ELP 2025: Guidelines for Applicants
Children and Young People's Mental Health
Summary
This document guides you through the preparation and submission of an application for the 2025 Emerging Leaders Prize.
The Medical Research Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Prize is to recognise outstanding researchers who have transitioned to independent research, have already had an impact in their field and have demonstrated their potential to be the research leaders of the future.
This year’s prize is intended to celebrate the achievements of researchers who are making significant contributions to research on the Mental Health of Children and Young People. The statements within the application should be used to describe the contributions that the applicant has made to their field as well as their expected future impact.
Deadline for Submission:
12:00 Thursday 17 April 2025
Applications must be submitted and approved by all signatories and the application received in its entirety by this deadline. All applications must be submitted via our online grants management system (https://medicalresearchfoundation.flexigrant.com/). Paper application forms will not be accepted.
We advise that you prepare your application in good time to allow for your Research Organisation’s checks and approvals to take place in accordance with its internal timelines. You will not be able to submit applications after this deadline. We recommend that you submit your application in advance of the deadline so that any technical issues can be resolved in good time.
The Medical Research Foundation is committed to making this application accessible to all by offering assistance where needed. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Research Team if you have any questions or concerns about the application or interview processes: research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk Tel: 020 4581 2402.
Download the PDF version of the Guidelines for Applicants here >
Overview
The Funder
The Medical Research Foundation is an independent charitable foundation. Formed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) over 100 years ago, we grow and nurture people and ideas wherever we see research opportunities with great potential. The Medical Research Foundation (and its predecessor charities) have been funding research for over 100 years.
The research supported in this funding call is possible thanks to the support of our generous donors.
The Prize
Prizes are awarded annually with a focus on a different field of scientific research each year. The Emerging Leaders Prizes are intended to have a high impact on the winners.
The prize is not a project grant or fellowship, and winners will be able to use the prize money flexibly to support their research and career development. Applicants are encouraged to think creatively about the use of the prize. Details of our previous emerging research leaders can be found on our website.
The Funding
The Medical Research Foundation will award up to £250,000. A top prize of £100,000 will be awarded and smaller prizes of various amounts for second place and highly commended candidates. Applicants may apply for up to £100,000 over 18 months.
Scientific Theme
The 2025 Emerging Leaders Prize will recognise and celebrate researchers who have made significant contributions to research on the mental health of children and young people. This may include, but is not limited to, developing knowledge or contributing to impact in the follow areas:
- Aetiology of mental health outcomes in children and/or young people
- Risk and resilience factors
- Development of effective interventions or preventative strategies
Applications within a broad field of children and/or young people’s mental health research are welcomed. We particularly encourage applications from eligible researchers working in neglected areas of mental health, including eating disorders, addiction and substance use disorders, and suicide and self-harm. However, applications including research on all mental health topics in children and young people will be considered. Research on neurodevelopmental disorders must be the context of, or co-occurring with mental health outcomes.
Who can apply?
The prize is open to anyone at the relevant career stage who is doing research on children and young people’s mental health including, but not limited to, clinicians, scientists and allied health professionals. Applicants must be UK-based researchers at eligible institutions (UK HEIs, Research Council research institutes, hospitals, GP practices and other clinics, and other independent research organisations). Applicants must hold a PhD, DPhil or UK MD (or equivalent non-UK clinical research doctorate) and be conducting their research at an eligible institution. Applicants may be a citizen of any country but must already have an employment contract at an eligible institution within the UK that covers the duration of the prize award.
Applicants must have recently transitioned to an independent research position. They should demonstrate productivity across their past career and an upward trajectory, as well as be able to demonstrate a track record of leading nationally competitive research, an ability to manage their own independent research group currently, or in the near future, and have clear plans to develop into an internationally recognised leader in the field. Applicants should be starting to show evidence of recognition and leadership in the community, have a strong track record of original and productive independent research with impact in the field (for example evidenced by senior author publication(s)), and success at securing research funding (such as previous small/medium project grants or early career/intermediate fellowships) to establish their research niche or independence. Broadly, the impact they have made may include generation of new knowledge, developing capacity in the field, contribution to policy development and implementation or developing new methodologies, interventions and skills for the research and medical community in the field.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Medical Research Foundation is committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants and aims to create an inclusive environment that encourages excellence in research through good equalities practice. Diversity is important to the Medical Research Foundation, and we are working to ensure that the ways in which we fund research embrace a diversity of thought, people, geographical locations and ideas.
We strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups including female and ethnic minority researchers, and researchers with disabilities or long-term health conditions. We will support our researchers and their teams to work flexibly and in a way that meets their personal circumstances. Guidance on the Medical Research Foundation flexible working policies can be found in our Terms and Conditions. Please contact the Research Team if you have any questions about flexible working: research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk.
The Medical Research Foundation encourages lead applicants to consider the diversity of their research team, as well as area of expertise.
Responsibilities of the Lead Research Organisations and the Principal Investigators
Lead Research Organisations
By submitting an application, a Lead Research Organisation (LRO) indicates their formal acceptance of the proposal, approval of the salaries and resources sought and, if the application is successful, acceptance of the terms and conditions of a Medical Research Foundation award.
Administrative authorities have responsibility for ensuring that salaries and resources cited in the proposal are sufficient to undertake the proposed research, attract sufficiently experienced and skilled staff and represent good value-for-money.
Principal Investigators (PI)
The PI is responsible for the intellectual leadership of the research project and for the overall management of the research. They will be the Medical Research Foundation’s main contact for the proposal. The PI must be based at the LRO at which the award will be administered.
Key dates
- Deadline for submission: 12:00 Thursday 17 April 2025
- Shortlisting notification: July 2025
- Interview Panel decision Meeting: September 2025
- Funding decision and feedback: September - October 2025
Review and selection
Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by a panel of independent scientific experts. The shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, where they will be asked to deliver a 5-minute presentation on their impact on the research field, their future career development and research plans, and their plans for use of the prize funds. This will be followed by 20 minutes of Q&A from the Interview Panel.
Applications will be assessed against three core criteria:
1. Contribution to the research field:
- Scientific quality of the applicant’s contributions to research on the mental health of children and young people.
- Significance and level of their contributions to children and young people’s mental health research.
- The unique role the applicant has played in delivering the research findings.
2. Potential as an Emerging Leader:
- Demonstration of transition to leadership in research area.
- Demonstration of maximising potential in others.
- Demonstration of excellent communication and interpersonal skills across different audiences.
3. Plans for use of the prize funds:
- Impact the prize money will have on developing and progressing the research career and research of the applicant.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted and approved by all signatories and the application received in its entirety by the deadline. All applications must be submitted via our online grants management system (https://medicalresearchfoundation.flexigrant.com/). Paper application forms will not be accepted.
Scoring system
The scoring structure for the Expert Review Panel runs from 0-10 and is detailed in the appendix at the end of this document.
Confidentiality
The proposal and any associated papers submitted will be forwarded ‘in confidence’ to reviewers and the Expert Review Panel. While assessing proposals, our experts may sometimes need to consult with colleagues, in confidence, about individual applications.
All Panel members are asked to keep secure documents that come to them in their official capacity and, when their term of office has come to an end, to make sure that all documents are destroyed.
Conflicts of interest
If a proposal presents a potential conflict of interest for any of the reviewers, Expert Review Panel or Medical Research Foundation Board of Trustees, the individual with a conflict will not be involved in the discussion of the application and in the decision-making process.
Queries
Any queries on the prize, competition, application process, or eligibility should be sent to the Research Team at research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk, or 020 4581 2402.
Terms and Conditions of Award
Prize awards made through this competition will follow standard Medical Research Foundation terms and conditions. The Medical Research Foundation terms and conditions spell out the responsibilities of the Principal Investigator and the Lead Research Organisation. The Principal Investigator and the Lead Research Organisation are required to indicate their formal acceptance of the application, their acceptance of the terms and conditions of a Medical Research Foundation award, and the approval of the salaries and resources sought in the application. The Medical Research Foundation may add additional conditions to a prize award to reflect the particular circumstances and requirements of the funding, or the nature of a particular award. Acceptance of an award constitutes acceptance of both the core conditions and any additional conditions. The Medical Research Foundation reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions.
Guidance for Applicants
The information provided in this section provides guidance on completing the application form though the online grants management system (https://medicalresearchfoundation.flexigrant.com/). Guidance is also provided within the system itself.
Please clearly label all uploaded files and ensure that all relevant documents are suitable and present.
If you have any questions about any aspects of the application process, please contact a member of the Medical Research Foundation’s team.
Email: research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk Tel: 020 4581 2402.
Completing the online CV section
The lead applicant is required to submit a CV using the Medical Research Foundation narrative CV questions. This is available in the ‘My CV’ section of the lead applicant’s user profile once each registered for an account with Flexi-Grant.
