The Lister Prize application forms are available from July and the deadline to return is September, please check the website and Linked in page for up to date information for this year. The date listed in September is a hard deadline and cannot be changed as we need to adhere to strict timelines so that the process runs smoothly for all.
The deadline for submitting your application is in September. Please see here for this year’s timeline. All applications are then sent to members of our Scientific Committee (SC) for review. From the initial applications roughly a third are longlisted, you will be informed in January if you have been selected. In February, the longlisted applications are then sent out for independent, external peer review which is then shared with the SC for final evaluation and scoring. From this the shortlist is chosen and typically 10-11 are interviewed. Interviews are held in May at the Royal Society in London.
The award will start on the 1st October on the year that the Prize was awarded and finish on the 30th September of the fifth year.
The aim of the interview is for you to demonstrate the importance and scientific validity of your work. You will also need to describe why a Prize from the Lister Institute is important and how it will be transformative for you.
The interviewing panel will be made up of the full Scientific Committee excluding any conflicts
The interview will consist of:
A 5-minute presentation
Up to 25 minutes for discussion on slides and Interview questions
Yes you can. The Lister Prize remit is broad, and we welcome applications from all areas of biomedical research although we are keen to see the impact your research has in the real world.
Yes, you are! As long as your research area comes under the umbrella of Biomedical Science then you are eligible, and we encourage you to apply.
Yes, absolutely. Although we acknowledge that a high number of our Fellows are focused on wet lab approaches at the Lister, we are open to all research environments spanning across biomedical science.
The years post doc starts from when you are awarded your PhD or MD. We do take into account time away from research such as parental leave or if you have been working full time in a clinical setting or full-time teaching post.
Yes, you are, any career breaks are considered. If you are unsure please contact secretary@lister-institute.org.uk with a summary of your career breaks and a copy of your CV. If you take the amount of time since you received your PhD and subtract the amount of time you have had for career breaks and that equals less than 10 years, you are eligible. We only consider actual maternity leave taken.
Yes, you are still eligible as long as you are within the 10 years post doc at the point of applying for the award.
If grant funded, the applicant must have funding for their personal salary in place for 3 years from the proposed start date of the grant i.e., one year after the application date. The Head of Department’s letter must include confirmation that they will guarantee the salary in cases where the grant funding is due to finish sooner than 3 years.
If you have been working full or part time in a clinical setting or full-time teaching post, please subtract the amount of time you have spent away from research since your PhD or MD (whichever is the earlier) and if that equals less than 10 years, you are eligible.
The Lister Award is a prize of a flat rate of £300,000 which can be spent over 5 years. How you spend the money is very flexible however it must support the aims of your research and you cannot pay for your own salary.
What you can do is to employ someone else to take over your teaching responsibilities for the duration of the award so that your time is freed up to focus on research. You can also employ a post doc, technician, or PhD student – whatever is best to support your research.
The funds can be used for running costs, equipment or to pay for central services. A contribution to overheads is also allowable, but this is charity funding and the University should use QR funding to cover overhead costs.
If you wanted to continue with your teaching/admin duties throughout the five years, then you may do that. Alternatively, it may be that you would want to use the money to fund a replacement to cover your commitments so that you can focus on your research. The award is extremely flexible, and the only rule is that you cannot use it for your own personal salary.
The Lister award is a Prize rather than a grant, so you are given the £300,000 to allocate as you wish over the 5-year period. With all of our Fellows the money is typically spent over a 5-year period. No cost extensions can be agreed with the Institute’s Director but are not anticipated.
The Lister Institute’s competitive research prizes give young scientists the opportunity to develop their potential through flexible funding over a five-year period. The awards are aimed at younger, researchers in the early years of running their own groups, for whom receipt of the prize would make a significant difference to their research work.