Wellcome Trust: Senior Research Fellowships in Clinical Science

Our Senior Research Fellowships in Clinical Science provide support for clinical academics with exceptional ability and outstanding promise to further develop their research potential.

This scheme provides support for clinical investigators to further develop their research potential and to establish themselves as leading investigators in clinical academic medicine.

You should be a clinical scientist with a medical, dental, veterinary or clinical psychology (British Psychological Society-accredited) qualification.

Successful candidates will have made significant progress towards establishing themselves as independent clinical investigators. A higher degree, together with evidence of postdoctoral research training (typically at least three to five years), is expected. Applicants should have published consistently in their chosen area of research, placing substantive papers in leading journals.

You will typically have completed your clinical training. Furthermore, medics, dentists and clinical psychologists would normally be expected to obtain an Honorary Clinical Contract at consultant level, prior to taking up an award.

Due allowance will be given to those whose career has been affected by a late start or for personal reasons (e.g. time away due to maternity, paternity, adoption leave or other caring responsibilities, or ill-health).

Where applicants have taken formal maternity, paternity or adoption leave as the primary carer (either the mother, father, partner or adopter), the Trust will allow an additional six months for each period of parental leave when assessing eligibility. Each case will be considered individually and the employing institution may need to confirm that the applicant qualifies for this provision.

You must have a relevant connection to the EEA. If you are a non-UK candidate, please contact the Office for advice before submitting a preliminary application.

Candidates will not normally hold a tenured academic post in a university in the UK or Republic of Ireland, or a consultant post in the NHS.

You may apply to remain in your current laboratory, to return to one where you have worked before or to move to a new laboratory.

The Trust does not normally accept resubmissions of main applications for its fellowships. Please contact the Office for further advice.

You may not apply for more than one Wellcome Trust fellowship scheme at any one time.

The proposed research should fall within our normal funding remit.

The fellowship is for five years in the first instance, and provides:

• a basic salary, as determined by the host institution

• research expenses essential to the research programme (for example, consumables, equipment, overseas allowances, collaborative travel, research assistance and technical support, fieldwork and data collection)

• an inflation allowance and support to attend academic/scientific conferences

• provision for public engagement costs.

Additional funding is available to enable institutions to recruit exceptional scientists to the UK from overseas. The International Recruitment Supplement (IRS) is designed to be part of the fellowship, providing a competitive start-up package and covering some of the other costs associated with an individual’s recruitment. Candidates are advised to speak to their host institution before submitting a preliminary application.

The fellow's appropriate basic salary will be determined by the host institution, but it would normally be expected to be within the salary scales for academic and senior clinical lecturers. We are prepared to consider salary requests at consultant level for fellows in possession of the appropriate Honorary Clinical Contract.

Fellowships may be taken up on a part-time employment basis, where appropriate.

This Fellowship is subject to a competitive, rolling scientific review every five years and renewed awards will be funded on the basis that the Trust and the host institution will each provide 50 per cent of the Fellow's employment costs for the duration of any renewal period. Host institutions will be required from the outset to guarantee that they will support renewal of the fellowship under the shared arrangement for the full period of any renewal.