Fellowship Coaching Program

The Fellowship Coaching Program is an initiative by the ANZBMS Early Career Investigator Committee (ECIC). This program will support two early career investigators (ECIs) with their NHMRC Investigator Grant applications for the next submission round. It is an opportunity for selected ECIs to each be coached by two mid-career investigators (MCIs) who will provide feedback to strengthen the track record, research impact and leadership sections of their application. A panel of senior researchers from the society will also review each application and provide a final round of expert feedback.

To be eligible, ECIs must have previously submitted a NHMRC Investigator Grant or have a current application under consideration. Previous applicants from the 2021-2022 pilot program and the 2023 program have found the experience of being coached by MCIs valuable. 

                             “It was a fantastic program, particularly because most other mentoring programs are not targeted and often involve mentors who sometimes have            different challenges from mentees”.   -Previous Program Participant

The exact starting date of the program will depend on the confirmed submission date for the scheme. The program will commence approximately 8 months prior to the submission date and includes two rounds of revision and feedback from the MCIs before a final review by a panel of senior researchers. ECIs interested in applying for a place in this program must make themselves available for all meetings and commit to all deliverables and deadlines outlined in the timeline below.

 

We are currently seeking expressions of interest for the Fellowship Coaching Program 2024!

 

To express interest in the program, please complete the applicant details in this FORM and return to ecic@anzbms.org.au by the 7th March 2024. Applicants will be assessed based on their top 10 publications. We encourage ECIs to apply even if they currently have an NHMRC Investigator Grant application under consideration.

To maintain confidentiality and respect the intellectual property of the project, this program will be focused strictly on the research impact and leadership sections of your NHMRC Investigator Grant application, not the research proposal. Please do not include any research proposals when applying for the program. Applicants are expected to develop their research proposal section independently from this program. However, to help provide context for the coaches, applicants will be asked to provide their synopsis and a lay summary of their proposal.

 

PROPOSED TIMELINE

The proposed timeline below outlines each step of the program, and the amount of time between each step. The dates included are an example based on an anticipated mid-November submission date but are subject to change depending on the confirmed NHMRC application close date. Note that the steps and duration between steps may also be refined if necessary.

 

 

Program Step

Week Ending

 

Submit first draft for coaches to review

3 weeks

15th March 2024

 

 

First meeting with coaches to receive feedback

6 weeks

5th April 2024

 

 

Submit revised second draft for coaches to review

4 weeks

17th May 2024

 

 

Second round of coach feedback received

4 weeks

14th June 2024

 

 

Submit revised documents to senior panel

5 weeks

12th July 2024

 

 

Senior panel discussion

3 weeks

16th August 2024

 

 

Second meeting with coaches to receive feedback

3 weeks

6th September 2024

 

 

Submit revised draft for final coach review

3 weeks

27th September 2024

 

 

Final meeting with MCI for feedback

2 weeks

16th October 2024

 

 

Application finalised for submission

~1-2 weeks prior to external NHMRC application close date

1st November 2024

 

     


Please contact us at ecic@anzbms.org.au if you have any queries or require any further information.