Pre-doctoral Clinical Research Excellence Fellowships (p-CREFs) - call for supervisors

Potential supervisors should be able to offer opportunities for fellows to develop and work on projects in translational medical research, particularly studies of disease mechanisms in humans and the translation of these insights into early interventions. This includes use of diagnostics and devices, patient-reported outcome measures, and the development of proof of concepts, such as through early phase clinical studies of new treatments and development of advanced therapies (see Figure 1).

Fellows’ research projects must align to the priority areas and themes summarised in Figure 1 and demonstrate clear contributions to the strategic priority areas for health research at the KHP organisations, including how the research will seek to reduce health inequity. Pre-clinical research projects (e.g. animal models) are not eligible. Projects that aim to harness combined strengths across King's College London faculties and KHP organisations are particularly encouraged.

Staff who are interested in supervising a pre-doctoral fellow through this scheme must complete a short online form to outline their broad research interests and the opportunities fellows would have to work with them. These will be published on our website to help potential candidates to identify supervisors with whom they could work up a project. 

Prospective supervisors will be asked to indicate which professional group(s) their research would to be suited to and would support a fellowship application from:

• Nurses;
• Midwives;
• Allied health professionals;
• Healthcare scientists;
• Pharmacists;
• Clinical psychologists;
• Doctors;
• Dentists;
• Others.

Candidates can work with supervisors to devise a project that best aligns with their mutual interest and experience. If you wish to submit a specific project for potential fellows, please email a 200 word plain English summary of the project to translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk in addition to completing the form.

• Supervisors must be research-active staff employed by one of the KHP organisations. 
• At the point of application, fellows should identify a primary and second supervisor as a minimum. At least one supervisor must be a KCL employee or hold an adjunct appointment.
• Supervisors should have a track record of successful supervision of health professional researchers and supporting them to obtain external competitive fellowship funding.
• Postdoctoral researchers without fellowship supervision experience can apply, providing they have experience of supervising shorter projects (e.g. BSc/MSc) and are supported by a more experienced co-supervisor. Co-supervisors are expected to meet the criteria listed above. Details of the co-supervisor must be supplied at the time of application.
• At least one supervisor must be a registered health professional/clinical academic.
• Supervisors can only apply to be the primary supervisor on one fellowship application but can be the secondary or third supervisor on other applications. 

Supervisors who submitted expressions of interest for the CTM p-CREF in the previous round are not required to complete the EOI form again. Guidance to re-confirm supervisory interest for this scheme has been sent separately. 

Funding under this scheme provides:

• A salary for fellows up to a maximum of £106,813 including on-costs, according to the level of experience; 
• A consumables budget of £5,000;
• A bursary of up to £1,000 towards meeting/conference/advanced training course fees and associated travel and subsistence.
   

Who is eligible to apply for the fellowships?

• Health professionals (registered with a UK health professional body) are eligible to apply, including, nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, healthcare scientists, psychologists and other registered professions allied to healthcare.
• Researchers/scientists who are not registered health professionals are not eligible.
• Applicants need to have been practicing in their clinical role work in the last 12 months within the UK. 
• In addition to professional registration, applicants should hold the appropriate professional qualifications for their speciality, including an undergraduate honours degree (first or second class) or equivalent, or a postgraduate certificate at Distinction.
• The aim of the fellowships is to provide protected research time embedded and supported in the optimal environment for clinical academic career progression. Fellows should be based wherever is best for the type of research activity, optimal research supervision/ mentoring, support. structures/professional development, requirements for professional registration and validation etc.
• This scheme aims to support researchers who are intending to pursue a clinical academic career – i.e. maintain both clinical practice and research in the long-term. An outline of the plan to achieve this is required in the application.