Apply for McDonald Fellowship 2016

Applications are being sent for the McDonald Fellowships. Every year the MS International Federation offers a number of McDonald Fellowships to young researchers from emerging countries. Fellowships enable the recipient to travel to an established research institution to work with leading researchers in MS, with a view to returning to their own country to establish a programme of MS research that involves the application of the newly learned techniques.

Professor McDonald had a monumental impact on MS research, treatment and understanding, providing invaluable breakthroughs in the field. He was a member of the MS International Federation’s International medical and scientific board from 1980 and its chairman from 1999 to 2003. The McDonald Fellowship was formerly known as the Du Pré Fellowship. It is anticipated that the award may be seen as a contribution to the country from which the candidate comes, as a step toward establishing greater expertise in MS research in that country.

Fellowship

•  The fellowship consists of a two-year grant, around UK £30,000 per year, to cover travel and living costs, and an additional contribution of UK £2,000 per year to the host institution.
• We anticipate that part of the second-year grant to the host institution will be used to cover the expenses of the candidate attending the annual congress of ECTRIMS, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS.
• The fellowship may also be used as a supplement for work related to MS by a candidate who has been accepted for training in a recognised institute (within the six months prior to nomination) but who doesn’t have enough money to cover the total cost.

Eligibility

• Candidates must be under 35 at the time of application and must be citizens of an emerging country as defined by the World Bank. *Emerging countries are all countries with a low, lower middle or upper middle income as defined by the World Bank.
• Candidates must be working or studying in an emerging country at the time of nomination or working or studying in another country on a project which started within the six months prior to nomination or studying in another country on a project supported by an MS International Federation grant.
• The candidate’s focus of research should be an area of neuroscience relevant to MS.
• Before nomination, candidates need to have identified a suitable project and discussed their involvement with the project supervisor of the institution.
• Due to a possible funding opportunity that has arisen, organizers are interested in applications from researchers planning to travel to Belgian MS centres or research institutions.
• The research should be in an area that makes it likely that the studies and expertise can be transferred to the candidate’s home country.

Application Process

Sign up for the fellowship.

Deadline: June 30, 2016

For more information, visit McDonald Fellowship.