NIHR GOSH BRC Clinical Training PhD Fellowships for Clinicians and Wider Health Care Professionals

The NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR GOSH BRC) Clinical Training PhD Fellowship Programme aims to support training and development of the next generation of paediatric translational researchers. The Programme will fund up to four clinicians and wider health care professionals to undertake a three year PhD at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH), with applicants expected to develop a project proposal as part of their application.

Applications are welcome from clinicians and wider health care professionals, including nurses, allied health professional (AHP) staff, pharmacists, psychologists and health care scientists. If your profession is not listed here but you would like to apply, please contact brc@gosh.nhs.uk to discuss.

If you are a clinician applying for this call, you must submit your application form and associated documents via UCL Jobs. If you are a wider health care professional applying for this call, you should submit your application form and associated documents directly to NIHR GOSH BRC. All applicants, regardless of their profession, should complete the same application form. All applications submitted to this call, either via UCL Jobs or directly to the BRC, will be considered competitively in one call. Details of the application form documents and the UCL Jobs webpage link can be found under the 'Application process' section below.

The Clinical Training PhD Fellowship is a three year Programme that offers full-time salary funding for fellows to undertake a PhD. Candidates are those who can demonstrate excellent potential to be paediatric translational researchers of the future. The fellowship will allow protected time to concentrate on research, training and development. If an applicant already has some funding in place or can secure matched funding for the fellowship, then we would welcome applications for less than three years/at a reduced FTE.

Successful candidates will need to start their fellowship at the latest by 01 December 2024 and will be employed by UCL. If it’s not possible to start the fellowship by 01 December 2024, please get in touch at brc@gosh.nhs.uk to discuss as it may still be possible for you to apply.

Applicants are expected to develop a project proposal as part of their application, which aligns with the overarching objectives of the BRC. Applicants will also be asked which BRC theme(s) their project aligns with, which are outlined below:

• Genomic medicine
• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
• Gene, stem and cellular therapies
• Accelerating novel therapies
• Applied child health and informatics

Projects can cross multiple themes and cross-theme collaborative projects are encouraged. Further details of the BRC themes can be found on our website. NIHR funding is not allowed to support any research using animals; therefore, the project proposal must not involve animal work.

Applicants will need to contact relevant supervisors at GOSH/ICH before applying. If applicants wish to be put into contact with prospective supervisor(s), the BRC team will facilitate the initial meeting with the supervisor(s). You will need to ensure prospective supervisors read the guidance and application form in full as well to check they meet the relevant eligibility criteria. Projects may also be collaborative and involve a supervisor and research time at our partner sites within the BRC Paediatric Excellence Initiative (Birmingham, Sheffield and Alder Hey Children’s Hospitals).

The BRC Clinical Fellowship will provide:

• Full time salary commensurate with your stage of training for clinicians - this is up to but not including NHS consultant level. For wider health care professionals, you will receive a salary equivalent to your current NHS band. The fellowship is not intended to support promotions.
• The cost of tuition fees based on the UK (Home) rate PhD tuition fees for three years full time, in line with the maximum fee allowable for NIHR supported PhDs. Fees payable above the UCL UK (home) rate will need to be provided by either the applicant or their host department: it will be up to the applicant to discuss and agree this with their host department.
• Up to £5,000 non-pay budget per year (invoiced in arrears based on actual spend) to support research activities e.g. lab consumables, conference fees and travel costs directly associated with the research.

Full details of the applicant eligibility criteria can be found in the guidance, which can be found below, but some key criteria include that the applicant must:

• Hold a registered primary qualification in their profession (e.g. MBBS for medical staff and be eligible for full registration or hold limited registration with the General Medical Council, or the nursing and midwifery council registration for nurses).
• Demonstrate their ambition to pursue a clinical academic career path and be able to provide evidence of any previous research experience.
• Have a good grasp of the proposed project.
• Not have previously undertaken a PhD. Candidates who have started a PhD (or equivalent) may be considered, however please get in touch to discuss your circumstances before starting an application.
• Clinicians must be undertaking their specialty training or equivalent and be at an appropriate point in their clinical training to undertake a PhD. Applicants should consult their deanery about undertaking a PhD, their plans to complete specialty training before developing an application, and possible dates for going out of programme.

For further information about the call, please read the Guidance and Application Form. The closing date for submission of applications is Tuesday 09 January 2024.

Applications should be submitted via UCL Jobs and include:

• A completed Clinical Training (PhD) Fellowship application form and proposed research project, signed by the candidate applying for a Fellowship, the proposed primary supervisor and the proposed subsidiary supervisor.
• Full CV of the Fellowship applicant.
• Any additional supporting documents you wish to include.

If you are a clinician, please submit your application via this UCL Jobs page and notify brc@gosh.nhs.uk of your submission.

If you are a wider health care professional, please submit your application directly to brc@gosh.nhs.uk

After submission, applications will be sent for external peer review. A Review Panel, the membership of which will include representatives from the BRC’s Leadership Team, each BRC Theme, the BRC Career Development Academy, the Paediatric Excellence Initiative and the BRC Junior Faculty, in addition to external and internal members of academic staff, will shortlist applications. Shortlisting will be completed using the criteria outlined in the guidance document and the peer review comments. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview. Interviews are expected to take place in February 2024.

All applicants, regardless of their profession, should complete the same application form documents. All applications submitted across the UCL Jobs and directly to the NIHR GOSH BRC will be considered competitively in one call.

Applications will be reviewed using the following selection criteria:

• Applicants who can demonstrate outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic in paediatric translational research.
• High-level interest and experience in the proposed academic field, backed up if possible by relevant publications, prizes or distinctions.
• Clarity about longer-term career aspirations and how the fellowship will provide opportunities for career development.
• Scientific excellence of the proposed project and relevance to the BRC and the selected research theme.
• Quality of the research environment and support and track record of the supervisory team.
• Balance of GOSH BRC’s portfolio across thematic areas.

For anyone who is interested in applying for the scheme, but is unsure about whether they are eligible or circumstances make it challenging to access, please contact brc@gosh.nhs.uk to discuss.