The Professor Michael Nicholson Awards (United Kingdom)

In honour of Professor Mike Nicholson’s dedication to developing new and innovative approaches to kidney transplantation, and in recognition of the urgent need to decrease waiting times and improve the outcomes for those who need a donor kidney, they are launching the Kidney Research UK-Stoneygate jointly funded Professor Michael Nicholson Awards.

They wish to increase the number of researchers by:

• attracting and retaining young surgeons to pursue an academic transplant research career in renal transplantation.
• attracting new and diverse people into kidney transplant research, including early career researchers, who have potential to be the leaders of future developments.

They are seeking applications that will help the ambitions to:

• accelerate discoveries and develop outstanding leaders in kidney transplant research
• make kidney transplants last longer and build stronger defences against infections and other diseases that can lead to transplant failure.
• increase the availability of kidneys for transplantation and reduce the wait.
• develop novel machine perfusion techniques that have the capacity to increase organ utilisation rates and deliver pre-transplant regenerative therapies that prolong transplant survival.

Funding Information

• They welcome applications for the following grant types:
  • Research project grants: funds stand-alone research projects that will advance the knowledge in kidney transplantation.
    • Grant available: up to £250,000
    • Funding period: maximum of three years, may be spread over a two or three-year period.
  • Start-up grants: funds stand-alone research studies to investigate innovative new hypotheses around kidney transplantation that lack any significant existing research evidence.
    • Grant available: up to £40,000
    • Funding period: maximum of two years, may be spread over a one or two-year period.
  • Transplant surgeon PhD fellowship: supports medical graduates who are specialising in surgery to expand the levels of expertise in kidney transplantation research.
    • Training Fellowship: The Fellow’s salary, higher degree tuition fees and a consumables allowance of £15,000 per annum.
    • Funding period: for up to three years.
  • PhD studentship: PhD Studentships are available for research leading to PhD, focusing on kidney transplantation research.
    • PhD Studentship: The student’s stipend is based on the Medical Research Council Scale. Higher degree tuition fees and a consumables allowance of £3,500 per annum up to a total of £10,500.
    • Funding period: for up to three and a half years.

Eligibility Criteria

• They welcome UK-based proposals aiming to improve outcomes for the kidney patient community and build expertise in renal transplantation.
• All grants must be held with a host institution, which can be either a UK University or NHS Trust. Not-for-profit organisations, SMEs or companies are not eligible.
• Applications are not accepted where the Lead Applicant already holds three or more concurrent active Kidney Research UK awards, excluding PhD Studentships and Startup awards.
• Lead Applicants may only submit one grant type Expression of Interest application in any twelve-month period.

For more information, visit Kidney Research UK.