Call OUH Research Career Fund 2023

Launch of call	Application deadline	Assessment meeting
1 September 2023	25 October 2023, 11:59 PM	30 November 2023 (expected)

Proposals for the OUH Research Career Fund are invited.

One call a year is expected, see above. Please also pay attention to the equivalent regional fund with alternate deadlines.

Objective

The ambition of Odense University Hospital (OUH) is to be an attractive workplace with visible and flexible career paths for all researchers.

Skilled and committed clinicians and researchers are crucial to undertake research of high international quality, where research results create value for patients and relatives.

To reach this objective, OUH have set aside funding for a Research Career Fund available for postdoctoral fellowships and assistant professorships at OUH and SDU. Support from this fund will ease the possibility of early career researchers to continue their research with settled research time at least one research day a week alongside ongoing clinical obligations.

The funding supports clinical combination positions with determined redemption research time.

Requirements for applicants

All professional groups and research disciplines may apply, including clinical patient-related research, research of epidemiology, experimental laboratory research, and Health Services research.  

To be eligible for support from the fund, the following criteria must be met:

• In order to apply, the future postdoc/assistant professor must be or will be employed in a combined position between OUH and SDU. The research employment must be with SDU and the clinical employment must be at OUH. 
• Documented allocated research time for the research position must be attached with signature from the management of the clinical department.
• The research time must be at least 20 pct. (1 day/week) of the combined employment.
• Duration of redemption that can be applied from this fund:
  • 4 years for postdoctoral fellowships
  • 3 years for assistant professorships
• A maximum of DKK 120,000 per year can be granted.
• The significant part of the project must take place at OUH and the project must have a distinct clinical perspective relevant to OUH.
• The applicant has obtained a PhD degree within three years  or is about to obtain it (the PhD dissertation has been submitted for assessment before the application deadline)

A maximum of one grant per applicant can be obtained from the fund.

Eligible costs

• Own VIP salary – a maximum of 20 pct. (1 day/week) redemption for research time

Non eligible costs

• Salary for other researchers (SCS in English and VIP in Danish)
• Employment or co-financing of non-scientific staff (NSS in English, TAP in Danish) for research projects (e.g. biomedical laboratory technician, research nurses, etc.)
• Purchase of apparatus or other material for research projects
• Operating costs
• Other research-promoting purposes
• Overhead
• Open Access publication.

The OUH Research Support offers instructions on how to draw up a budget. If you request assistance, please contact reg.forskerservice@rsyd.dk.

How to submit an application

Applications must be submitted via the electronic application system efond. Please read and comply with the instructions given in efond and enter and upload the required information.

Please note that an application will be rejected on an administrative basis if it does not comply with the above requirements listed in the call.

Language

The application must be written in English.

Content of application

The following must be written in efond:

• A clear description of the following topics:
  • Layman’s resumé (in Danish)
  • Patient involvement in the research process 
  • Impact and significance for the citizens
  • Research Plan equivalent to one research day a week
  • Plan for articles to be prepared in relation to the research projects in the research plan
  • How the project supports elements in the current research strategy between OUH and KI
  • Applicant’s career plan (please also check template for career plan at the SDU web page)
  • Applicant’s collaborators (local, regional, national, international)

Appendices

Please upload the following mandatory appendices in PDF format: 

• A plan for attracting external funding for the projects in the portfolio (own salary if projects exceeds 2-3 years and/or exceeds 20 pct. (1 day/week) as well as operating costs etc.
• Short CV (please use this CV template at the SDU web page)
• Gantt chart
• Approval from both Head of Department and Head of Research at OUH stating that the projects can be carried out at OUH / that the applicant can be employed in a 20 pct. combined position between OUH and SDU, equivalent to one research day a week.

You may upload the following appendices:

• Figures to support your project description
• Authorisations, e.g. The National Committee on Health Research Ethics (Videnskabsetisk Komité), The Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet), Danish Medicines Agency (Lægemiddelstyrelsen) or other.

Budget information

In the budget section in efond (step 3), please state which years (and number of months) a possible grant from the Research Career Fund is to be used:

·       Year 1 = 2024

·       Year 2 = 2025

·       Year 3 = 2026

·       Year 4 = 2027

·       Year 5 = 2028

In the budget section in efond (step 3), please enter the expected full budget for the entire postdoc fellowships or assistant professorship projects including already obtained or expected funding and any other budget headings.

A confirmation by email will be sent from “efond” if the application is submitted correctly (please check your spam filter if you do not receive an email).

Assessment criteria

The application will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications of the applicant
• Scientific quality/relevance of the projects in Research Plan
• Strategic considerations related to the research strategy, in particular:
  • Research at a high international level with the potential of altering treatment of patients
  • Research and implementation of evidence-based treatment
  • Focus on the course of the patient’s treatment across professions, departments, hospitals and sectors
  • How patients and relatives are or may be involved in all phases of the research project.
• Plans for repatriation of external funding, articles, supervision of students
• Applicant’s career plan
• Applicant’s teaching portfolio
• Applicant's collaboration partners (internal and external) in the different projects

Assessment procedure

The submitted applications will be reviewed and prioritized by the committee of the Odense University Hospital’s fund for postdoctoral fellowships and assistant professorships at an assessment meeting.

All applicants will receive notice of the outcome of the application approximately three weeks after the assessment meeting.

Considerations

It is important to describe considerations about patient and relative involvement in the application. The involvement can take place throughout the entire research process. You can get more information at the ForSa-P web page, or find more inspiration at VIBIS (in Danish) or NIHS in the UK.

Examples of how and when patients and relatives can be involved:

• Clarification of research questions, outcome goals
• Co-creation of specific elements of a potential intervention
• Reading the application – especially Danish sections (layman’s description, descriptions to Ethical Committee of Science)
• Dissemination of research results

Questions and contact information

Please forward questions to ouh.forskning@rsyd.dk