DETAILS OF LISTER RESEARCH PRIZE AWARDS

These Prizes are awarded to young clinical and non-clinical scientists to help them to pursue their personal research interests in biomedical science or related scientific areas as effectively as possible.

Prizes will be allocated on the basis of independent research-based proposals submitted to the Institute by the applicants and must be endorsed by the Head of Department. Proposals are assessed on the grounds of scientific quality and potential and are not constrained by diseases or disciplines.

The Prize award will be accompanied by a grant of £200,000 payable up front and usable over a period up to five years. The recipient will be known as a Lister Institute Research Prize Fellow for the whole of this five-year period.

Conditions

All recipients of the Research Prize must initiate the award period within 12 months of becoming eligible to use the funds. All the funds must be committed by the end of the fifth year.

Although the use of the funds is flexible and within the control of the Prize Fellow, outline spending plans should be submitted at the time of application. These can be altered with the Institute's approval at any time. By way of example, the money can be spent on equipment, travel, consumables, salaries for a replacement lecturer, visiting scientists, post-docs or PhD students etc. The money must not be spent on providing or augmenting a personal salary.

The award will be personal and transferable between all UK research institutions, subject to the Institute's approval. Any large items of equipment purchased using only the Institute's funds will be considered as owned by the recipient of the award and transferable, during the three-year period of the award, provided that the recipient remains a Lister Institute Prize-holder. The transfer of equipment purchased using more than one source of funds will be subject to negotiation between the respective institutions.

The Research Prize-holder must not spend more than six months abroad in any consecutive 12-month period and in total no more than one year over the course of the five years.

Every Research Prize-holder is expected to produce a short annual and detailed final report at the end of the fifth year and give talks at, and provide abstracts for, the annual Lister Fellows Meetings.

The money will be paid in advance to the Research Prize-holder via  the employing institution. Annual statements of expenditure must be produced by the employing institution and be endorsed by the Prize holder.

The Agreement to be signed will make clear that the Research Prize-holder
and any other people employed using the Institute's funds are not Lister employees.

The Lister Institute expects a share in the rights to any inventions made during the five-year period that arise from research supported in some way by its funds.

Every Research Prize-holder is encouraged to further the progress of his/her scientific research by seeking additional support for their work. However, the award-holder will be required to notify and disclose to the Institute all commercial agreements already entered into and particularly those relating to the assignment of patents and other similar rights. In addition, all Prize Fellows must notify the Institute before entering into any new agreements with commercial organisations during the period of the award.

Eligibility

Any post-doctoral scientist (clinical and non-clinical, including Research Council and research charity employees) who normally has guaranteed employment for the first three years of the award is eligible to apply. Typically they will be holders of university appointments and other equivalent research positions, or of long-term fellowships.

Regardless of nationality, the applicants must be employed by UK not-for-profit institutions, usually, but not exclusively, universities. The research should be such that the Institute achieves its educational and public benefit objectives.

Every applicant should have a minimum of three and less than ten years' post-doctoral experience by 1 October 2007.

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