MRC/DfID African Research Leader scheme 2011/12
The MRC/DfID African Research Leader scheme is a prestigious award, jointly funded by the MRC and the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), for non-clinical and clinical researchers of exceptional ability. The aim of the scheme is to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by attracting and retaining talented individuals undertaking high quality programmes of research.
Lack of grant funding and research infrastructure in some sub-Saharan African countries can make it difficult to retain and attract talented African scientists. As such, African nationals are currently under-represented as leaders in medical research in the region. We will, therefore, particularly welcome applications from researchers, from less resourced sub-Saharan African countries. Applications are also encouraged from African researchers currently working overseas who wish to return to sub-Saharan Africa.
A pilot of the ARL scheme was launched in 2009/2010 and three awards were made. Important feedback from this pilot call has been used to provide greater focus and clarity on the nature of the awards to be made in this round.
Key principles of the scheme 2011/12
The ARL scheme will continue to build on existing strong research partnerships between African and UK research organisations.
It will provide support for outstanding non-clinical and clinical researchers, ideally from less resourced, sub-Saharan Africa countries.
- The focus will be on ‘rising star’ African Research Leaders, rather than those who already have a well established record of securing international research funding.
- The African candidate will be well-qualified for academic research, will have completed a PhD (and will normally have up to 5 yrs post PhD experience) and will be expected to be a proven independent researcher and demonstrate promise as a future research leader.
- The African candidate will hold (or expect to hold) an established academic position, in an African Research Organisation and be undertaking original research.
- The African candidate will be able to cultivate a dynamic and innovative research group likely to attract increasing international recognition and external funding by the end of the award.
- The scheme will support personal development of the research leader including an opportunity to spend time in a UK institution.
It will be open to all research areas within the MRC’s remit that address the priority health problems of people in developing countries and where the research is best conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes biomedical and health research (including social sciences and public health research) relevant to national and regional health needs and priorities.
It will provide support for up to five years. The award package will include funds for a programme of research and a contribution to the Research Leader’s salary which may be up to 100% at the award outset where a persuasive case is made.
The scheme aims to encourage institutional links and build on existing research partnerships between the African research organisation and the partner UK research organisation.
- Applications should be submitted jointly between the researcher’s host African research organisation and the partner UK research organisation,
- The application should demonstrate a strong track record of high quality research partnering at the institutional level
- Please note that funds will be awarded to the UK partner research organisation, which will be responsible for administration of funds to the African research organisation.
- The UK partner institution is expected to provide evidence of a programme of mentoring and support for the Rising African Leader.
- The scheme offers an institutional development element for the African institution.
Further details:
- Who can apply?
- Research remit
- Funding available
- Tenure of award
- How to apply
- Assessment process
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Key Dates
- Contact
Who can apply?
Applications require four key elements, namely the African Research Leader candidate, a high quality science proposal, their African research organisation, and a UK partner (investigator and institution). Further details on each of these elements are provided below. Please note that due to MRC administrative processes and constraints the UK partner must be represented by the Principal Investigator (PI) named on the application and the candidate must be the first co-investigator (Co-I). Funds will be awarded to the UK partner research organisation which will then be responsible for administration of the funds to the African research organisation.
The Candidate for African Research Leader:
African nationals, particularly women, are currently under-represented as leaders in medical research in sub-Saharan Africa. The MRC therefore particularly welcomes applications from ARL candidates from less resourced sub-Saharan African countries. Applications are also encouraged, from African researchers working overseas who wish to return to the region. Successful candidates would be expected to continue their appointment at the African research organisation beyond the term of the award.
ARL candidates are expected to hold a PhD and will normally have up to five years relevant post-doctoral research experience. ARL candidates who do not have a PhD but who are educated to Master's level and have substantial research experience, as evidenced by their publication record, may be considered.
This MRC scheme is open to both non-clinical and clinical African researchers.
