McDonald Fully Funded Fellowships 2024
Applications for McDonald Fully Funded Fellowships 2024 are open to international students. Domestic students are not eligible for this fellowship. Candidates can be either the neighboring or the participant’s home country. This program is for young early-career multiple sclerosis researchers to take their academic careers to the next level. The duration of the program is two years. The deadline for this fellowship is June 30, 2024.
The McDonald Fellowship allows early-career multiple sclerosis researchers from low- and middle-income countries to work in a research institution outside their country. During the visit, participants either obtain expertise or carry out parts of joint research projects.
Following the award, we expect applicants will be able to use the newly developed expertise and networks, continuing to undertake MS research and patient care in low- and middle-income countries.
The fellowship consists of a two-year grant, around GBP 30,000 per year, to cover travel and living costs, and an additional GBP 2,000 per year to the host institution. We expect that part of the second-year grant to the host institution will be used to cover the candidate’s expenses to attend the annual congress of ECTRIMS, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS.
One Fellowship is awarded in partnership with ECTRIMS and is known as the MSIF-ECTRIMS McDonald Fellowship.
Another Fellowship is awarded in partnership with MSF’s member, ARSEP, The Fondation pour l’Aide à la Recherche sur la Sclérose En Plaques. This is known as the MSIF-ARSEP McDonald Fellowship.
Those who previously have held a Du Pré grant are eligible to subsequently apply for a McDonald Fellowship, but not the other way around.
Applicants are expected to return to their own countries at the end of the study period where they will contribute to advancing care and research in MS.
The McDonald fellowship may also be used to part-fund a Ph.D. program, where the applicants have already been accepted for the Ph.D. programme in a recognized institute (within the six months prior to application) but who doesn’t have enough funding to cover the total cost.
Applicants and Host supervisors are required to read and sign the Terms and Conditions of the award (see below).
The McDonald Fellowship should start within 12 months of being awarded the funding.
Brief details about this Fellowship 2024
- Location: Can be either the neighboring or the participant’s home country
- Type: Fully Funded
- Gender: Both
- Fields: Multiple Sclerosis
- Institution: A foreign institution or the participant’s Home country institution
- Duration: 2 years
Requirements of McDonald Fellowship 2024
Candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Be educated to post graduate level (at least MSc, preferably PhD/MD) in an area relevant to multiple sclerosis.
- Be citizens of a low- or middle-income country (all countries with a low, lower middle or upper middle income as defined by the World Bank)*
- Focus their research in an area relevant to multiple sclerosis.
- Working or studying in a low- or middle-income country (all countries with a low, lower middle or upper-middle income as defined by the World Bank) at the time of application.
- Working or studying in another country on a project which started within the six months prior to application.
- Studying in another country on a Du Pré grant project supported by MSIF.
Benefits of McDonald Fellowship Fully Funded
The following are the benefits:
- Applicants will receive GBP 30,000 per year
- Travel costs
- Living expenses
- An additional contribution of GBP 2,000 per year to the host institution
- Chance to improve your skills
- Friendly environment
Note:
- This is a joint application from the applicant and host. Before applying, candidates need to have identified a suitable project and host supervisor at an institution outside of their own country.
- A project host must be agreed upon before commencing the application.
Application Process for McDonald’s Fellowship 2024
How to apply:
- Identify your project and field of interest.
- Contact and agree on the project proposal with your host (project supervisor in a lab or clinic).
- Applicant completes all sections of the online application form
- After the Applicant submits, the Host is contacted to submit a supporting statement using the same application form.
- The applicant asks the three referees to send their reference letters to research{at}msif{dot}org well before 30 June deadline.
- Applicants must read the Terms and Conditions of the Award to understand requirements around reporting and payments.
- Applicants should pay close attention to the lay summary of the application. Advice on how to write a lay summary can be found at the bottom of this page.
*The host supporting statement is filled in once the Applicant has submitted their application. The proposed host will then be emailed with instructions to fill in the supporting statement in the application form in text only. This must be done before the deadline.
Information about the application of McDonalds Fellowship 2024
An integral component of the application is the 500-word lay summary.
Start your lay summary by introducing your topic of research and providing some background. Introduce what your research area is about, and why it is important. Then explain the specific problem your research proposal aims to solve, e.g. a gap in the literature, a scientific conflict, etc. Finally, summarise what impact your research would have on people affected by MS.
- Use simple language: Use simple, everyday language to explain your research proposal. Avoid using complicated words and phrases that may be difficult for a 12-year-old to understand. Words like “Remyelination, “demyelination”, and “myelin” are not common words and should be explained.
- Use concrete examples: Provide concrete examples to illustrate your research proposal. This will help the reader understand the research proposal more easily.
- Use analogies: Use analogies to explain difficult concepts. For example, the brain and nerves can be compared to a computer with wires that are insulated by myelin, the plastic wrapping of electric cables.
- Define technical terms: If you need to use technical terms, make sure to define them in simple language.
- Keep it short and simple: Focus on the key points and avoid going into too much detail, but use all 500 words to your disposal. Try to capture the big picture.
- Test it out: Before submitting your summary, test it out on a friend, family member, or colleague who is not educated in MS to see if they understand it. If not, make revisions until the summary is clear and easy to understand.
- Feel free to share the lay summary with the MSIF research team before submitting. Contact details can be found inside the application form.
