WELLBEING OF WOMEN and ROYAL COLLEGE OF MIDWIVES ENTRY-LEVEL RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP 2012
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS
Applicants are strongly advised to read these guidelines before they commence writing their application and to note the conditions of acceptance. Failure to follow the format suggested by the guidelines may reduce an applicant's chance of success. Please note that applications are invited from midwives only.
The upper limit for this award is £20,000.
ABOUT WELLBEING OF WOMEN (WoW)
WoW funds basic science and clinical research on all aspects of obstetrics, gynaecology, midwifery and neonatology. Studies in the area of Gynaecological endocrinology, urology and oncology are all appropriate to WoW’s funding.
ABOUT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MIDWIVES(RCM)
The RCM represents the interests of midwives in the UK We promote excellence, innovation and leadership in the care of childbearing women, the newborn and their families, nationally and internationally.Our mission is to enhance the confidence, professional practice and influence of midwives for the benefit of child-bearing women and their families.
THE SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME
Applicability
Applications are invited for Entry-Level Research Scholarships to enable candidates to develop research interests in Midwifery, maternity services, pregnancy, childbirth and women’s health, and obstetrics This work must be undertaken in the UK. The aim of these awards is to provide ‘pump-priming’ funds to enable candidatesto be exposed to a research environment, or to obtain pilot data for bids for definitive funding. Applicants must be new to the research discipline, and will not previously have taken the principle lead in a substantial research project or have demonstrated a strong research profile through primary authorship of published research.
Wellbeing of Women in association with the RCOG and the Royal College of Midwives is inviting applications for training in basic science, clinical or translational research including explanatory and feasibility studies in one of the following three areas:
- Pregnancy, birth and the post partum period;
- Miscarriage and infertility;
3.Quality of Life surrounding women’s health issues.
Scholarships consist of a single payment up to a maximum of £20,000 to contribute to salary and/or research costs directly related to the proposed programme of work.
Evidence of intention and/or acceptance onto a recognised research training programme, such as a PhD Training Programme will be viewed positively.
Level of Award
Applications may be made for the financial support of work that is already in progress or for a new project; however requests solely foradditional research expenses of an already funded project will not be considered.
The award of a Scholarship is subject to the acceptance of Wellbeing of Women’s Terms and Conditions for Research Grants.
Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to Entry-Level Research Scholarships:
- Funds will not be released without evidence of ethics committee support.
- We do not pay indirect costs. Directly Allocated Costs are at the discretion of the Research Advisory Committee and any claims for these must be robustly justified.
- Charges for administration by University or NHS Authorities will not be met.
- We do not cover University Fees.
Successful Applicants
Please be aware that successful applicants will be expected to reasonably aid Wellbeing of Women and RCM with publicity and fundraising. This may involve activities such as providing quotes and/or ‘lay’ write-ups, speaking at our events or hosting visits at your lab. While we would ensure that any requests were not excessive or disruptive, by applying you are agreeing to reasonable assistance in principle.
COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM
Please complete the application form for Wellbeing of Women/RCM Entry-Level Research Scholarship 2012using font size 10-12 pt throughout.
Application should include an email and hard copy version to:
- Philip Matusavage, Research Manager, 27 Sussex Place, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4SP, [
by the closing date.
The closing date for applications is Friday 13TH April at 3pm.
LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
The points below relate to specific numbered sections of the application form:
- Application Details
Proposed Department and Proposed Institution: This will be the point of contact for all correspondence.
Proposed Start Date: At this stage this may be an estimate. However it should be as accurate as possible.
Total Funds Requested: This should be the total from point 4, Financial Information.
Title of Project: This should be as brief as possible and should be relevant to the work undertaken.
- The Applicant
2.5Postgraduate Career: Please do not include a separate CV. Details of previous posts must be contained within this section of the form.
- About the Project
3.2Research Summary: Applicants must give a simple description up to 250 words, of the proposed research. This summary may be used by any of the awarding bodies for publicity purposes. As a guideline, you may wish to describe the issues or condition to be studied, the nature of the proposed research, what the research is trying to achieve and its possible benefits in terms of improving women’s health.
3.3Research to be undertaken: You should include the aims and objectives of the research together with the techniques to be used and training to be undertaken.
4.Financial Information: The award is a single payment and the upper limit of funding is £20,000.
4.1Salary: The percentage of salary will in no case exceed the top of the Registrar scale (or equivalent); or Band 7 (HfC). The Research Grants or Finance Officer of the proposed institution must complete this section. The amount should be as accurate as possible and should include estimated pay awards.
4.2Expenses: The amount requested in addition to the Salary (4.1) must not exceed £20,000 overall.
- Approval for Research
5.1No funding will be released until a copy of the Ethics Approval has been received by WoW.
5.2HFEA License Number: Projects involving the use of human embryos must show the HFEA license number, and in addition, documentary evidence of HFEA approval for the project must be enclosed.
5.6Wherever possible,WoW/RCM would prefer the use of procedures and techniques that avoid the use of animals, but where this is not possible, the minimum number of animals that will give valid results in any experiment should be used. It is required that all general and local regulations relating to the use of experimental animals will be observed and all funded researchers are required to maintain the highest standards of care in this area.
6.Certificates
No application can be accepted without completion of this section by the Applicant his or her Head of Department and the Finance Officer responsible for administering the grant.
6.4For research involving NHS patients, a signature is needed from the R&D Director or Deputy confirming that the project will be carried within the NHS research governance framework.
7.Lay Description
Applicants must give a simple description of the research to be undertaken which will be understandable by an educated lay audience. You should include the aims and objectives of the research together with the techniques to be used. This may be used for publicity purposes by any of the awarding bodies.
For monitoring purposes, please could you enter how you became aware of this award.