ARL candidates are expected to have a tenured academic position at an eligible African research organisation prior to taking up any award. Candidates are expected to make their own arrangements for obtaining a tenured academic position in an eligible African research organisation if one is not already held (and should be in position by the start of any award).
There are no UK residence eligibility restrictions for this scheme as the ARL candidate will be based in sub-Saharan Africa.
African-UK Institutional Partnership:
This scheme aims to encourage a research-supportive environment for the researcher, both in the host African institution but importantly including access to, and support from, research expertise in UK research organisations. The scheme aims to build on the breadth of existing strong partnerships between African and UK research organisations.
These awards are, therefore, only available to African-UK institutional partnerships where there is a demonstrated strong track record of a high quality research partnership at the institutional level.
Previous partnering need not be in exactly the same area of research proposed in the application, and need not have involved the potential Research Leader. However the relevant strengths that each institution brings to the research proposed should be indicated.
The African and UK institutions must submit a joint application to the MRC. Both institutions will be expected to demonstrate their long term commitment to the career of the successful candidate, throughout the life time of the award and beyond.
The African Research Organisation:
The scheme is only offered to candidates in African Government-owned institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Universities, Medical/Dental Schools and Academic Institutes, and where access to research funding is limited.
The Research Leader must be based in a research-conducive environment, including the environment offered by the research institution itself and the sub-Saharan African country.
The African organisation would be expected to provide continuity of appointment of the researcher beyond the term of the award, such as a tenured position or equivalent. There is also an expectation that over time, the African organisation would increase its level of financial support of the individual.
Each African research organisation is eligible to submit only one application. Research leader candidates should therefore discuss their application with their grants office prior to submission.
The UK Partner Organisation:
The UK research organisation will be responsible for the receipt and administration of the funds. However, it is anticipated that most of the funds would be spent in the African organisation.
It is expected that the UK partner organisation will identify a senior principal investigator to provide relevant scientific expertise into the research undertaken and would be responsible for delivering the UK Partner contributions to the award.
The UK partner should provide a tailored programme of mentoring, training and advice to the researcher and the African organisation.
The UK partner institution may be any eligible UK research organisation, including MRC units. Please refer to the applicants’ handbook for further guidance. Additionally, please see ARL – MRC Institutes/Units as the UK Partner Organisation.
For the purposes of this scheme, the MRC units based in Africa are eligible as the UK partner organisation.
UK research organisations are restricted to the submission of two applications per organisation. UK PIs should therefore discuss their application with their grants office prior to submission.
Research remit
The scheme is open to all research areas within MRC’s remit that specifically address the priority health problems of people in low income, resource poor countries and which cannot easily be achieved in the UK. The scope of the scheme includes biomedical and health research, including public health research, social science approaches to health issues and translational research relevant to African national and regional health needs and priorities. Please refer to MRC’s current scientific priority areas.
However, the scheme will not support late phase (IIb /III or IV) interventional trials, for which there are other specific streams of funding available.
It will support programmes of laboratory, field and clinical research which may be associated with, or lead to late phase clinical trials.
Funding available
Funding for the scheme is provided by the MRC and the Department for International Development (DfID). The scheme aims to support up to five Research Leaders in this round. Funding is available for up to 5 years and should not exceed Ł500k.
The majority of the funding will be for work taking place in the African research organisation and so would be eligible for full economic costing (FEC) exceptions paid at 100%. Any costs specifically for the UK research organisation will be provided on the basis of 80% FEC as usual. If the UK research organisation is an African MRC Unit then, as with other MRC Units, it will only be eligible for directly incurred costs. Please refer to the applicants’ handbook for further guidance.
The total award package is anticipated to include the following elements:
1. The African Research organisation will be the employer of the African Research Leader. However, a contribution to the personal salary for the Research Leader may be requested this may be up to 100% in the first years where a persuasive case is made. The expectation would be that over time, the African research organisation would take on increasing responsibility for providing the salary and by the end of the award this should be at a minimum 50% of the personal salary.
