhibiting impeccable scientific integrity and following the principles of good research practice detailed in the MRC Good Research Practice Guidelines 2012.
All researchers submitting a proposal to MRC must accept the:
RCUK Terms and Conditions for Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications and Applications Submitted after 1 September 2005
RCUK Terms and Conditions of Research Council FEC Grants
MRC Terms and Conditions
And comply with the guidance in the Handbook for Applicants
3.3.2 Co-Investigators
These are NOT permitted in applications for fellowships.
3.3.4 Sponsors/Supervisors
Any named person who will be overseeing the fellow’s work during the course of the proposed fellowship. They should either complete the relevant section on the proposal form or provide a letter of support covering the detail asked for on the proposal form.
An applicant can include up to 3 supervisors/sponsors on an application. If the research involves working with industry, then one of the supervisors should be from the industrial partner, otherwise all the supervisors/sponsors can all be from academia.
3.3.5 Mentors
A mentor is someone who provides independent career advice and is distinct from a sponsor/supervisor. Where a mentor is listed on the application, it is mandatory to provide a Letter of Support.
3.3.6 Research Staff
Where required (and if the terms of the fellowship allow), a fellow may include a researcher on the grant to carry out some of the required tasks. Where researchers are named on the grant, their CV should be attached to the application.
4 What can be applied for
4.1.1 MRC Fellowships
MRC Fellowships are divided into the following categories:
Pre-Doctoral / Post Doctoral / Senior Post DoctoralClinical / Clinical Research Training Fellowship (CRTF) / Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Clinical Research Training Fellowship (CRTF) / Senior Clinical Fellowship
Non-Clinical / Population Health Fellowship / Career Development Award (CDA)
Strategic Skills:
Population Health Fellowship
Early Career Fellowship in Economics of Health
CDA in Biostatistics
Methodology Research Fellowship
Special Training Fellowship in Bioinformatics
MRC/ESRC inter disciplinary post-doctoral Fellowship / Senior Non-Clinical Fellowship
The eligibility criteria varies for each fellowship. Information on all of the above can be found on the Fellowships Page of the MRC website.
4.1.2 New Investigator Research Grant
New Investigators with between 3 and 10 years post-doctoral research experience or who have been in their first lectureship post for less that 3 years, should also consider applying for a New Investigator Research Grant.
4.1.3 MRC Fellowship Partnership Awards
Applicants for fellowships and existing MRC fellows can apply for additional funds to stimulate collaborative mutually beneficial research and partnership between industry and academia to enhance MRC’s development of research leaders. For further information, please refer to MRC Fellowship Partnership Awards.
5 What to consider before applying
5.1 Eligibility Criteria for Fellowship
All applicants should familiarise themselves with the guidance relating to the fellowship they want to apply to before completing an application. Information relating to each of the fellowships can be found at
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Fellowships/index.htm
MRC fellowships are not available to individuals in permanent academic or research positions, in the UK or overseas, at the time of application.
Applicants should use the MRC Fellowships Eligibility Checker to confirm their eligibility prior to beginning an application and also refer to the appendices at the back of this handbook. If unsure about eligibility please email .
5.2 Pre-Doctoral Fellowships
An individual who has already started a PhD, MD, or similar type of research degree may apply for a pre-doctoral fellowship if, at the proposed start date, they will not have been registered for that degree for more than 12 months. Applicants must clearly state any courses for which they are enrolled in their CV and should attach a Letter of Support from their Research Organisation’s Postgraduate Office to confirm their registration date and the percentage of time for which they are registered. Such applicants may seek a standard 3 year award if they wish (pro-rata for part-time fellowships, minimum 50% of the fellows’ time). The minimum period for a pre=doctoral fellowship is 2 years (pro-rata for part-time awards).
5.3 Applicants for Post-Doctoral Fellowships expecting to receive their PhD
There are a number of early career postdoctoral fellowships where applicants may apply without having their PhD, but where they expect to receive it by the time of their take-up of a fellowship, should this be awarded. In this case, the prospective fellow must have obtained their PhD within the approved take-up period for the competition (advertised on the MRC website). Should the prospective fellow fail to obtain their PhD within the take-up period, the award will lapse; no extension will be permitted and they must re-apply for a fellowship in the following year’s competition should one be available. It is the responsibility of the fellow to provide documentary evidence of their PhD to the MRC Awards Management Team.
5.4 Post- Doctoral Research
Post-doctoral research is defined as research carried out after the date the applicant was notified of their PhD, MD or equivalent professional research degree. The research must be contracted research carried out either within the UK or overseas at a Higher Education Institute, Independent Research Organisation, NHS (or hospital research facility), MRC Unit/Institute or within industry. It does not include any research carried out either before or as part of the PhD, MD or equivalent professional research degree. Any career breaks for eg Maternity leave should also be taken into account ie the length of any career breaks should be subtracted from/not included in the total number of months of post doctoral research.
5.5 Overseas Applicants
Applicants from countries other than the UK must comply with the Department of Employment requirements and hold a valid work permit where appropriate. Any queries should be dealt with by the research organisation concerned. Pre-doctoral fellowships are subject to the same eligibility criteria for MRC PhD students and should refer to the MRC Postdoctoral Studentship Handbook
5.6 Resubmissions
An applicant can only apply to the same fellowship twice. Therefore, it is important for the applicant to consider whether they are applying at the right stage in their career. When an applicant applies to the same fellowship for a second time, they should ensure that any feedback provided from the first submission is taken into account and that the proposal is improved accordingly. If the application is rejected a second time, the applicant will not be permitted to resubmit again to that fellowship.
The normal MRC requirement is that applicants should not resubmit until a year has elapsed between applications, to allow applicants enough time to amend their application and take into account new developments. For fellowships with two closing dates per year, applicants who feel they need to reapply within a year should contact the relevant programme manager prior to resubmission
5.7 Multiple Submissions
A Fellowship applicant may submit only one fellowship application to the MRC at a time. They may, however, submit a Research Grant application for consideration at the same time as they submit a Fellowship application, but the two must be clearly different.
A Fellowship applicant may submit only one Fellowship application to the MRC at a time.
Applications for Research Fellowships may not be simultaneously submitted to another Research Council or the NIHR. However, a fellowship application can be submitted simultaneously to the MRC and other funding bodies such as the Wellcome Trust. An applicant cannot accept both awards if they are successful at more than one funding body.
Simultaneous submissions of the same application to two funders are only permissible if BOTH applications are fellowship applications. The same (or a substantially similar) application cannot be submitted:
- for an MRC Fellowship and for a grant from another funder
- for an MRC research grant (including New Investigator Research Grants) and a grant or fellowship from another funder.