Many people have conflicting feelings about research after completing their research degree. The final submission is usually the product of an intense period of work, during which you might have become aware of the limitations of your research, and of
your field. This is no bad thing! For those that know they want an academic career, the post-doctoral period is about the transition to research independence i.e. to leading your own research group. Some research groups will have internal funding
to cover a short period of post-doctoral research, but if you are interested in a longer period or continuing research alongside your clinical training, it is likely that you will need additional funding. This provides a great opportunity for you
to lead a funding application (which you might not have done at the pre-doctoral level).
It's worth being aware that the post-doctoral period is something of a pinch-point; if you are pursuing a career in academic medicine, this period should be viewed as a time to build your independence, and you should be proactive about this. You will
be moving from being a person who executed your PhD supervisor’s ideas, to being the person that generates and executes their own ideas. As such a crucial stage, it is particularly important to be in an environment where you are supported and are
able to grow scientifically, so think carefully about whether leaving the comfort of your PhD group might be the right thing to do; it can be a good opportunity to learn new techniques (potentially opening up a unique perspective to your chosen field),
and make a new start as a post-doctoral researcher (rather than staying put, and always being thought of as a PhD student). When choosing a new group, or deciding to stay with your current group, look at the group leader’s track record; do they have
a reputation for supporting and developing more junior researchers? One way of looking at this is looking at publications from the group, and whether junior researchers have been listed as the last (most senior) author; this can be easier than working
out who has set up a lab independently on leaving a group. It can also be helpful to speak to people who initially pursued an academic career but now are no longer on that path; they can offer alternative insights that are as valuable as those from
people still in clinical academia, especially regarding the nature of particular groups and their leaders. Being aware of a range of experiences will help inform your choices and decision-making at this important time. Independent mentorship can be
critical at this stage, so if you don’t have a mentor yet, it is a good idea to find (at least) one; see our Mentorship pages for more details on how to go about this. Another trick that
can be helpful for working out timings is to work backwards - starting from the date when you ideally would like to start an intermediate fellowship. When would you need to apply by? When would you need your pilot data by? Have you factored in time
for failed applications?
There are many pathways for achieving an academic career, and although the schemes described below are perhaps the best known, they are not the only options. The introduction of Shape of Training means that things are likely to change, and in particular
post-CCT fellowships might become more relevant to those keen to pursue research. There are also newer schemes which allow a return to research after time away (for example, from the MRC Clinical Academic Research Partnership). It is never too late
to pursue research if you want to - so do not be put off if things do not follow the linear pathway described below.
For those that want to continue participating in research alongside their clinical training, there are two stages at which you might need to apply for funding:
- Immediate post-doctoral
- Usually within a few years of completing your research degree
- Clinical Lectureships and equivalent awards
- Intermediate fellowship (and equivalent) awards
- Usually four or five years after completing your research degree, often around CCT date
- First significant independent award
There are further schemes, for example the one offered by the Medical Research Council (MRC), for people who have completed a PhD but were not active in research immediately afterwards, and who now wish to return to research:
There is also the option to apply for a stand-alone research grant, that covers a particular project; further details can be found here.
Post-Doctoral Research
Broadly speaking, there are two main groups of funding sources for immediate post-doctoral clinical research: national funding bodies, and disease-specific charities. Some universities also offer post-doctoral awards that could be appropriate for the
immediate post-doctoral period (for example, the UCL Excellence Fellowship scheme, the Francis Crick Institute Postdoctoral Career Development Fellowships for Clinicians); keep an eye on internal circulation emails and social media for these posts,
which are often only sporadically advertised. In all cases, it is worth reviewing the eligibility criteria ahead of time, as some of these awards are only active until completion of training and CCT, so check that any award fits with your plans and
stage of training.
National funding bodies:
- NIHR Clinical Lectureship (CL)
These posts are for trainees who are in training at ST3 level or higher (some posts will further specify seniority, e.g. ST4+), and who have completed their MD or PhD; your thesis must at least be submitted at the time of application. These posts
provide full salary funding for 4 years, with 50% of that time committed to research.
Further information on eligibility and other details can be found on the NIHR website; please note the web address changes annually with each application round.
- Academy of Medical Sciences Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers
These provide funding for research consumables, for applicants who already hold a Clinical Lectureship.
Disease-specific charities:
Your research department will have further information on disease specific charities that might fund similar posts. These grants provide various levels of salary, research consumable, and other support, so it’s a good idea to review the specifics in some
detail.
