We are delighted to announce that Diabetes UK has joined the funding consortium for the Academy’s Springboard scheme to help launch biomedical research careers.
Springboard offers a bespoke package of support to biomedical researchers at the start of their first independent post. This includes funding of up to £100,000 over two years and access to the Academy’s acclaimed mentoring and career development programme.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said: “We’re joining forces once again with the Academy for Medical Sciences to offer even more support to the diabetes research community. We believe it’s important to invest in scientists capable of leading critical areas of diabetes research in the future, to make sure the foundations needed to improve the lives of people with diabetes are laid for years to come.”
Round 4 of the scheme is currently underway. To discuss the scheme in more detail, please contact springboard@acmedsci.ac.uk
June has brought two announcements of new investment in Springboard. Philippa Saunders FMedSci, Chair of the Selection Panel, takes this opportunity to reflect on 7 highlights of Springboard. Diabetes UK is the fifth member of the Springboard funding consortium. Others include the Wellcome Trust, British Heart Foundation and the Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Global Challenges Research Fund and Talent Fund. Building a consortium of funders for the programme enables the Academy to bring organisations together across the sector to tackle the challenges faced by biomedical researchers transitioning to independence.
To date 87 awardees have been funded by the scheme with awardees conducting research across the full diversity of biomedical science.
Springboard awardees are supported at each step of their career through access to the Academy’s first-class career development programmes. This includes mentoring training, our annual Winter Science meeting and regional career development events. Academy mentors are available to all Springboard applicants, irrespective of the outcome of their application.