2. A research programme which could include research support staff, research consumables and equipment, travel costs (between partner institutions), and other necessary costs for the research to be undertaken.
3. The award also has provision for a personal development element, to support leadership development, strategic planning, research management and continuing professional development.
4. As part of this, support may be requested for the opportunity to spend time (up to 3 months in total) in an organisation other than the African research organisation. This may be the UK partner organisation, or any other UK organisation including a biomedical/pharmaceutical company. This is to provide a concentrated period of training/career development that cannot be achieved effectively within the African research organisation. Justification should be robust. This would be in addition to collaborative scientific visits. Candidates should be prepared at interview to discuss in detail any career development visit proposed.
5. Additionally, an institutional development element is available for the African research organisation to support a set of institutional objectives, the outputs of which should be verifiable and be able to be monitored. This could include improved finance, data or research management, and professional training. This is not intended to support direct PhD/MSc training posts.
As a condition of funding, all successful applicants must be able to commence activities within 3 months of receipt of their award offer.
Tenure of award
It is anticipated that the tenure of the award will be for a maximum of five years in the first instance. It is anticipated that a majority of awards will be between 3-5yrs.
How to apply
Expression of Interest:
Outline applications are not required for this scheme. However, to provide guidance about the high-level eligibility criteria and whether the intended research is within the remit of this scheme, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief expression of interest to the MRC prior to submitting a full application. Please complete the expression of interest template and email to ARLadmin@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk at any time but by 30 September 2011 at the latest.
General guidance:
All full applications should be submitted using the Research Councils’ Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System. Guidance on setting up a Je-S account and on filling out the Je-S forms can be found here. For this scheme the UK-based partner should be entered as the Principal Investigator (PI) and the African Research Leader candidates as a Co-Investigator (Co-I).
If not registered, you will need to contact the Je-S helpdesk (+44(0) 1793 444164) for assistance. The registration of your organisation may take some time therefore you are advised to begin this process well in advance of submitting your proposal. For the purposes of this call there is also the option to ‘self-register’. African organisations not already registered with Je-S are advised to use the ‘self-registration’ option.
Once your organisation is registered on Je-S you can then set up your Je-S account. Applicants are advised to create their Je-S account as early as possible. PIs and Co-Is will need to create their own individual accounts on the Je-S system. Co-Is can then be added to the proposal and granted editor access by the PI.
Creating your application on Je-S:
Please note that you will not be able to create your application on Je-S until approximately 8 weeks before the submission date for the call. You can however begin preparing the documentation for your application off line e.g. case for support (see guidance on preparing your case for support below).
When you create your proposal in Je-S you will need to enter the following options to ensure that your proposal is considered under the correct funding scheme:
Select Council: MRC
Select Document Type: Standard Proposal
Select Scheme: Research Grant
Select Call/Type/Mode: African Research Leaders Nov 2011
The ‘Project Title’ should include the name of the proposed Research Leader together with the name of the African organisation they will be employed at followed by the title of the research e.g. [first initial] [surname], [African Institution] - [research title]. Please be aware that Je-S has room for a maximum of 150 characters including spaces and punctuation.
Please complete all sections of the application. General guidance can be found in the MRC Applicants Handbook, which will guide you through the standard processes for preparing a proposal, costing your proposals and any ethical and regulatory requirements that may apply to the research.
When you have finished preparing your proposal, clicking ‘submit document’ initially submits the proposal to the UK organisation’s administration, not to the MRC. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process between submitting your proposal to them and the call closing date. The MRC must receive your application by 4pm on 3 November 2011 UK time.
Please contact the Je-S helpdesk if further guidance is required.
Preparing the Case for Support:
The case for support should be a maximum of nineteen A4 sides in length, including references, using Arial 11 pt typeface with margins of 2cms on all sides. Applicants should follow the African Research Leader (ARL) Case for Support Guidance when completing this section. Applicants are advised to also refer to the assessment criteria for the scheme.
