Liz ShawEmma Young

Nils Fietje

MEDICAL HUMANITIES AT THE WELLCOME TRUST:

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

“Our mission is to support the brightest minds in biomedical

research and the medical humanities.”

Direct Medical Humanities Activities at the Trust

Wellcome Library

http://library.wellcome.ac.uk

Wellcome Collection

http://www.wellcomecollection.org

Wellcome Trust Book Prize

http://www.wellcomebookprize.org

• 2007: Call for proposals for a one-off Strategic Award competition.

• 2008: Two Strategic Awards funded:Brian Hurwitz, King’s College LondonMartyn Evans, Durham University

Medical Humanities Funding at the Wellcome Trust

History of Medicine Review

• Summer 2008, quinqennial review led by Joanna Bourke

• Recommended broadening the remit to include Medical Humanities

• Encourage bolder, more expansive research

• Open the scheme up to international applicants

• Remit: Medical History and Humanities

• Eligibility: UK/ROI and International Applicants if deemed of strategic importance

• Changes to Grants Scheme: S&E Award, Project Grants, and CRIGs have been discontinued

Change

• Programme Grants are emphasized

• Interdisciplinarity is encouraged (but NOT required!)

• We are interested in the history of science (as it relates to medicine)

• Ongoing changes to the Funding Committee to reflect the new remit

Change

• Encourage outputs that are more accessible to the general public

• Introduce closer monitoring of ongoing research

• Organised a Frontiers Meeting to develop the research agenda

Change

The New Remit

• New title: Medical History and Humanities

• We encourage research applications that address important questions at the interface of science, medicine and the humanities.

• We expect that these questions will further develop our understanding of the impact of medicine and medical sciences on human and animal health.

• Research must be historically grounded, drawing, where appropriate, on wider disciplines, in particular the humanities (e.g.: Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, etc.).

Eligibility• Any department, as long as

the research is ‘historically grounded’

• Main region of funding: UK Possibility of overseas funding, if deemed of strategic importance

• Focus Areas: India, Major Overseas Programmes (MOPS), Developing and Restructuring Countries

Investigator Awards(coming soon...ish)

• New grant scheme which will be phased in over the next 2-3 years

• Provides long-term funding support: freedom and flexibility

• Based on Fellowships, but extended to individuals in salaried posts

• Different application process

Grants Overview

Programme Grants

• Encourage more expansive research on important questions at the interface of science, medicine and the humanities

• Long-term funding: up to 5 years support on a focused topic or theme

• Can include money for Outreach Officers

• Can have built-in Research Leave

• Designed explicitly to develop a competitive Programme Grant application

• Test research questions, methodology and collaborations

• Should also have its own autonomous outcome (e.g. journal article, large conference, etc)

• Can include research leave

• Up to 2 years support

Pilot Grants

University Awards

• Allows universities to attract outstanding research staff

• The university guarantees a permanent post at the end of the award

• Applicants cannot be in an established academic post

• Up to 5 years support, providing full salary for three years, 50% in the fourth year and 25% in the fifth year

Fellowship Awards

• You CAN apply before you have finished your PhD

• Only two deadlines: 1st of August and 1st of December

• Interviews are held within 2 weeks after the FC meeting

• Up to 3 years support

Research Leave Awards

• Allows researchers to undertake an uninterrupted period of full-time research

• Pays for a replacement lecturer

• Can be part of a Programme or Pilot Grant

• Tenable for up to three years

• Highlighted by the Review as important scheme

• Enables clinicians, scientists, or nurses to undertake full-time research at a centre or department with academic expertise in medical history

• Provides the salary of a locum or replacement lecturer for the duration of the award

• Up to 6 months support

Research Leave Awards for Health Care Professionals/Scientists

PhD Studentships

• Provides a stipend and research expenses.

• For the full 3 years – Must apply before you begin your studies.

• Prelims- 15 March• Full applications-1 May

• Outcome Mid June

• Research Expenses: assistance for modest programme of study (up to 2 years, £5,000)

• Research Expenses for Self-funded PhD Students (up to £3,000)

• Conferences, Symposia, Seminar Series: financial support for organising academic meetings of all kinds (up to £5,000)

• Travel Grants to the UK (up to £1,500)

• Applications accepted throughout the year

• No need for preliminary application

• Fast turnaround: decisions are usually made within 8 weeks

Small Grants

Application Process

• Three deadlines per year: – 1 March (FC meets in June) – 1 August (FC meets in November)– 1 December (FC meets in March)

• Prelims required 6 weeks before deadline• Programme Grant Prelims:

– Deadlines 1 Sept, 1 Dec, 1 May• Only 2 deadlines a year for Fellowship

applications and an interview within 2 weeks of Funding Committee

• How we can help: Grant Outreach and Grant Management

Toptips

Common criticisms

•What is the research question?

• Incomplete bibliography

•Sampling methods are poor

•Concepts are not explained

•Poor level of outputs to date

•Why this period/location/sample? Justify.

• Too ambitious or not ambitious enough

Common criticisms

•Clearly had not sought advice

•Not trained in the methodology (e.g. oral history)

•Good project, but wrong academic environment

• It’s not really history of medicine

• The archives will not provide what they need

• Timetable is unrealistic

• Incoherent

So please…

•Read the guidelines

•Use forms flexibly (within reason!)

•Use appropriate methodology

•Use spell check

•Get someone from outside the field to read the application

•Seek expert advice and collaborate

•Maximise your opportunities

e.shaw@wellcome.ac.uk0207 611 8693

e.young@wellcome.ac.uk0207 611 8736

n.fietje@wellcome.ac.uk0207 611 7357

www.wellcome.ac.uk/medicalhumanities

…STAY IN TOUCH!