Key information
- To support: Healthcare professionals to enter a diabetes research career by working towards a PhD or MD in diabetes research.
- Career level: Graduate healthcare professionals
- Funding period: Up to three years
- Funding amount: Up to £300,000
- Deadline for preliminary application: 1 October
- Deadline for full application: 31 October
Our Sir George Alberti Research Training Fellowships (previously known as Clinical Training Fellowships)…
- Empower medical and healthcare professionals, and other clinical experts working in patient facing roles, to focus on research by safeguarding their time
- Provide professionals with the confidence and skills to start their career in research
- Build professional’s network and collaborations.
Our recent career impact evaluation looked at what former Clinical PhD students who received this grant over the past 15 years have gone on to do. Results show that most have continued to work in diabetes research.
Eligibility
General criteria for all applicants
- The research must take place at an established research institution in the UK.
- Applicants must work in a patient-facing role, such as (but not limited to) doctors, GPs, nurses, midwives, psychologists or dietitians.
- This scheme is not intended to provide support for science graduates planning on conducting basic research in a university setting. We have a PhD studentship scheme for these individuals.
- Applications are invited from individuals working in any scientific discipline and sector who can demonstrate a role in improving the health of people with or at risk of diabetes, or diabetes healthcare delivered by the NHS.
- All applicants must have identified a supervisor before applying. We cannot identify supervisors for potential applicants and we will not accept applications from applicants without a potential supervisor.
Medically qualified applicants
Applicants with a medical degree must meet the general criteria above. In addition:
- Applicants must hold a qualification that enables them to practice medicine within the UK.
- Applicants should have obtained their first medical qualification within the last 10 years and must have passed the relevant exam for their speciality. Allowance will be made for applicants whose career has been subject to a late start or interruption for family or personal reasons.
- Applicants must be intending to pursue a medical career in the United Kingdom.
- Sir George Alberti Fellows are eligible to apply for accelerated endorsement of the UK Global Talent Visa. See below for more information.
Clinically qualified professionals
Applicants who do not have a medical degree are eligible to apply provided they meet the general criteria above and are committed to continuing a research career after this award. If you are unsure whether you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact us at research@diabetes.org.uk.
Financial support
Funding can cover:
- The salary for the applicant (this must be equal to the applicant's salary at the time of appointment) and PhD fees at a UK Higher Education rate
- Consumables, materials, equipment and animal costs
- Conference costs of up to £2,500 for registration, travel and accommodation
- Training costs of up to £1,500 relevant to the project will also be covered
How to apply
Preliminary applications open in March each year, and have a deadline a month before the full applications.
Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
To apply:
- Read the general guidelines for-grant applicants and tips for writing a grant application.
- Then log on to the Diabetes UK online grants management system and submit a preliminary application, including a CV with a list of publications and details of a potential sponsor.
Administrative process
All applications will be sent out for external peer review.
Shortlisting and interview
Applications will be sent to a specialist review panel, made up of a subset of the Diabetes UK Research Committee, to make recommendations for shortlisting based on the criteria listed below.
Applicants will be informed via email whether they have been shortlisted for interview. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview with the relevant Panel. Anonymised peer reviews will be sent to all applicants.
Interviews will take place in May and June. Shortlisted applicants will be required to give a 10-minute presentation on the background and justification of their proposal.
Assessment criteria
Applications are assessed on the following criteria:
- Quality of the proposal and its relevance to people with diabetes.
- Track record of applicant.
- Potential of applicant to pursue a research career which makes a difference for people with diabetes.
- Quality of research environment and support.
Funding decision
Feedback letters will be sent to all shortlisted applicants within two weeks of their interview. Funded applicants will have two weeks to respond to comments raised by the review panel. Funded applicants should expect to receive an award letter within two months of their interview.
Mid-fellowship review
Alongside annual reporting, funded fellows will be required to attend a mid-fellowship review. This informal and supportive review aims to provide encouragement and advice and is not designed as a stop/go assessment of progress. Fellows will be encouraged to discuss any issues or problems openly. The mid-fellowship review panel will involve different individuals to those who originally interviewed the fellow. For more details about this process please contact us at research@diabetes.org.uk.
Global Talent Visa
Diabetes UK Sir George Alberti Fellowship holders requiring a visa to work in the UK are eligible to apply for a Global Talent Visa under the fast-track process of endorsement (route 2: individual fellowships). In line with the highly prestigious nature of your award, the Global Talent Visa is designed for people who are recognised as leaders and potential leaders in their field.
This initiative is approved by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Should you wish to apply for this visa you should select the ‘Fast Track consideration’ option on the Home Office endorsement application form and use your award letter as evidence of your Fellowship. You can apply for fast-track Global Talent Visa endorsement up to five years after the end of your fellowship and you do not need to have a post or institution confirmed. It is recommended that you arrange your visa in plenty of time before the start date of your award. Further details can be found on the UK government website and the Royal Society’s website. You can also contact the Royal Society at cbrs@royalsociety.org.