Resources Requested:
Full financial details will be required. Enter all costs requested identifying the UK and African costs separately. Normal FEC rules (80%) will apply for UK costs. If the UK research organisation is an MRC Unit then it will only be eligible for directly incurred costs as usual. If you are based at an MRC unit, please contact your local MRC research support office for further information. Additionally, please see ARL – MRC Institutes/Units as the UK Partner Organisation for additional guidance.
Costs incurred by the African research organisation where the Research Leader will be based are eligible for 100% FEC and these should be claimed as 'Exceptions'. For this scheme it is not necessary to obtain prior approval for the overseas work from the Programme Manager. A contribution towards the Estates and Indirect Costs (calculated as up to 20% of the African organisations costs) can also be requested and should be included within the ‘Directly Incurred Other Costs’ section as ‘Exceptions’ and indicated as “Contribution towards African Research Organisations Estates and Indirect Costs”.
All costs must be justified within the Justification of Resources section of the application. Please also include details of the increasing commitment of the African research organisation in taking on the Research Leader’s salary.
As per our standard guidance for Research Grants please note that PhD studentships can not be requested within this scheme.
What to submit:
- Cover letter (optional)
- Case for Support (maximum 19 sides of A4)
- CV for PI, Co-Is and each named researcher (maximum of 2 sides of A4 for each)
- List of Publications for PI and Co-Is (each highlighting up to 15 relevant and recent publications on one side of A4 in Arial 11-point font)
- Pathways to Impact (maximum 2 sides of A4)
- Justification of Resources including the appropriate justification for equipment as required
- Supporting letters (PDF copy of signed letters) from:
- The Vice Chancellor or equivalent at the African research organisation, to include a) declaration that it is a Government-owned institution; b) a statement about the lack of research funding available at the institution and c) formal confirmation that the organisation agrees to the roles and responsibilities as detailed in the application (mandatory).
- The UK placement organisation confirming their willingness to host the Research Leader’s proposed training visit plus details of the proposed placement using the placement template (if appropriate) – as one PDF.
- Key stakeholders e.g. Ministry of Health (if appropriate).
Please read the MRC Applicants Handbook, which will guide you through the standard processes for preparing a proposal, costing your proposals and any ethical and regulatory requirements that may apply to the research.
Assessment process
Applications will be peer reviewed by external reviewers and considered by an independent expert Panel. The Panel will short-list candidates for interview. The PI (partner) from the UK partner research organisation will also be invited to the interview with the candidate for Research Leader.
Short-listed candidates will normally be notified four weeks before the interview date. Interviews will take place in late April 2012 and will be conducted at MRC Head Office in London. Candidate Research Leaders and UK partners should therefore provisionally set aside this time. It is the responsibility of candidates to ensure that they have the necessary visa to attend for the interview. Reasonable travel costs (economy class), accommodation costs will be met by the MRC.
We reserve the right not to process an application if the scheme’s eligibility criteria and remit are not met or if the application has not been completed in full, or received after the submission deadline.
For further details see Assessment Process for African Research Leader scheme.
Monitoring and evaluation
Applicants are asked to note that there will be reporting requirements in order to monitor and evaluate the funding scheme. Further details will be provided following award.
Key Dates
Activity |
Date |
Launch of Scheme |
Mid-July 2011 |
Expression of Interest |
Until 30 September 2011 |
Application deadline |
3 November 2011 |
Peer review (external) |
Dec – Feb 2012 |
Shortlisting Panel meeting |
Early March 2012 (tbc) |
Interviews (2 days) |
Late April 2012 (tbc) |
Applicants notified of awards |
Late May 2012 (tbc) |
Start date for grants |
Within three months of Award (tbc) |
Contact
All administrative enquiries should be directed to:
Email: ARLadmin@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Enquiries relating to the completion of the electronic application should be directed to the Je-S helpdesk:
Email: JeSHelp@rcuk.ac.uk
Scientific enquiries should be directed to Mrs Samia Majid in the first instance:
Email: samia.majid@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk