Career Foundation Fellowships
Find out more about our Career Foundation Fellowships and how you can apply.
Our Career Foundation Fellowships provide early career, post-doctoral researchers (clinical and non-clinical) the opportunity to develop the skills and experience needed to take the first step towards becoming an independent investigator.
Eligible proposals may focus on any aspect of research that aims to improve the lives of people affected by pancreatic cancer. We would however advise that prospective applicants read the Pancreatic Cancer UK Research Strategy in order to maximise the strategic alignment of their proposals. Researchers currently outside of pancreatic cancer are welcome to apply in collaboration with experts already working in the field.
Our Career Foundation Fellowship awards, which are for up to £300,000 for a maximum duration of 3 years. Having engaged with other funders (including NIHR, UKRI and Cancer Research UK), your eligibility to apply for their fellowship awards should NOT be affected by holding a Pancreatic Cancer UK Career Foundation Fellowship award.
Meet our 2022 Career Foundation Fellows and find out more about their projects.
Career Foundation Fellowship Review Panel
Chair and Co-Chair of the Fellowship Panel:
- Professor Michelle Garrett, Current Chair of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Professor of Cancer Therapeutics, University of Kent, UK
- Dr Stephanie Dougan, Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US
Technical Panel Members:
- Professor Tony Hollingsworth, Associate Director for Basic Research, University of Nebraska, USA
- Dr Gina DeNicola, Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Centre, Florida, US
- Professor Seth Coffelt, Junior Group Leader, CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, UK
- Professor Ilse Rooman, Professor, Vrije Universiteit, Belgium
- Dr Julie Guillermet-Guibert, Team Leader, INSERM, Toulouse, France
Lay Panel Members:
- Charles Czajkowski, Member of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), UK
- Joanna Allison, Member of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), UK
Key details
Eligible applicants include early career post-doctoral researchers (clinical and non-clinical):
- with limited experience (e.g. final year PhD students) in pancreatic cancer research and are beginning to develop their own research ideas and contribute to the field
- with experience of and contribution to pancreatic cancer research, but have yet to demonstrate the ability to develop and deliver their own independent research ideas
- with some experience of pancreatic cancer research who are re-entering the field following a career break
- with some experience and who have made contributions to other relevant research fields and/or disciplines for whom this will be their first application in pancreatic cancer
Maximum size of award: £300,000
Maximum duration: 3 years
Key dates
- Fellowships open for applications: 30th October 2023
- Application deadline: 1pm, Tuesday 30th January 2024
- Interviews: July 2024
- Funding decisions: August 2024
Before you apply
All applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the Guidance for Applicants and FAQs before completing their application.
All potential applicants and their Host Institutions should ensure that they have also reviewed Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Terms and Conditions, which set out the standard terms applicable to Career Foundation Fellowships funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Applicants can undertake a proportion of their Fellowship in another (UK based or non-UK based) Institute of a named Collaborator however, Pancreatic Cancer UK will contract with one UK-based Host Institution only and it will be the responsibility of the Host Institution to agree subcontracts with the other Institutions involved in the Fellowship. Our experience is that this subcontracting takes a significant amount of time, so we advise you to coordinate discussion with the Institutes involved as soon as possible as you are developing your proposal. Applicants undertaking a proportion of their Fellowship at another Institute with a named Collaborator will also be required to include a signed letter of support from the Finance Department of the Institute.
Applicants should be aware that their proposals will also be reviewed by people with lived experience of pancreatic cancer and are therefore strongly encouraged to demonstrate how they have already/intend to involve people with lived experience in the development and delivery of their work. At Pancreatic Cancer UK, we have a fantastic Research Involvement Network (RIN) made up of over 500 individuals that have been affected by pancreatic cancer including patients, carers, loved ones and survivors. They give valuable insight and help to ensure that research is centred around the needs of patients. If you would like members of RIN to help shape your application you can find out more about how to do this here. Please get in touch with the Research Team as soon as possible if you would like to discuss this further or if you have any questions.
How to apply
To apply, please submit your completed application form to research@pancreaticcancer.org.uk.
If you have any questions or queries about the Fellowship application process, we are more than happy to help or advise you. So please don’t hesitate to contact us on research@pancreaticcancer.org.uk.