THE JEAN SHANKS FOUNDATION & PATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (JSPS) CLINICIAN SCIENTIST AWARD SCHEME GUIDANCE 2018

GUIDANCE TO APPLICANTS

The Jean Shanks Foundation and the Pathological Society (JSPS) together will make a JSPS Clinician Scientist award to a fully trained academic pathologist (based in Great Britain or Ireland) intent on pursuing a predominantly research orientated academic career in Pathology. The JSPS Clinician Scientist Award is a post-doctoral research fellowship of up to 5 years designed to provide research programme support for the applicant, including covering the applicant’s salary costs and meeting the costs of a research programme over this period. This scheme covers the research programme costs and will increase the number of academic research-trained senior pathologists in Great Britain and Ireland capable of leading academic development in Pathology in the future. 

The applicant must already have obtained a PhD or MD in a pathology or pathology-related research area and be fully trained as a pathologist (having passed the FRCPath Part II examination or equivalent, or will have passed by the time of taking up the award). It is expected that applicants will either hold a conventional National Training Number (NTN) in Histopathology or the equivalent in Eire and be within 12 months of obtaining a CCT in Histopathology or have already obtained a CCT in Histopathology and hold honorary consultant status or consultant status. The applicant should have the support of an appropriate research group and advisor / mentor. 

It is expected that the applicant will spend between 20% and up to a maximum of 50% of the time (or 2 - 5 Programmed Activities or PAs) on clinical activity. The proportion of time to be spent on clinical activity requested must be justified in the application. If the applicant requests either 20% or 30% clinical activity time, then the JSPS award will cover the full salary costs. If the applicant requests 40% clinical activity time, then the JSPS award would cover 60% of salary costs and the NHS would cover 40% of salary costs. If the applicant requests 50% clinical activity time, then the JSPS award would cover 50% of salary costs and the NHS would cover 50% of salary costs. If the applicant requests either 40% or 50% of the time to be spent on clinical activities, then the applicant must provide written evidence of an agreement with the NHS to support this arrangement including specific commitments by the NHS for coverage of either 40% or 50% respectively of the applicant’s salary costs by the NHS for the full duration of the award (normally 5 years). 

 Awards must be hosted in a UK or Eire University or research institute. Requests will be considered to undertake part of the research outside the UK for a period of up to 12 months of the award. Applicants should describe an original programme of tissue-based research on a pathological theme. Awards will be for a maximum of 5 years on a full-time basis or equivalent for a part-time basis and will cover the appropriate salary of the applicant, together with the salary for one research post (either a postdoctoral, graduate research associate or a research technician) and up to £30,000 (£15,000 per person for two scientists) bench costs per year for up to 5 years.

The terms and conditions of the JSPS CS scheme are as follows:

1. Applicants must have been members of the Pathological Society for at least 3 years, based in Great Britain or Ireland, either in a recognised Specialist Trainee 4-6 post in Histopathology or equivalent in other tissue specialty within Pathology or within the first 5 years of holding honorary consultant status or consultant status. 

2. Application forms including all additional components must be completed or uploaded online no later than 1 October (noon). 

3. Awards will normally last for up to (but not exceeding) 5 years. Applicants must submit to the Deputy Administrator of the Society a one-page structured report on the progress of the research within one month of the completion of each year (for end of years 1, 3 and 4), and a four-page structured report within 2 months of the end of year 2 and of year 5 (final year of the award). There will be a face-to-face interview, with presentation and discussions based on the end-of-year-2 report, to monitor progress after two years, to be arranged by the Chair of the Research Subcommittee. All reports will be monitored by the Pathological Society Research Subcommittee; the end of second year report and interview will be monitored by a specially convened monitoring committee (organised by the Chair of the Research Subcommittee) to include members of the Research Subcommittee, the Finance & General Purposes Committee, nominees of the Jean Shanks Foundation and invited external experts if considered appropriate. Failure to provide any of these reports will preclude future support in this and other schemes run by the Society and may trigger premature termination of the award to be decided by the monitoring committee. The two year monitoring point (report and interview) represents a major monitoring stagepoint of the award and if the monitoring committee deems that the awardee has failed to achieve critical success by the 2 year monitoring stagepoint, then the monitoring committee has the power and flexibility to change the conditions of the award including making changes to funds provided and early termination of the award, with or without providing a period of grace for the awardee to demonstrate significant further progress. 