Applicants are encouraged to provide examples of their impact outside of publications lists, although these should still be provided. Examples such as collaborative working, effective leadership, coaching and mentoring as well as inspiring others are welcomed.
Career progression disruptions and Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and variable impact on researchers’ careers across the world. The Foundation is committed to helping mitigate this is much as possible through our grantmaking policies and practices, we are pleased to support the UK Academy of Medical Sciences Cross-funder COVID-19 memory statement as co-signatories.
There is a dedicated space within the ‘My CV’ form, to detail how your career progression has been impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, guidance will be given to our Expert Reviewers and Panel Members so that they are able to take these impacts on an applicant’s career into account when they are making funding recommendations.
Applicants are also provided with space to detail any other career disruptions (e.g. parental leave, ill health) that may have impacted their progression. Please only share details that you are comfortable with being shared with the Panel and do not include identifying information about third parties.
Contribution to knowledge generation
This section can be used to explain how you have contributed to the generation of new ideas and hypotheses and which key skills you have used to develop ideas and test hypotheses. It can be used to highlight how you have communicated your ideas and research results, both written and verbally. It can include a small selection of outputs, with a description of why they are of particular relevance and why they are considered in the context of knowledge generation. Outputs can include (but is not limited to) open data sets, software, commercial, entrepreneurial or industrial products, clinical practice developments, educational products, policy publications, evidence synthesis pieces and conference publications that you have generated. Where outputs have a digital object identifier (DOI) please only include this.
Contribution to the development of individuals
This section can be used to highlight expertise you provided which was critical to the success of a team or team members including project management, collaborative contributions, and team support. It can include your teaching activities, workshops or summer schools in which you were involved (for undergraduates and post-graduates as well as junior colleagues), and the supervision of students and colleagues. It can be used to mention mentoring of members in your field and support you provided to the advancement of colleagues, be it junior or senior. It can be used to highlight the establishment of collaborations, from institutional (maybe interdisciplinary) to international. It can be used to describe where you exerted strategic leadership, how you shaped the direction of a team, organisation, company or institution.
Contribution to the wider research community
This section can include various activities you have engaged in to progress the research community. It can be used to mention commitments including editing, reviewing, refereeing, committee work and your contributions to the evaluation of researchers and research projects. It can be used to mention the organisation of events that have benefited your research community. It can highlight contributions to increasing research integrity, and improving research culture (gender equality, diversity, mobility of researchers, reward and recognition of researchers’ various activities). It can be used to mention appointments to positions of responsibility such as committee membership and corporate roles within your department, institution or organisation, and recognition by invitation within your sector.
Contribution to broader society
This section can include examples of societal engagement and knowledge exchange. It can include engagement with industry and the private sector. It can be used to mention engagement with the public sector, clients and the broader public. It can be used to highlight positive stakeholder feedback, inclusion of patients in processes and clinical trials, and other impacts across research, policy, practice and business. It can be used to mention efforts to collaborate with particular societal or patient groups. It can be used to highlight efforts to advise policy-makers at local, national or international level and provide information through the press and on social media.
Application form question guidance
Section 1: Principal Investigator details and personal statement
Each application may only have one Principal Investigator. Provide details of your current post.
Please include any additional supporting information you wish to be considered; describe your reasons for applying for this prize and the impact it could have on your career progression. If you have not stated it elsewhere in the application, please describe how the prize will enable you to further develop your research and contribute to your career; and, if relevant, specify how it will help you overcome any obstacles or barriers that may have impeded your progress to date.
Section 2: Lay summary of research achievements and impact to date
This section should be written in a form understandable to those who are not specialists in the field of mental health research. Please provide a summary of your research accomplishment(s), highlighting the significance and impact of your research to date. Please indicate the key scientific objectives and challenges of the research and any potential medical/clinical implications.
We may use this section for external communications associated with the Emerging Leaders Prize and we aim to publish the lay summary of successful applicants on our website. The text style should be suitable to a lay audience and not contain specific details of any sensitive information.
Section 3: Research achievements and impact to date
This section should be written in a form suitable to an academic audience. This section should include details on your research career to date, including but not limited to:
- Scientific accomplishments and their impact on field
- Conference invitations (e.g. keynote presentations, posters etc.), early career prizes/awards etc.
- Contributions as a leader, role model, mentor or capacity-builder.
- Service on national and international panels, advisory groups, working groups, patient groups.
