The Academy of Medical Sciences is awarding grants of up to £100,000 as part of the Cross-Sector Experience Awards, which will allow winners to undertake three 12-month placements across different sectors.
This represents an intentional move to break down traditional barriers between sectors — including industry, the NHS and academia — other help encourage fresh pathways and ideas that bridge the public, private, and charitable sectors. The recipients of the awards will be able to return to their original roles following the placements, and will have lots of new ideas, expertise, and connections to support cross-sector partnerships.
The awards, particularly geared for individuals who want to access new research methodologies from other sectors, building cross-sector networks without leaving their position, and gain fresh perspective on complex health challenges, will be delivered in partnership with Wellcome, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The programme addresses findings from the Academy’s ‘Future-proofing UK Health Research’ report, which highlighted how the lack of movement across sectors suppresses innovation.
Professor James Naismith FRS FRSE FMedSci, vice president (non-clinical) at the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “The Academy’s mission is better health for everyone, and scientific breakthroughs are essential to achieve this. We’re creating opportunities for unprecedented knowledge exchange. Imagine a clinical researcher gaining fresh perspectives from Formula-One engineering, or a rare disease specialist collaborating with aerospace experts.
“The UK is a world leader in health research, and collaboration across academia, the NHS, the industry, and research funders is essential to our health and prosperity. However, the number of industrial placements, collaborative PhD studentships and collaborative postdoctoral researchers in pharmaceutical R&D has fallen.
“By facilitating temporary placements, our unique Cross-Sector Experience Awards makes sure researchers can see a wider world and make the connections that will drive the innovation that will benefit it us all.”
The application deadline for the second round of Cross-Sector Experience Awards is 27th February 2025, and full criteria and application details can be found on the Academy of Medical Sciences website.