4. The scientific and/or medical data derived from the work supported by the award should be presented at one of the Society’s meetings. Such data should also be published in primary peer-reviewed journals. Any publications or related presentations at meetings by the recipient emanating in part or whole from the Society’s support should be duly acknowledged and copies sent to the Society’s Deputy Administrator. 

5. The Society will normally withdraw funding if the grant is not acknowledged and accepted within 12 months of the offer. 

6. All recipients of JSPS funded schemes are required to attend a national JSPS research scheme progress review meeting and take part in appropriate public relations activities.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The CS Awards are open to pre-CCT or post-CCT trainees (or those with honorary consultant status or consultant status) in pathology/histopathology in UK and Eire. Applicants must hold appropriate basic registerable medical qualifications and (if a trainee) be a member of a defined pathology training programme (usually this will mean possession of a National Training Number). Applicants must already hold either a PhD or a MD. Applicants should demonstrate that they have the skills to act as a Principal Investigator / Research Group Leader and the potential to become a leading academic in the field of Pathology and that research will be a major component of their future career. 

Applications for similar funding to other grant-awarding bodies does not of itself prejudice the application for a Jean Shanks Foundation & Pathological Society Clinician Scientist award; however any other potential sources must be clearly identified in the application. 

The application form should be completed with reference to this guidance to applicants. Applications that do not comply with the guidance will not be accepted.  

Application 

Applicants will upload the following files to the Pathological Society grants online system to apply for a JSPS Clinician Scientist award:

  • Research proposal
  • Responsibilities and experience
  • Applicant’s CV including personal qualities, motivation and potential
  • Justification of proposed time to be spent on clinical activities, including the written agreement with the NHS for the proposed arrangement (with NHS agreement to provide salary costs if 40% - 50% time is to be spent on clinical activities)
  • Main advisor’s / mentor’s CV with description of research group and environment & infrastructure
  • Cover letter to set out the benefits to Pathology
  • Suggested peer reviewers

Personal Details

Please complete these details ensuring that the postal address and email address given are the ones where mail and e-mail are most likely to reach you. 

Summary of Proposed Research Programme Proposal 

This section should summarise information provided elsewhere in the form. Additionally 2 primary and up to 5 secondary keywords must be provided. 

Details of Present Appointment / Employer’s Agreement 

Curriculum Vitae / Biographical Sketch 

This section should briefly list academic and professional qualifications and employment history. Any gaps in education/employment should be explained. 

Research Programme Proposal 

All applicants must specify a 5 year programme of research. It is expected that this research will be original, novel, and relevant to pathology. The programme proposal that forms part of the application must address these issues. This should be detailed using the following headings and in no more than six pages (in total, including figures, diagrams and tables) using Arial Font size 12: Purpose, Background, Aims, Plan of Investigation, Outline of Methodology, Timescale with milestones, Justification, Previous work of applicant, Previous work of advisor / mentor, Key References. 

The proposed programme of research should be methodologically sound and achievable within the duration of the Fellowship. Attention will be given to the suitability of the advisor / mentor and the host department for the prosecution of the research proposal (with agreement provided by the signature of the Head of Department on Form B). 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to apply for Ethical Committee approval where this is appropriate. Applicants are advised that this can be a lengthy process. Approval need not necessarily have been obtained at the time of application for the Fellowship but must be obtained before the research can begin. 

Advisor / Mentor 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify an appropriate advisor and mentor (which may be two separate individuals or one): generally this should be an individual with appropriate experience and expertise of the topic to be researched and experience in research conduct and supervision. 

Generally, advisors and mentors should be members of the same academic university Pathology department or institute or other organisation as the applicant, with experience of, and a track record in, research in the field of interest. Details of the advisor’s past research and publication experience should be provided, including higher degrees supervised to completion, research grants obtained in the last 10 years and relevant publications in the last 10 years. 

The appropriate application forms (Form C) must be signed by the nominated advisor(s) / mentor(s), indicating acceptance of the role and obligations. 

Proposed time to be spent on clinical activities 

It is expected that the applicant will spend between 20% and 50% of the time (or 2 - 5 Programmed Activities or PAs) on clinical activity and the proportion requested must be justified in the application (if 40% - 50% of the time is to be spent on clinical activities then the applicant must provide written evidence of an agreement with the NHS to support this arrangement including coverage of 40% - 50% of the applicant’s salary costs by the NHS). 

