Nominees are eligible if their work is, or has previously been, supported by MRC. This could be through grant funding or work being based within an MRC centre, unit or institute. MRC funding should have provided a significant contributing factor to the research for which they are nominated.
Nominations can be made for someone who:
- has made an outstanding contribution to MRC’s mission to improve human health through world-class medical research
- demonstrates scientific excellence and impact, and has international recognition in their field. Their achievements may have contributed towards breaking barriers in research, forging new fields of research, led to key innovation, commercial or translational impacts, or enabled new frontiers for the way that science is conducted
- has improved the wider research environment by enabling national or global research capabilities. Examples can include but are not limited to:
- contributions to capacity building
- research integrity, open research and reproducibility
- enabling sustainable science practices
- establishment of infrastructure for use by the wider community
- involvement in consortia, forums and interest groups
- public and patient involvement and engagement
- activities in influencing policy and practice
- has advanced research culture. Examples can include but not limited to:
- contributions to academic leadership and mentoring
- enabling and supporting team science including by supporting and recognizing contributions from their research teams
- enabling career development in peers
- advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in the research community
- fostering collaborations across disciplines and geographies
- supporting mobility of researchers
The research for which the individual is nominated for can be for basic, clinical or applied research (or any combination of these) that has made an outstanding contribution to MRC’s mission to improve health through world-class medical research.
The work can be contemporary, showing clear potential to revolutionise the field, or work which has already had a major impact. A wide variety of research outputs and impacts will be considered, including the development of resources (such as datasets and reagents), innovation and commercial impact and influence on policy and practice.
The prize recipient could be someone whose scientific achievements have already been well recognised in other ways. However, we particularly encourage nominations for those whose work or support for the research community has not gained the attention it merits outside their immediate research community.
Nominations will be valid for three cycles of the award. For example, any nomination submitted in 2023 will be included in a submission pool and will be reconsidered on an annual basis until 2025.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We especially encourage nominations for people who are currently under-represented in some sectors of the research and innovation community. This includes:
- women
- those with a disability
- members of minority ethnic groups
Higher education institutions (HEIs) and independent research organisations (IROs) can nominate a maximum of three individuals and are strongly encouraged to consider the diversity of their nominations.