Examples of relevant posts (this is not an exhaustive list!) include:
Other:
- NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF-ST3)
The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) is really a pre-doctoral award - but more recently, posts in Neurology have been offered at ST3 level; the current eligibility guidance states that you can apply after completing an MD or PhD (particularly
if this was prior to or during your medical degree). ACF posts provide full salary support for three years, in association with a National Training Number, and allow 25% of your time to be spent on research. Should you be in the process of
writing up your PhD, and not quite ready to apply for an NIHR Clinical Lectureship, you might want to consider an ACF as an option.
Further information on eligibility and other details can be found on the NIHR website; please note the web address changes annually with each application round.
Intermediate fellowship (and equivalent awards)
Applications for Intermediate Fellowships and equivalent awards are usually made by people towards the end of their registrar training, or in their first few years as a consultant. These awards are a significant undertaking in terms of time and planning,
and are extremely competitive; they are for people that are really committed to pursuing an academic clinical career. They provide funding for up to five years, and support for the first stage of research independence - that is, being in charge of
your own (small) research group. These grants will usually cover your salary, your consumables, and some staff and/or PhD student costs. Your salary support also allows for some of your time to be spend on non-research activities - for example, clinical
work, or teaching. This process can be a real test of resilience - there are many researchers, now highly successful, who experienced setbacks at this important stage - the key is to keep applying, and not to give up!
- Person
If you are a Clinical Lecturer and interested in pursuing research, you should really see your lectureship as preparation for your intermediate fellowship application i.e. the period during which you can acquire the relevant skills and necessary
pilot data to make a competitive application, whilst maintaining academic outputs as far as possible. Your track record will be important, and if possible, its best to avoid unexplained large gaps in research productivity; if there are gaps
in your CV, you will be expected to justify these. The people assessing your application (both on paper and at interview) will be looking at your trajectory, and will be expecting you to present yourself as a research leader of the future.
This might mean identifying a niche which shows promise not just for the duration of the intermediate fellowship, but for years afterwards. There is some debate about whether you need a “big” (high impact) first author paper prior to your
application - this is potentially completely out of your hands - but having evidence that you started to move on following your PhD into your own area of research interest, and remained productive from an academic perspective, will be important.
Also consider other important personal qualities relevant to becoming a research leader, for example those relating to leadership and collaborations.
- Project
When it comes to your project, it is critical to have something that is innovative but well planned, and deliverable within the timeframe of the grant. Pilot data are essential, and as described in earlier sections, you should use any post-doctoral
research time to obtain this; you might need to apply for smaller grants to cover costs. Pilot data show that you proposed work is feasible, and this is something that the reviewers will be looking for, and will also inform power calculations,
which are another essential component of your project design. Intermediate fellowship applications are often across specialities, so consider how your project might sound to a cardiologist, or a rheumatologist - is it still of interest to
a non-neurologist? Many funders now expect that you will have had patient and public involvement (PPI) at some stage in your project planning, so ensure you factor in enough time to do this in a meaningful way. As with other funding applications,
carefully consider your costs and review what can be included in the grant (in some cases, this can include research technicians or students). Remember the project you create should be feasible, reproducible, and innovative. It is important
to include contingency plans, and consider this when designing your project - a linear design, where each project is only possible if the stage before it succeeds, might be riskier than a project with parallel streams - but you will need to
show how these all link together.
- Place
Identifying an appropriate host institution is an important step, more so than for previous applications you might have made. It is a significant commitment for both you and the institution; the host institution will be providing you with space
for you and your future research team (this might include laboratory space, depending on your type of research), and will also cover overheads and other costs that not covered by funders. When deciding on a host institution, things to consider
are logistics (including whether they can provide you with appropriate office space, access to laboratory and other core facilities), if and how your work aligns with their current research programme(s), and whether it has the right expertise
to enable your work. Although you might decide to stay at the institution where you are currently based, you might feel that your proposed work might benefit from a being based somewhere new. If you are looking for a new host institution,
approach the relevant Head of Department (or equivalent) in the first instance; being invited to give a seminar is a good way to see the institution and an opportunity to meet current Principal Investigators (PIs), and can be a great place
to start. The Institution will expect a high quality application from you and should facilitate this, so make sure you avail yourself of any and all relevant departmental resources.
- Academic Mentorship
Mentorship is important throughout your academic career, but it is particularly critical at this stage; appropriate supervision and support is key, so ensure that you are surrounded by the right people. You need truly independent and honest advice
that you can trust on whether your choices of project and institution are the best ones for you. Many applications also ask for you to name a mentor. The Academy of Medical Sciences mentorship scheme (https://acmedsci.ac.uk/grants-and-schemes/mentoring-and-other-schemes/mentoring-programme)
is open to anyone who has applied for one of their Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers (regardless of outcome) and can be a good place to start. Our Mentorship pages have further details on finding a mentor,
if you don’t have one already.
