Vision
The Medical Research Council (MRC) draws on and fosters talent, research communities and capacity from across the UK to address major health challenges, boosting the economy and fulfilling our Strategic Delivery Plan.
MRC recognises the importance of place for strengthening capacity across the UK for the long-term benefit of UK science, socio-economic growth and, importantly, the health benefits that result from research and innovation (R&I) investment to all citizens.
We are committed to supporting outstanding R&I across all regions and nations in the UK, helping them grow capacity and pursue their ambitions.
MRC principles for place
The following principles incorporating the UKRI place toolkit underpin MRC’s vision to encourage and support excellent and impactful research, wherever it is found in the UK.
- MRC recognises the range, diversity and capacity of research institutions throughout the whole of the UK, ensuring we tap into all available talent to tackle major health challenges and address health inequalities in our diverse populations.
- MRC will ensure the formation of partnerships and collaborations that build capacity outside areas of current high investment where there are untapped opportunities for excellent and impactful research. This will include an obligation on our research institutes and major investments to fulfil their national function through outreach across the UK.
- MRC will develop a geographically distributed research portfolio to meet the objectives set out in the MRC Strategic Delivery Plan (SDP), boost local and national research environments, and spread the economic benefits of our investment throughout the UK.
- MRC will ensure that no region is disadvantaged based on its historical pattern of investment and where necessary will provide additional support in order to achieve equity of opportunity in our funding initiatives.
Considering place in MRC funding decisions
Demonstrating our commitment to place, MRC will consider it during our funding decisions whilst always prioritising the highest quality science.
Place will be a consideration in developing strategic initiatives, and where appropriate, place will form part of the assessment criteria and proposals will be asked to make a case for how it has been considered.
For MRC boards and panels, place will not form part of the assessment criteria for scoring, unless it is a key element of a proposal. However, it will be used as a tie-breaker during ranking where applications have received the same score and are of equal scientific merit. Place will be considered as a tie-breaker alongside other priorities such as new investigator research grants (NIRGs) and highlight notices.
We have developed detailed guidance for our boards and panels to assist them with the nuances when considering place.