Getting your research funded (and other tips for early career cardiovascular investigators)

Approximately 2.5  years ago and after over 30 years of full-time engagement in cardiovascular research in a university environment, I joined the British Heart Foundation (BHF), one of the largest non-governmental funders of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Europe,1 as an Associate Medical Director for Research. My BHF role is on a part-time basis. Thus, while my current situation is not quite a case of ‘poacher turned game keeper’, with one foot still in the academic camp, my focus is now increasingly on helping empower exceptional researchers to undertake outstanding work, with a particular interest in assisting the development of those at the earlier stages of an academic career as principal investigator. Indeed, this is almost certainly the reason the Onlife editors atCardiovascular Research (a journal that is close to my heart, having served it as an Associate Editor in the 1990s and as an Editorial Board member since then) chose to ask me to contribute this article. I should stress from the outset that the views expressed in the article are entirely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of either of my institutions, the BHF and King ’s College London. Also, the primary objective of the article is to share my thoughts on factors that are likely to influence the chances of success in obtaining grant support, rather than addressing the widely recognized career development and progression challenges that face postdoctoral investi gators.2
Source: Cardiovascular Research - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research