- Evidence of transition to research independence and leadership.
Please see above “review and selection” section for further information on assessment criteria.
You may make reference to any relevant publications within the text. Up to two additional pages of appendices can accompany the statement and are not included in the word limit. Please clearly label and upload these.
Letters of support
The letters of support should be written by a senior academic at your host institution and/or an expert in your field of research. At least one referee must be from outside your host institution.
These letters are intended to supplement your application and explain why you merit consideration for an Emerging Leaders Prize, your contribution to the scientific field and how the prize would offer a unique opportunity to advance your research and career. Referees should state their relationship to you and include their opinion of your research independence, the importance of your contribution to the research field to date and your career potential. The referee might also comment on the originality and appropriateness of your research, its relationship to other work on-going within the field of study as well as beyond, and, if appropriate, the facilities available in your host institution (or partner organisation) to carry out your future research.
Please ensure that all letters of support refer to the 2025 Emerging Leaders Prize and that your name is clearly legible.
Section 4: Plans for use of the prize funds
The prize is intended to have a high impact on the winners. Please describe how the prize funds will be used to develop your professional research career and progress your research.
If relevant, indicate any funding you are currently receiving or for which you have made an application which will be used in conjunction with the prize.
Please describe what the prize money would enable you to achieve that would not otherwise be possible.
The prize can be used to support career development activities such as personalised leadership training, collaboration development, and flexible working opportunities.
Applicants are encouraged to think creatively about the use of the prize and contact the Research Team (details below) with any questions or queries. See section 9 for further information.
The timeframe for use of the prize is 18 months; a plan for use of the prize should be included in this section.
Section 5: Prize duration and research project details
Applicants should detail the timeframe of their intended use of the prize.
If this includes research, applicants will need to consider the gender dimension of research and a data management plan.
Gender dimension of research
The Medical Research Foundation expects that applicants will consider the gender dimension of their research proposal. Gender dimension in this instance refers not to the diversity of the research team (which should also be considered), but the sex and gender component of the experimental design that involves human participants, animal studies, human and animal tissues, and cell lines.
Sex refers to the biological attributes of humans and animals, such as genes, chromosomes, hormone levels and reproductive organs. Sex can be referred to as male, female and intersex in humans or hermaphrodite in animals.
Gender refers to the social and cultural attributes of human behaviour. How individuals refer to gender will vary depending on social and cultural context and this can also vary over time.
Applicants should include the following information:
- How the biological variable of sex will be taken into account in the experimental design with regards to research methods, data analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of findings.
- How the socio-cultural variable of gender will be taken into account in the experimental design with regards to research methods, data analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of findings.
- How the impact of the findings may affect different sex and genders differently.
If sex and or gender do not need to be taken into account, applicants will need justify why. For instance, the Medical Research Foundation expects that both sexes of animals will be used in animal experiments as the default, and that cost or previous published data are not sufficient justifications to use only one sex.
Please refer to the MRC guidance on sex and gender in experimental designs.
Data Management Plan
The Medical Research Foundation is committed to ensuring that the knowledge and discoveries which result from our funded research are available freely and immediately to everyone. A Data Management Plan (DMP) is required to detail how you will collect, store, curate, and manage data, including how it will be shared and any open access requirements.
Where substantial data is generated from the research, the DMP will be more in depth and therefore likely to be up to 1000 words long, for studies generating smaller amounts of data, DMPs will be short i.e. 200-500 word in total.
The MRC Policy and Guidance on Sharing of Research Data from Population and Patient Studies is a useful reference for data relating to studies involving human participation.
Section 6: Use of Animals in Research
The Medical Research Foundation expects that before work commences on any research, the Principal Investigator will have ensured in collaboration with the Lead Research Organisation that all appropriate regulatory approvals are in place. These could include those relating to human participation, radiation, genetic manipulation, animals, stem cells, personal safety and health and safety.
The Medical Research Foundation expects that research involving animals will comply with UK regulations, and the research is planned and conducted according to the 3Rs.
Please provide confirmation of personal licences for all members of staff involved in the proposed animal research. In addition, please confirm the relevant project licence covers the proposed work.
Section 7: Human participation and ethical approval
If the project involves the use of human participants and/or organs, tissues or cells relevant to The Human Tissue Act 2004 (England, Wales and N. Ireland) and The Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 in the UK, please detail the relevant ethical approvals.