- Planning your application
It is important to give yourself enough time to plan your application; not only are these substantial applications (most previous applicants we spoke to recommended somewhere in the order of 140 to 160 hours for a single application) with lengthy
review processes, but as your first significant independent post this sets the tone for your research plans for the foreseeable future. This includes the type of research you will carry out, and the institution where you will base your future
research group. These are big decisions and so you will need time to think and plan. Previous successful applicants have recommended giving yourself at least 18 months prior to your projected start date to prepare your application, if not
longer. Consider planning things backwards, starting with the date when you would ideally start an intermediate fellowship if you were successful, and include deadline dates for applications (including failed ones!), drafts for circulation,
and pilot results, as well as your clinical milestones (e.g. CCT). If you are in full time clinical work, all this planning can be really challenging to fit in, so if you are in the process of choosing a consultant post, consider options that
allow you to work part time (if financially viable) so that you can use the remainder of your time to prepare your application.
Given how competitive this process is, it is worth considering simultaneous applications to multiple funders, so part of the planning process is making a comprehensive list of all the awards and schemes that you are eligible for; this should include
details on the value of the award, any rules regarding how the award can be spent, and upcoming deadlines. There can be wide variability in how favourably your application is received by different funders, and so by applying widely you maximise
your chances of success. Your proposal will need to strike a balance between being ambitious and novel, but deliverable within the budget and timeframe of the award. It is important that your proposal is reviewed by as many independent and
ideally senior people as possible prior to submission. Many universities have an Academic Careers Office, or equivalent, and they can provide help with proofreading your application and sending it to independent people within your institution
for review. This process of internal peer review will highlight obvious pitfalls and limitations, and will allow you to include mitigation strategies within your application; you need to have ideas for what you will do if your project doesn’t
proceed as planned. Remember to give people enough time to review your work - so send drafts out early, and factor this into your backward planning of deadlines. It can also be useful to look at previous applications from your department or
institution (again, your Academic Careers Office can help with this), and in particular, successful ones.
- Preparing for the interview
If you are shortlisted for interview, practise interviews with senior members of your department are essential. The eventual panel are unlikely to be specialists in your areas, and depending on the scheme, they might not be neurologists, or even
medical doctors (panels can include other relevant academics, for example statisticians, or bench scientists), so consider how you pitch your answers. You should be able to look up the people on the panel ahead of your interview, to help with
this.
It is essential that you have as many mock interviews as possible (at least two), with as many different people as possible; again, your department and your Academic Careers Office (or equivalent) will be able to help you identify and approach
people. The mock interviews should be as realistic as possible, and ideally should include people who have recently participated as interviewers on fellowship panels, and people who are unfamiliar with your project. Generating a list of potential
questions is helpful, and you can supplement this with unexpected questions you encounter during your mock interviews. You will be expected to defend your proposal robustly at interview - without being defensive! It is important that you convey
the time and thought that has gone into your application, and convince the interview panel that you are the person to deliver the project. There is a technique to answering the panel’s questions; they might try and unsettle you, or ask an
absolute curve-ball of a question. It is important to keep your calm, acknowledge any limitations of your work, and then clearly communicate how you will address the issues raised by their question. This takes practice, and mock interviews
will really help with this.
- Awards and funders
As with other awards, there are national schemes, and those for disease-specific charities (some of which co-fund with national bodies, for example the MRC). As mentioned above, it can be helpful to make a list of all the schemes for which you
are eligible.
Examples include:
- MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowships
- Welcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellowships
- NIHR Advanced Fellowships
- Academy of Medical Sciences Clinician Scientist Fellowship
- What to do if things don’t work out
Finally, given how competitive the process can be, it is essential that you have a plan B, should you encounter multiple rejections after a first round of applications. This is not an uncommon experience, and in no way a barrier to a successful
application later on. As well as plans for how you might amend your proposal in light of reviewer comments, and a review of schemes to which you might apply next time around, you might need to consider how you will financially support yourself
in the interim. Many applicants opt to take up a locum consultant position during this period, which is a good option if you have remained clinically active during your PhD and subsequent post-doctoral period. Also keep an eye out for “soft”
funding, provided by your department, relevant charities or other sources, that would provide you with time to generate another application.
Good luck!
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