MRC/Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology fellowship in medical research
This competition is now closed for applications and is only available for reference purposes.
- Purpose
- Eligibility
- Nature of the fellowship
- Research support available
- Application procedure for the POST and select committee parliamentary fellowships
- Timetable
- Contact
Purpose
To enable MRC-funded PhD students to undertake a three-month fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) or with the parliamentary secretariat of the House of Commons Health Select Committee. The fellowships will allow unique access to a parliamentary and policy-making setting and support the MRC’s objective of encouraging the dissemination and application of research.
Eligibility
All MRC-funded PhD students who have completed their first year are eligible to apply.
Nature of the fellowship
During his/her time in Parliament, a MRC/POST fellow should expect to produce a POSTnote or to assist the House of Commons Health Select Committee in a current inquiry. The topic of the fellowship will be determined by liaison between the fellow, POST, the Clerk of the House of Commons Health Select Committee and the MRC, depending on the research interests of the fellow and the relevance and timeliness of the topic to Parliament.
The fellowship will involve:
- identifying and liaising with a wide range of interested parties including business, academia, regulatory bodies, non-governmental organisations and government departments;
- drafting concise briefing materials;
- responding to comments from internal and external peer review.
There may also be opportunities for fellows to organise seminars to inform or disseminate their work, in Parliament or elsewhere. In all cases, fellows will be encouraged to interact closely with people and activities in the two Houses of Parliament, including select committees, MPs and Peers, their support services, 'All-Party Group' meetings and the very wide range of other activities at the Palace of Westminster. Fellows will have similar interaction with interested parties outside Parliament. Access to relevant conferences, workshops and seminars will be arranged and fellows may also be able to draw on training facilities provided by the Houses of Parliament.
POST is a strictly non-partisan organisation - fellows will be required to abstain from any party political or lobbying activity and generally to uphold the principles of parliamentary service, including a commitment to confidentiality, during their time at Parliament. All provisionally-selected candidates must sign a declaration to this effect. They MUST also undergo security clearance from the parliamentary security authorities as a condition of finally taking up the fellowship.
Research support available
The successful applicant will receive a fully-funded three month extension to their studentship; payment of their maintenance stipend will continue while based at POST. If they do not live within reasonable daily travelling distance of POST in London, MRC and POST will look at their travel and accommodation needs on an individual basis and cover excess costs up to a maximum of £2,000.
Application procedure for the POST and select committee parliamentary fellowships
Applicants should submit:
- A summary of a proposed medical research issue for a POST publication. This summary should be no longer than two sides of A4 using size 12 font and should demonstrate:
- why you think this subject would be of particular parliamentary interest;
- how the training you have received and your research to date will enable you to carry out this work;
- your ability to write in a style suitable for a parliamentary (rather than an academic) audience.
- A copy of your curriculum vitae.
- A supporting letter from your PhD supervisor or Head of Department, confirming that a three month placement at Parliament can be accommodated without adversely affecting your PhD programme.
Before preparing your summary you should examine the 'POST style' of writing, and the types of policy issues that are raised and discussed. All of POST's publications can be viewed at http://www.parliament.uk/.
Similarly you may wish to consult the website of the House of Commons Health Select Committee for background information on the committee’s remit and ideas for proposals: http://www.parliament.uk/
Timetable
Two fellowships will be awarded in 2009. Applications should only be emailed students@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk by Friday 6th March 2009. Late applications will not be accepted. A panel consisting of MRC, POST and Health Select Committee personnel will assess the applications. The start date of the placement will be between September and December 2009 (to be agreed between the applicant, POST, the applicant's supervisor and university).
Contact
Please send any questions to discuss any general aspects of the scheme. Neither POST nor the MRC can advise on the strengths or weaknesses of a proposal.
Email: students@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
or POST’s biological sciences and health adviser
Contact: Dr Sarah Bunn
Telephone: 020 7219 1860
Email: BUNNSK@parliament.uk