The Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) is supported under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Research Partnership, with matched funding from UCD. It aims to help UCD’s researchers overcome systemic barriers to career and network development, ultimately unlocking future research potential within the University and beyond. The fund will support high-quality research in the biomedical and clinical sciences. It is also available to directly support research or collaborations within the medical humanities field. This award will enable UCD to strategically advance research in these areas and to leverage further external funding from agencies such as the EU and the Wellcome, amongst others.

In particular, the fund will be used to support initiatives in the Personalised & Translational Medicine and One Health* arenas, enablers for which include:

1. Facilitating the early stage research careers of clinicians, practitioners or other individuals in allied health professions within the medical and veterinary medical field.
2. Support for excellent mid-career academics who have suffered a loss of track record due to external circumstances such as changes in the national funding landscape and/or career break.
3. The development of internal teams of critical mass and external stakeholder networks through project management supports, patient and public involvement (PPI) and dissemination activities. Particular emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary research and on research that translates into real benefit for human or animal, patients and society. To enable inter­institutional activity, four cross­cutting initiatives will be funded for support:

1. Clinical Primer scheme
2. Mid-career Stimulus and Diversification scheme
3. Networks of Excellence scheme
4. Medical Humanities and Social Sciences Collaborative scheme

 

ISSF Management

This fund is managed by a Steering Committee which is chaired by the UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact Prof Orla Feely. The Steering Committee is comprised of: Directors of relevant Research Institutes Colleges; Representative Heads of Schools (or senior representatives) under the Personalised & Translational Medicine and One Health Remit; Health Research Partner; Research Careers Manager; and Director of Research Finance and Operations.

 

News

The Mid-Career Stimulus and Diversification scheme is now closed.

 

 

 

* One Health integrates human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science, and is ultimately aimed at preventing disease and improving the health of all species – animal and human.