Developing your research career

Mentoring and career development

Leadership Development Programme

We have piloted a Leadership Development Programme for our Funded Fellows and Emerging Leaders Prize winners. The pilot programme was designed in collaboration with an experienced leadership trainer and coach, focusing on areas identified as priorities by participants.

Topics covered included:

• Leading a successful team
• Managing projects, priorities and time
• Building professional research networks
• Effective communication strategies

The pilot programme aimed to support participants’ growth as research leaders and provide opportunities for peer learning. Each participant was also invited to arrange a one-to-one coaching session with the professional trainer as part of the programme.

We are currently evaluating the pilot programme and will use the findings to develop similar opportunities.

AMS Scheme

All Foundation Fellows and Emerging Leaders Prize winners have access to the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) Mentoring Scheme. This pairs early career researchers with an Academy Fellow, NIHR Senior Investigator or NIHR Researcher - of which there are over 1,300 to choose from.

This prestigious programme promotes an enabling, non-directive approach to help mentees make critical career decisions. A mentor can help you work through challenges in the workplace. They can broaden your understanding of the opportunities available to you and provide encouragement to progress towards your career goals.

To learn more about the programme, you can attend one of their free online mentoring masterclasses. This will help you get a sense of the kind of mentoring relationship you can build. You can also read about other mentees’ experiences in the Academy’s mentoring case studies.

If you are interested in getting involved in the Mentoring programme, please visit the Academy’s website or contact mentoring@acmedsci.ac.uk. Access to the Mentoring programme will be via the Foundation, however, interested Fellows should contact the Academy to sign up.

Events

Awardee Drinks Reception

Each year, we invite our current Fellowship and Emerging Leaders Prize award holders to come together for an evening drinks reception. This event is an opportunity to network among award holders at similar career stages, meet key members of Foundation staff and Trustees, and hear short talks about the support available to you. Awardees will receive an email invitation with details of the event.

Further Funding

Research and Career Development Awards

Our Research and Career Development Awards offer opportunities for skills training and development or conference attendance for researchers with an active MRC or Medical Research Foundation funded grant.

These one-time awards are available to UK-based mid-career researchers at eligible institutions working in one of our designated research areas. These awards are intended to help advance your career, further develop your research from your initial award and strengthen your expertise.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Learn more and apply for our Research and Career Development Awards.

Changing Policy and Practice

Our Changing Policy and Practice award supports the dissemination of MRC and Foundation-funded research results beyond the scientific peer reviewed press, to patients, participants, practitioners and policy makers.

This competition will run twice a year and researchers are eligible to apply, where funding is within one year of termination end date, or two years post-end date (prior to or after termination of support). The call is open to MRC and Foundation-funded grant and fellowship holders based at eligible institutions, as well as MRC-funded and MRC core-funded researchers in MRC research institutes, units and centres.

Learn more and apply for our Changing Policy and Practice awards.

Other Opportunities

Panel Observation Opportunities

We invite our Funded Fellows, Emerging Leaders Prize winners, Launchpad award holders and Enhancing Research award holders to express interest in observing the Medical Research Foundation’s review panels. If you would like to be notified about upcoming opportunities, please email research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk to join our mailing list.

Observing a panel provides a valuable opportunity to see first-hand how grant applications are assessed and funding decisions are made. This insight can help strengthen your future applications to the Medical Research Foundation and other funders.

Most panel meetings will take place online. Observers must agree to comply with our confidentiality agreement and conflicts of interest policy.

MRC Board and Panel Associates Scheme

The MRC Board and Panel Associates Scheme provides researchers the opportunity to gain experience of peer review, serve on an MRC funding board or panel and benefit from mentorship as part of a two-year programme. It is aimed at researchers from underrepresented groups who are actively transitioning to independence and leadership.

Please visit the MRC page for further details on eligibility and how to apply.

Outreach and public engagement

As part of our public engagement activity, we offer various opportunities for funded researchers to share their work with wider audiences interested in science and the Foundation's work.

These may include joining us at New Scientist Live, where we've been charity sponsor for the last few years. Researchers on our stand have the chance to meet thousands of science-enthusiastic visitors, conduct hands-on experiments, and discuss their research directly with the public.

We also run a public Science Seminar series, delivering live, online presentations that allow researchers to showcase their projects to engaged online audiences.

Additionally, researchers have previously given talks at fundraising and showcase events, and for community groups interested in medical research.

While many of these opportunities are by invitation, we're always keen to work with researchers who are enthusiastic about communicating their science beyond academic circles. If you have any upcoming public engagement events or media appearances, we'd love to hear from you.

See our 'Reporting progress and impact from your grant' for more information about getting in touch with our Communications team.