Health and Care Research Wales Next Steps award

Please note this award is only open to Faculty members who are current award holders of a Health and Care Research Wales funded doctoral award and in the last 12 months of their agreed funding period.

This scheme aims to facilitate research activities required to strengthen a subsequent follow-on post-doctoral fellowship application to a range of UK-wide funders. The scheme will provide funding for directly incurred salary costs and on-costs (no overheads or indirect costs allowable) for a maximum of 12 months. To ensure opportunities are available to Faculty members when they are needed, applications can be submitted at any point throughout the year. Applications will be assessed by an internal panel of Senior Research Leaders, Faculty staff and a Welsh Government representative three times each year (April, August, December).  

Remit

The Making Research Careers Work report, published in February 2022, identified one of the barriers to progressing a research career was the lack of flexible financial support for researchers in the short gaps between funded awards. 

The Health and Care Research Wales Faculty Next steps award will enable existing Health and Care Research Wales doctoral award holders to apply for salary support (up to 1wte) for up to 12 months to facilitate the undertaking of research activities which will strengthen a follow-on personal award application.   

Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate: 

• Expectations of successful completion (date of thesis submission to be provided) of their existing Health and Care Research Wales funded doctoral award. 
• Clear and feasible plans of relevant research activities which will enable high quality applications to be submitted for follow-on personal awards.
• How their chosen mentor will facilitate the successful completion of the plan submitted as part of the Next steps award.
• Support from their Welsh Higher Education Institution (HEI) to ensure employment for the term of the Next steps award.  

Eligibility criteria 

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria: 

• Applicants must be a current award holder of a Health and Care Research Wales doctoral award and be within the last 12 months of their agreed funding period. It is anticipated the funding will follow on after the end of the funded doctoral period. 
• Applicants must have a named Academic Mentor(s) based in the relevant HEI who is affiliated to a high-quality Wales based research group and who will ensure the applicant’s continued research development.  
• Applicants must have the relevant authorisations from their chosen HEI in place that will mean the applicant is assured of employment for the duration of the award HEI (line manager and Head of School/Department). This is a one-stage application process and applicants may only submit one application. 

What we will fund 

We will fund: 

• Directly incurred salary costs plus on-costs for up to 1wte for up to a maximum of 12 months.  

What we will not fund: 

• research costs as defined by AcoRD guidance as it applies to externally-funded research projects. Research costs on externally-funded projects should be covered by the project funder and not supplemented or replaced by resources from this scheme; 
• overheads 
• training and development costs associated with the development of research skills; 
• travel and subsistence costs.  

Process and timetable 

This scheme is open all year with assessment points every six months (typically April and October).

Email Research-faculty@wales.nhs.uk with any queries and for a copy of the guidance and application form.

Applications are welcome from Faculty members at any point during the year, to be assessed in the next round applications must be submitted no later than the 12 September 2024. 

Completed application forms are to be emailed to Applications.Faculty@wales.nhs.uk. We will acknowledge receipt of successfully delivered emailed applications by reply.