£200,000 lupus Emerging Leaders Prize

Emerging Leaders Prize 2017:

In 2017, scientists whose work is focused on lupus will be the first to be considered for the Medical Research Foundation’s new Emerging Leaders Prize. The Prize will be awarded to researchers working in a different field each year.

Medical Research Foundation Director Dr Angela Hind says: “The Emerging Leaders Prize is a first for the Medical Research Foundation and we are delighted to be able to offer funding in a way that will have a huge impact. If you win one of the awards the prize money will mean you can pay for new equipment, travel to conferences, take the time to collaborate, learn new skills and develop your research and career, find new ways to share the results of your research with audiences beyond the lab, pay for new staff salaries or for more of the materials you use every day. If you are working in lupus research and meet the criteria please send your application in.”

What is the prize?

The prize aims to reward outstanding scientists who have already had an impact in the field of lupus research and who are working in the UK.

£100,000 will be awarded to the winner. £80,000 will go to second place and there are multiple smaller awards of £5k for the runners up.

The funds will be awarded as a prize rather than a project grant which means the winners will be able to use the money flexibly to support their research.

Why is the first prize for lupus researchers?

The 2017 Emerging Research Leaders prize is possible thanks to the generous support of the late Dr Erina Herrick. Our generous donors sometimes specify areas of research they wish to support and the Medical Research Foundation seeks to fulfil these wishes through specific medical research activities, such as this one. Dr Herrick left a gift in her Will to support emerging research leaders in the field of lupus research.

October is lupus awareness month in the UK, so it’s an ideal time to submit your application. The competition closes for entries on 1 November.

How to apply:

Researchers working directly on lupus and related conditions such as vasculitis, myositis, Sjögren’s syndrome, autoimmune thyroid disease and serositis are eligible to apply. The winners will be announced in February 2018.