A transition support award provides funding of up to two years to intermediate MRC fellows whose research momentum has been impacted by multiple issues.
You must have made extensive progress and demonstrated productivity. However, due to genuine mitigating circumstances, you will not yet have achieved the outputs that will enable you to be competitive for the next funding stage.
You will need to demonstrate the added value that a transition support award will offer you, clearly articulating how your proposed plans for the resources and time requested would enable you to regain research momentum and provide a platform towards research leadership.
What we will fund
We will fund 80% of the full economic costs of your project. You can request funding for the following:
- 50% of your salary
- salary costs for existing staff members on your fellowship
- a small consumables budget
There is no limit on the level of resource you can apply for, however we expect you to justify the funds you are applying for. The typical value of funded applications is around £400,000.
If you have previously been granted a post award amendment (PAA) for your current MRC fellowship award, you are still eligible to apply for transition support. However, you should highlight why this support was insufficient and demonstrate why additional support via a transition support award is required within your case for support.
If you have accessed the UK Research and Innovation COVID-19 grant extension allocation, you can still apply for transition support funding. However, you will be required to demonstrate why further support via the transition support scheme is required as a result of delays or impacts other than COVID-19.
What we will not fund or allow
The host research organisation will need to provide the other 50% of your salary for the duration of the award. We will not provide further funding for your existing MRC fellowship award through this scheme.
You will not be permitted to transfer underspend from your current fellowship to the transition support award. Applicants should take this into account when requesting research costs for activities that will take place during the transition support award period and when choosing a start date for their transition support award. If there is significant funding remaining on your fellowship, you should consider a no-cost extension through the MRC PAA process instead.
Support from your host institution
Your host research organisation will contribute 50% of your total salary for the duration of the award. This contribution reflects MRC’s expectation of the host research organisation commitment to support talented researchers at this level. This commitment should be clearly outlined in a letter of support from a senior authority within the host research organisation.
The host research organisation is expected to commit to an open-ended position by the end of your award, in line with their institutional policy.
The expectation remains that 100% of your contracted working time is focused on your research, training and development, as per MRC’s standard fellowship terms and conditions.
What we are not looking for
MRC does not expect to receive applications from you if you:
- have already achieved the outputs required for being competitive in applying for your next career stage
- require seed funding for new research projects or outputs not related to the overall aims of the MRC fellowship award
- require funding to cover delays or impacts solely due to COVID-19. This should be requested via the MRC PAA process. However, it is recognised that COVID-19 is likely to have exacerbated the impact of other factors which have affected research momentum. If you have experienced delays due to COVID-19 as well as other factors, then you can apply for transition support
If you are unsure whether transition support or a PAA would be more suitable for your individual circumstances, please contact fellows@mrc.ukri.org for further advice.
