SENIOR FELLOWSHIPS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, WELLCOME TRUST

Tuesday, 17th of May 2011

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Biomedical-science/Funding-schemes/Fellowships/Public-health-and-tropical-medicine/WTD025884.htm?utm_source=TMIH&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=PHATIC

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Senior Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Purpose

This scheme supports outstanding researchers from low- and middle-income countries to establish themselves as leading investigators at an academic institution in a low- and middle-income country location.

This fellowship is the most senior of a series of career awards aimed at building sustainable capacity in areas of research that have the potential for increasing health benefits for people and their livestock in low- and middle-income countries.

Research projects should be aimed at understanding and controlling diseases (either human or animal) of relevance to local, national or global health.

What's included

Fellowships are for up to five years in the first instance and provide support that includes:

a basic salary
research expenses (e.g. consumables, equipment, collaborative travel, research assistance, technical support)
training costs where appropriate and justified
an inflation allowance and support to attend scientific meetings.

Contributions to costs of the project that are directly incurred by the overseas institution may also be provided.

The salary should normally be based on the pay scales of the employing institution and must be justified by the head of the institution. The salary level should be appropriate for the holder of a competitive grant and allow him/her to focus full-time on research.

If the fellow is already in receipt of a salary from the host institution, the host institution may use the salary to pay for a replacement member of staff while we provide the fellow's salary for the duration of the fellowship. It is not expected that the fellow will hold a salary in addition to the one provided by the Trust.

Overseas allowances will be provided for periods of training or collaborative research spent outside the home institution country, where appropriate.

Research-dedicated costs (excluding salary costs) should not exceed £100 000 per annum.

This fellowship is subject to competitive rolling scientific review every five years, and will be renewed on the basis that the Trust and the host institution will jointly fund the Senior Fellow's basic employment costs through a partnership arrangement for the duration of any renewal period.

Eligibility

Applications are only accepted in the Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee remit. This covers research on infectious and non-communicable diseases within the fields of public health and tropical medicine that is aimed at understanding and controlling diseases (either human or animal) of relevance to local, national or global health.

This can include laboratory based molecular analysis of field or clinical samples, but projects focused solely on studies in vitro or using animal models will not normally be considered under this scheme.

You must be a national or legal resident of a low- and middle-income country, and be either a:

graduate in a subject relevant to public health or tropical medicine (for example; biomedical or social science, veterinary medicine, physics, chemistry or mathematics) with a PhD and at least five years' postdoctoral experience, or
medical graduate with a higher qualification equivalent to membership of the UK Royal College of Physicians (i.e. qualified to enter higher specialist training), or be recognised as a specialist within a relevant research area, and have at least five years' research experience.

Applicants who do not have a PhD but who are educated to first degree or Master's level and have substantial research experience, as evidenced by their publication record, may be considered.

You should have a substantial record of publications in your chosen area of research in leading international journals. Applications are particularly encouraged from outstanding low- and middle-income country researchers working overseas who wish to return to their home country.

Due allowance will be given to those whose career has been affected, either by a late start or by interruption, for personal or family reasons.

Sponsorship and supervision

You must be based at an eligible host institution in a low- and middle-income country, and have an appropriate sponsor who holds an established post for the duration of the fellowship and has a track record in research and research training.

Your sponsor must be able to guarantee that space and facilities will be made available for you. The sponsor is expected to support you in your research and to ensure that you will be released from the majority of your administrative and teaching commitments to enable you to focus on research.

You must have the full support of your sponsor, who should give an undertaking that, conditional only on your sustained performance as a research worker:

if a suitable vacancy arose locally or elsewhere, support would be given to you fellow as a candidate for the post
the sponsoring department would hope during the tenure of the fellowship to be able to arrange for a suitable new post for you.

An additional sponsor(s) must be identified for periods outside the host institution, i.e. the institution(s) where periods of training will take place.

You may apply to remain in your current laboratory (even if you already hold an established post), to return to one where you have previously worked, or to move to a new laboratory, in a low- and middle-income country.

The time permitted for clinical duties or other non-research activity during the fellowship is normally restricted to a maximum of eight hours each week.

In terms of renewal, fellowships will be subject to a competitive, rolling scientific review every five years. If successful, Senior Fellowships will be renewed on the basis that the Trust and the host institution will jointly fund the Senior Fellow's salary through a partnership for the duration of any renewal period.

In general, fellowships may be held in 'not for profit' institutions that are able to sign up to our Grant Conditions. Institutions that have not previously received significant funding from the Trust will be required to submit information to enable us to assess eligibility. Applications will not be considered by a Funding Committee until all eligibility checks have been completed.

Application process

You are required to complete and submit a preliminary application form [Word 250KB] by the published deadline. The form should be emailed to phatic@wellcome.ac.uk.

Completed forms will normally be assessed within one month of the preliminary deadline. If your preliminary application meets the scheme's requirements, a full application will be invited.

A copy of the home institution's salary scale and justification of your salary level from the head of department should be submitted with your full application.

The full application will be peer reviewed and, if successful, you will then be shortlisted for interview by the Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee.

Candidates shortlisted for interview will normally be notified four weeks before the interview date. Interviews will be conducted at the Wellcome Trust's offices in London. Travel and accommodation costs will be provided.

Fellowships must be taken up within one year of award.

We reserve the right not to process an application if the scheme's eligibility criteria are not met or if the application has not been completed in full.

Application advice

Reviewers typically assess:

your research and career to date
the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposed project
the significance of the science
the suitability of your sponsor and host environment.

Successful applicants will have a substantial record of publications in their chosen area of research in leading international journals.

We do not normally accept resubmissions of fellowship applications.

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

Successful applicants may have the opportunity to apply for Enhancement funding. Details can be found here.

Deadlines

From 4 March 2011 applications for this scheme will be considered annually as follows:

Next preliminary application deadline: 10 June 2011
Invited full application deadline: 7 October 2011
Expert Review Group review: February 2012
Shortlisted candidate interviews: March/April 2012

Schedule for preliminary applications submitted for 4 March 2011 deadline:

Invited full application deadline: 27 May 2011
Expert Review Group review: November 2011
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 15/16 December 2011

Schedule for full applications submitted for 13 December 2010 deadline:

Funding Committee review: April 2011
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 14/15 June 2011

Schedule for full applications submitted for 30 September 2010 deadline:

Funding Committee review: March 2011
Shortlisted candidate interviews: 7/8 April 2011

Late applications will not be accepted at any stage.

Fellowships must be taken up within one year of award.

Contacts

Please direct any enquiries to phatic@wellcome.ac.uk, the appropriate funding stream, or by telephone to the Grants Service Desk: +44 (0)20 7611 2020.

Immunology and Infectious Disease
E iid@wellcome.ac.uk

Populations and Public Health
E pph@wellcome.ac.uk

Neuroscience and Mental Health
E nmh@wellcome.ac.uk

Physiological Sciences
E phs@wellcome.ac.uk

Molecules, Genes and Cells
E mgc@wellcome.ac.uk

See our postal address and general contact details.

Wellcome Trust, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK T:+44 (0)20 7611 8888