Research Careers Committee
The Research Careers Committee has a broad remit spanning basic and translational cancer research and is responsible for a number of funding schemes to develop the careers of early to mid-career cancer researchers and clinical academic researchers.
For each of the funding schemes supported by this Committee, applications are encouraged from any area of CRUK’s funding remit, with the exception of drug discovery and clinical trials.
In 2021, the Research Careers Committee combined and replaced both our previous New Investigator Committee and Clinical Careers Committee.
Funding schemes
Pre-doctoral Research Bursaries provide short-term funding to allow clinicians and other health professionals to get involved in research projects early in their career.
Postdoctoral Research Bursaries for Clinical Trainees offer funding for clinical trainees to undertake a research project after completion of a PhD, during completion of their clinical specialty training.
Clinician Scientist Fellowship offers excellent individuals the opportunity to develop their clinical academic research career.
Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship supports excellent clinician scientists to establish independence and leadership in their field of academic research.
Career Development Fellowship offers support to outstanding early-career researchers to establish their first independent cancer research group.
Career Establishment Award offers support to new group leaders who have a fully-funded position to establish their cancer research career.
Senior Cancer Research Fellowship offers support to outstanding mid-career researchers to further develop their programme and become internationally recognised leaders in their field.
Clinical Trial Fellowship supports clinicians with an interest in clinical trials and who would benefit from further training within a Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) setting.
If you are a mid-career researcher or a clinician with a fully-funded position, you should consider the Career Establishment Award or Programme Foundation Award. Clinicians seeking to build their own research team should contact us before applying to discuss the best route for funding. If you have already established an independent research group and are now developing your leadership, you may be eligible for other career development opportunities.
How proposals are judged
The Research Careers Committee meets twice a year to assess applications to the schemes within its remit. Applications are judged on the basis of scientific excellence, research environment, the candidate’s track record and future potential, and relevance of the research to the wider aims of Cancer Research UK’s Research Strategy. See our Guide for Assessing Grant Applications.
Observing funding panels and committees
As part of our commitments to supporting the next generation of researchers and equality, diversity and inclusion in research, we're offering early- to mid-career researchers the opportunity to observe our panel and committee meetings across our funding remit. This scheme will include positive action to offer individuals from underrepresented groups priority places to overcome the underrepresentation that has been highlighted by our diversity data report.
Through this experience we hope you can:
- Understand how grant funding decisions are made to ensure we fund the best quality research
- Develop your own successful research proposals in the future
- Help develop your skills as peer reviewers
- Have the opportunity to give feedback to us to help improve our review processes
Chair of the Research Careers Committee
Professor Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke - Queen Mary University of London
Vice Chair of the Research Careers Committee
Professor Iain McNeish - Imperial College London
Members of the Research Careers Committee
Dr Sam Behjati - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Professor Rob de Bruin - MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology/UCL
Professor Jason Carroll - CRUK Cambridge Institute
Ms Alice Choi - Assessor of supporting skills
Miss Farhat Din - University of Edinburgh
Professor Jessica Downs - Institute of Cancer Research
Professor Dean Fennel - University of Leicester
Ms Alison Howe - Patient Representative and Assessor of supporting skills
Professor Silvia Marino - Queen Mary, University of London
Ms Martina Platts - Assessor of supporting skills
Professor Ruth Plummer - Newcastle University
Professor Katie Robb - University of Glasgow
Professor Victoria Sanz-Moreno - Queen Mary University of London
Professor Jacqui Shaw - University of Leicester
Professor Daniel Tennant - University of Birmingham
Professor Gareth Thomas - University of Southampton
Professor Ruth Travis - University of Oxford
Professor Clare Turnbull - Institute of Cancer Research
Professor Marcel van Herk - University of Manchester
Professor Kwee Yong - University College London
Ms Aileen Wallace - Assessor of supporting skills
Professor Santiago Zelenay - CRUK Manchester Institute
Cancer Research UK contact details for this Committee
Please contact the relevant Research Grants Manager if you have questions about your eligibility or require any assistance with your application or active award.
For London (except Imperial and ICR), The North East, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Dr Catherine Cremona, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
For Cambridge, Oxford, and The South East and West
Eve Riley, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
For London (Imperial and ICR only), The Midlands, The North West and Wales
Dr Fran Smith, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
More career development opportunities for researchers
We offer a range of fellowships, bursaries and other support to help outstanding scientists and clinicians develop their independent research careers.
Finding the right fellowship for you
Our competency framework for fellowships can guide you to consider which funding opportunity is right for you to support your transition to the next career level.
Successful applicant case studies
Read advice on applying for funding from some of our current grantees with a range of backgrounds and expertise.