We’re looking to support talented individuals to visit or be hosted by research groups at the NCI over a duration of six to 12-months. NCI is the largest of NIH’s 27 institutes and centres, and it consists of more than 300 laboratories and research groups. NCI is located on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and in the surrounding area of Rockville and Frederick, Maryland.
Eligible US research groups are directly funded by the NCI at the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG). For more information about eligible NCI research groups, please see:
Your proposal should support the establishment of new collaborations, or the substantial development of existing collaborations, with researchers at the NCI. You may approach potential collaborators directly but if you are unsure which research group(s) may be best suited to your interests, support and ‘match making’ can be facilitated by contacting NCI central contacts as early as possible (no later than 22 October 2023).
An email inquiry should be sent to both Erika Ginsburg (ginsbure@mail.nih.gov) and Jackie Lavigne (lavignej@nih.gov) and include the following information:
- up to three sentences describing your scientific focus area(s)
- CV
Your proposal can focus on any area of cancer research within the remits of MRC, NIHR or both across biomedical and health research (for example discovery and basic disease biology, through to translational, clinical and applied cancer research).
We are particularly keen to see applications that develop skills and experience in the following areas that align with priority opportunities identified during the UK-US Cancer Summit:
- data science and artificial intelligence
- health equity
- molecular and other mechanisms of cancer prevention
- trial methodology including innovative clinical trial design and delivery
In your application, you must clearly demonstrate:
- how this proposal aligns with your existing skills and experiences
- what training, skills and experiences will be gained through the proposal including new or developed collaborations
- how this award will support and enable your long-term career goals in cancer research
Award length
These awards are to fund visits to the US across a six to 12-month period with the format of these visits being flexible. For example, you may choose to visit once for an extended duration or make several shorter visits. MRC and NIHR are supportive if you wish to combine this award with caring or family responsibilities, and appropriate costs to support this can be included within the application.
You must spend substantial time within the duration of the award visiting eligible research group(s) at the NCI CCR, DCEG or both. The time spent overseas must accommodate the specific training and skills development aims of each application and your individual circumstances. While virtual interactions will support ongoing development and skills over the duration of the award, taking advantage of the opportunity for in-person visits is expected to be prioritised.
In your application, you must clearly justify:
- the proportion and pattern of time spent overseas and in the UK
- how this will support and enable skills development, knowledge transfer and building or enhancing collaborations
Support
There is no defined funding limit, but awards are anticipated to be in the range of £100,000 to 200,000. Full economic costs (FEC) are not covered by this award. Direct costs will be supported at 100%.
Awards will provide funding for:
- the salary of the grant holder for between six to 12 months (between 50% and 100% full time equivalent)
- training and development costs of up to £5,000
- research costs and consumables (NCI partner research groups will support standard consumables, but where substantial or additional research costs are required for the proposed research and skills development, costs may be requested where justified)
- conference costs of up to £2,000
- travel, personal and family subsistence and relocation costs (includes visa costs and health insurance)
Funding for clinical trials will be ineligible, but costs for collecting pilot data, add-on research linked to established trials or trial methodology and conducting preliminary work to support future research funding applications can be included.
Host organisation commitment
Both the UK host (applicant employer) and NCI host (organisation being visited) should provide applicant-specific statements that outline appropriate commitment to supporting skills development, training needs and long-term career goals.
UK host (applicant employer) commitment:
- support that will be provided by the UK host organisation to enable development and progression of the applicant’s research career
- how the UK host organisation will liaise with the US host organisation to ensure appropriate support is in place, including arrangements for pastoral care
- the names of a senior academic(s) who have supported you during the development of your application and who will continue to do so
NCI host (organisation being visited) commitment:
- additional details on in-kind commitment including access to space or equipment
- support that will be provided by the NCI host organisation to enable development and progression of the applicant’s research career
- evidence of the US host organisation’s commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive research culture, including evidence of commitment to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and research integrity
- how the US host organisation will liaise with the UK host organisation to ensure appropriate support is in place, including arrangements for pastoral care
- the names of a senior academic(s) who have supported you during the development of your application and who will continue to do so
Ethics considerations
You must ensure that all proposed research, both that in the UK and in the US, will comply with the standard principles and expectations for UK research using animals, human participants and human tissue (including stem cells).
More detail on expectations is included in the guidance document for this funding opportunity. For example, additional joint letters of support accompanying the application will be required when or animal research is proposed, and animal welfare standards should be consistent with the principles of UK legislation.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. TR&I is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
For further guidance and information about TR&I, including where you can find additional support, visit the TR&I page.