These arrangements will normally need to be negotiated between the candidate and NHS authorities. Regardless of the nature of the service commitment retained during the period of the CS award, it may well be desirable for the recipient to retain a base in the appropriate NHS organisation. Applicants should discuss whether they will continue to have access to facilities (eg office space and equipment, secretarial support, post, phone, IT and fax services) within the employing organisation. 

Value of the Fellowship 

The applicant should detail the value of the fellowship to themselves, to their host institution and to Pathology in general. In detailing value to themselves, applicants should briefly describe their career aspirations and how a Fellowship will enhance their career plan. 

Liabilities & Commercial Benefits of the Fellowship 

The host institution will be expected to cover all insurance for any liabilities of the work relating to the Fellowship, such that no claim could be made against either the Pathological Society or the Jean Shanks Foundation. Any commercial benefits that derive from any discovery made during the Fellowship are to be shared between the host institution, the Pathological Society and the Jean Shanks Foundation. 

Finance A. Salary Costs 

 Awards will be for a minimum of three and normally up to five years and can be full or part-time (if part-time then longer periods than 5 years can be negotiated), with allowances made for maternity or paternity leave depending on the individual’s circumstances. The application should detail anticipated gross salary (ie before deductions), including annual increments within the salary band, but making no assumptions for inflationary increases. In addition, appropriate superannuation and NI contribution costs will be paid and the above elements should be listed separately on the form as set out. Full Economic Costing is not payable on these awards. Retrospective application (where the individual has already commenced his/her study) or partial applications (where part funding has been found from other sources) will not be considered. 

B. Bench Costs 

Appropriate bench costs to support the proposed research will be provided, up to a maximum of £15,000 per annum for five years (or pro rata for a longer period if performed part-time). An indication should be given as to how this money will be spent. 

C. NHS Support 

Costs Since costs may be created for the NHS, approval must be sought where necessary from R&D Lead Officers. The Fellowship will not cover NHS support costs. 

Timelines 

Applications should be uploaded to the Pathological Society’s grant applications website. The deadline for applications is strictly 12 noon on 1 October. Applications received after that time on that date will not be considered. 

Applications will initially be screened to see whether they meet the mandatory requirements: 

 - - - - - - - 

All applications criteria: 

Appropriate professional background 

Appropriate professional/academic qualifications 

Research programme component specified
Support of employer enlisted
Advisor / Mentor identified
Hosting department identified 

 - - - - - 

Assessment criteria: 

Personal qualities of individual 

Advisor / Mentor arrangements
Research programme
Quality of research projects within the programme
Benefits to individual and to Pathology, to the Pathological Society and to the Jean Shanks Foundation. Applications will be judged by an evaluation and review process that will focus on:

  • Scientific quality - there must be a strong scientific rationale to support the proposed research programme with emphasis on quality, originality and novelty with an appropriate publication track record to support the programme.
  • Pathology-relevance - the value to Pathology of the proposed work in advancing the fundamental understanding of pathological conditions or pathological processes.
  • The applicant’s track record, personal qualities, motivation and potential to produce outstanding results.
  • The strength of the applicant’s research team, advisor / mentor, research environment and infrastructure.
  • The benefits to the individual, to Pathology, to the Pathological Society and to the Jean Shanks Foundation.

This evaluation and review process will involve members of the Pathological Society Research Subcommittee, Finance and General Purposes committee, nominees of the Jean Shanks Foundation and invited reviews from selected external reviewers (coordinated by the Chair of the Pathological Society Research Subcommittee). The applicant will be called to interview if the application is considered to be sufficiently strong enough by the Research Subcommittee and the interview panel may include the above Society committee members, nominees of the Jean Shanks Foundation, external reviewers and/or co-opted experts.

The Pathological Society will administer the financial arrangements of the award. The award will be jointly funded (50:50) by the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the Jean Shanks Foundation.

All valid applications will be sent out for peer review and will be considered by a review panel who will take account of reviewers’ comments. Candidates may be requested to provide further information at this stage, including any pilot data to support the application and responses to reviewers’ comments.

All applicants, whether successful or unsuccessful, will be notified of the outcome by letter (usually sent via email). Feedback to unsuccessful candidates will be given on request, by e-mail, if and only if, the volume of applications is manageable.

Fellowships may be taken up at any time in the twelve months following receipt of the award. A proposed start date should be given on the Application Form.

Any substantial change to the Fellowship arrangements must be agreed in advance with the Pathological Society who will administer the financial arrangements of the Fellowship.

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