Section 8: Intellectual property
Please detail any intellectual property that this project will generate, either during or beyond the lifetime of the award. Please include details of any existing background intellectual property that will need to be used and/or modified and plans for ownership of this intellectual property.
If intellectual property is likely to be generated, a letter of support will be required from your departmental IP Manager/Head of Technology Transfer Unit.
Section 9: Funding requested
The prize is not a project grant or fellowship and winners will be able to use the prize money flexibly to support their professional research career development.
The prize can be used to support career development activities such as personalised leadership training, collaboration development, and flexible working opportunities. The usual direct costs of research such as salaries of support staff, consumables and equipment can be supported; however, applicants are encouraged to think creatively about the use of the prize. The prize cannot be used to pay the salary of the winner, or indirect costs of the winner’s research.
If research projects are included in the application, the Medical Research Foundation will meet the full direct costs of research. Direct costs are those that will arise from the conduct of the research project and can be charged as the cash value spent and can be supported by an auditable record. In line with other UK medical research charities, the Medical Research Foundation will not meet directly allocated or indirect costs of the research that it supports.
Sections 10-12: Authorisation and Declarations
Authorisations and/or declarations are needed from the following application participants:
- Principal Investigator
- Research Administrator
- Head of Department
Participants should be invited to complete their sections of the application by following the instructions under the participants tab on the Application Summary page. Please check which email address they would like to use, as they may already be registered on Flexi-Grant and mistakes may lead to a delay in processing the application.
Applicants can keep track of the progress of submission completion status on the Application Summary page. Applicants can issue a reminder email to the invited participants through the participants tab on the Application Summary page. If the instruction email from the Medical Research Foundation has not been received please: a) double check the accuracy of the email address supplied on the application form; b) advise the intended recipient to check their spam filters/junk folders; c) contact the Medical Research Foundation with an alternative email address for the recipient. The Medical Research Foundation is happy to help where possible but cannot be held responsible for automated emails that are not received due to address errors or spam filters.
All declarations must be signed by the appropriate persons prior to the submission of the application. It is the applicants’ responsibility to ensure that approval of the application by the Lead Research Organisations is completed before the closing date.
Applicant
The principal investigator is required to report any conflicts of interest, declare that they will abide by the Medical Research Foundation’s Terms and Conditions and will be actively engaged in the proposed research.
Head of Department
The Head of Department must provide a statement of support and authorise the application confirming that the potential award can be hosted within their organisation and that there is the capacity to deliver the proposed research. The Head of Department should state how the applicant will be supported to focus on their proposed research, for example by being released from competing duties such as teaching or administrative commitments. Additionally, they should provide details of the resources that the department will commit to the applicant should the application be successful.
Before inviting the Head of Department to participate in completion of the application form, applicants are advised to ensure that their Head of Department is willing and available to provide a confirmation of support prior to the deadline. Incomplete confirmations will mean that an application cannot be submitted and will be deemed to be ineligible.
It is the responsibility of the lead applicants to inform the Head of Department of the deadline and liaise with them to ensure that they have received their invitation with instructions to participate in completion of the application.
Research Administrator
A Research Administrator at the Lead Research Organisation should be invited to approve the application (“Administrative Authority”). They must be someone with delegated authority at the Lead Research Organisation, where the award will be held. This may be someone within the research office, Faculty administration, or other administrative or management role. The approver must be someone with the authority to confirm that the potential award can be hosted within their organisation and assure the proposed budget is appropriate and eligible for the scheme.
Scoring Range for Panel Members
Score Indicators |
Score |
Exceptional research leadership potential, exceptional contribution to research field |
|
|
10 |
Excellent research leadership potential, competitive and excellent contribution to research field |
|
|
9 |
Very High Quality – Very high research leadership potential, very high contribution to research field |
|
|
8 |
High Quality – High research leadership potential, high contribution to research field |
|
|
7 |
Very good Quality – Very good research leadership potential, very good contribution to research field |
|
|
6 |
Good Quality – Good research leadership potential, good contribution to research field |
|
|
5 |
Potentially useful: with minor weaknesses – some research leadership potential |
|
|
4 |
Potentially useful: with major weaknesses - low research leadership potential |
|
|
3 |
Poor quality – bordering on unacceptable |
|
Candidate has not demonstrated leadership potential or impact on the research field |
2 |
Unacceptable quality |
|
Application is of an unacceptable quality |
1 |
Ineligible for funding |
|
Candidate is not at the appropriate career stage for the Emerging Leaders prize scheme and is ineligible |
0 |