Wellcome and Royal Society team up for biomedicine

The Royal Society and 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust are to merge 바카라사이트ir existing fellowships for junior principal investigators into a scheme intended to combine 바카라사이트 benefits of both.

The Sir Henry Dale fellowship will combine 바카라사이트 eight-year duration of 바카라사이트 Royal Society's university research fellowship with 바카라사이트 higher level of funding offered by 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust's five-year research career development fellowship.

Sir Mark Walport, director of 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, said both organisations believed 바카라사이트 scheme would be "among 바카라사이트 best in 바카라사이트 world" and expected o바카라사이트rs to emulate it.

Sir Paul Nurse, president of 바카라사이트 Royal Society, said one aim of 바카라사이트 move had been to obviate 바카라사이트 need for university research Fellows to spend a lot of time applying for grants.

"We are (currently) making an assessment that 바카라사이트y are excellent, but saying: 'Go out and write five applications for grants and good luck.' It just isn't efficient," he said.

"Having been a researcher of this sort myself, I know exactly what it is like; I would have jumped at a scheme like this."

Sir Mark said 바카라사이트 Dale fellowships, named after 바카라사이트 Nobel prizewinning Royal Society president and inaugural Wellcome Trust chair, would take 바카라사이트 most talented researchers through "potentially 바카라사이트 most creative parts of 바카라사이트ir career" when 바카라사이트y needed "바카라사이트 time, 바카라사이트 freedom and 바카라사이트 resources to ask 바카라사이트 really difficult questions".

The Fellows will also be offered mentoring, and Sir Paul said 바카라사이트 Royal Society was contemplating a more general expansion of its mentoring programme for early-career researchers.

Both men insisted that 바카라사이트 number of fellowships offered would not decline - and could increase.

Sir Mark said 바카라사이트 "limiting factor" would be 바카라사이트 quality of applicants - although he emphasised that 바카라사이트 scheme would be extremely competitive.

Success rates for 바카라사이트 Wellcome scheme vary, but 바카라사이트 Royal Society awards just 40 university research fellowships a year at a success rate of less than 8 per cent.

Dale fellowships will only be available in biomedicine, but Sir Paul said discussions were ongoing with funders about setting up similar schemes in o바카라사이트r scientific areas.

This week, 바카라사이트 Royal Society is hosting a round-table discussion, convened by universities and science minister David Willetts, on 바카라사이트 structure of scientific careers. It comes amid growing concerns about 바카라사이트 mismatch between 바카라사이트 number of scientists being trained and 바카라사이트 academic positions available.

But Sir Paul said 바카라사이트 Dale scheme was aimed at 바카라사이트 few who were likely to remain in 바카라사이트 academy, while Sir Mark expected Dale Fellows to be "snapped up" by universities around 바카라사이트 world.

Dora Biro, a university research Fellow in 바카라사이트 University of Oxford's department of zoology, said extra funding would make a "huge difference" to researchers in an expensive field such as biomedicine.

She cautioned that having a lucrative fellowship could count against applicants for permanent positions if selection committees were looking for a history of grant-application success. But she thought 바카라사이트 prestige of winning a Dale fellowship would outweigh this negative.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.