Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships 2012

Applications are now closed

Applications for these awards are now closed. The application forms, guidance notes and standard conditions are available to download from the panel on the right. The closing date for applications was Friday, 20th January 2012.

Up to a maximum of 20 Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships will be available for tenure during summer 2012. Applications must be made by intending supervisors and not by students themselves (see the Guidance Notes).

Application Process

All funding applications to Medical Research Scotland must be made electronically. It is not necessary to pre-register to make an application.

All the documents necessary to apply for a particular type of award are available, by selecting the appropriate links in the panel on the right-hand side, for download as far ahead of the closing date as feasible. When valid current application forms are not available, sample versions may be, for the benefit of those considering making an application later.

The Guidance Notes for each type of award provide more detailed information on submission of applications, but in summary, completed applications for all awards should be:

1. checked to ensure that they do not exceed any specified maximum file size;
2. saved as MS Word documents (no later than 2003/XP only) and printed, to enable later incorporation of all the original signatures required;
3. sent by email to: applications@medicalresearchscotland.org to arrive before the specified closing date/time;
4. printed and a single hard copy, incorporating all the original signatures required (electronic signatures are not acceptable) as well as copies of approvals, licences &etc., sent with a covering letter, by signed-for courier, Registered or Guaranteed Delivery mail, to: The Trust Administrator, Medical Research Scotland, Princes Exchange, 1 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh EH3 9EE.

NOTE: The single hard copy of the signed application (with a covering letter and copies of any other required documents) should arrive NO LATER THAN 2 (two) WORKING DAYS after the emailed submission.

PhD Studentships

Applications for the first of these new Medical Research Scotland awards are now closed. The Trustees hope to be able to make up to 10 awards later this autumn, with the students subsequently appointed starting their postgraduate research in autumn 2012.
Applications must must be submitted for a defined research project, by a Scottish University/recognised Research Institution, together with a company involved in medically-relevant life sciences research which is trading in Scotland, and not by prospective students.

Research Project Grants

As a result of a major review of our funding strategy, Medical Research Scotland no longer offers these awards. Details of the last awards, made at the end of August 2011, are available.

Closing Dates

• The closing date for 2012 Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships applications was Friday 20th January, 2012.
• The closing date for the next round of applications for PhD Studentships will be announced in due course. In the meantime, samples only of the application documents are available for download from the panel on the right. Please note, however, that these will be reviewed and may well change before applications are next invited.
• Research Project Grants are no longer available.

Rigorous review and selection processes

Medical Research Scotland has always sought to ensure that the individuals and the research it supports are of the most promising and highest quality. Applications for funding are, therefore, subject to rigorous peer review processes involving both UK and international experts prior to independent internal scientific review and then wide-ranging discussion at a Trust meeting. The number of awards made in any category is at the discretion of the Trust Members, in light of the outcome of all the peer review processes and mindful of available funds.

PhD Studentships: Funding decisions for the new awards will be a two-stage process. Applications, detailing a defined research project, will first be subject to independent review by the members of an expert international peer review panel and by at least one scientific/medical Member of Medical Research Scotland. The reports of this group will then be considered by the panel members in committee and recommendations for funding support made to all the Trust Members, who will take the final decision. Thereafter, those awarded funding will select suitably highly-motivated and qualified students following interview by a group comprising the academic institution, the company and Medical Research Scotland.

Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships: Applications are reviewed separately and independently by the scientific & medical Members, with final funding decisions being taken by all the Members in committee.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY: THESE AWARDS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Research Project Grants: Funding decisions for the last round of these awards were taken following international peer review of the applications, subsequent review by all the scientific & medical Members (acting separately) and then following consideration and discussion by all the Members of Medical Research Scotland in committee. Before the scientific & medical Members reviewed the applications, applicants were invited to respond to extracts from the Referees' comments and their responses were also taken into account by the Members when considering the applications.

It should be noted that, as a member of the AMRC, Medical Research Scotland follows its position statement on full economic costing (fEC) and will only pay for the directly-incurred and identifiable costs of research.