i. The duration of funding support is 3 years, at the point of application.

ii. Each proposal is capped at S$120,000. This should be used primarily for clinicians to off‐set his / her research project expenses with an aim to generate useful data for subsequent research study.

i. Pitch‐for‐Funds is only applicable for hospital‐based ACPs.

ii. Each ACP is allowed only one PFF at any period. Overlapping of PFF is not allowed and ACP should write in to JOAM for approval with strong justification to put up a case. Information on the utilisation rate and amount ringfenced for awarded projects, if any, for the current PFF should be provided as part of the justification.

iii. If the utilisation rate of the current PFF is less than 50% of approval grant amount (i.e. less than S$60,000) 6 months before award end date, and there is no amount ringfenced for other projects, ACPs should submit an extension request for the current PFF and use the current funding to conduct the next grant call instead of applying for a new PFF.

Nurturing Clinician Scientist Award (NCSA)

i. The duration of funding support may range for a year and up to a maximum of 3 years, at the point of application.

ii. Each proposal is capped at S$200,000.

Nurturing Clinician Innovator Award (NCIA)

i. The duration of funding support may range for a year and up to a maximum of 3 years, at the point of application.

ii. Each proposal is capped at S$150,000.

Clinician Investigator Development Award (CIVDA)

i. The duration of funding support may range for a year and up to a maximum of 2 or 3 years, at the point of application.

ii. Each proposal is capped at S$75,000 for a tenure of up to 2 years OR S$100,000 for a tenure of up to 3 years.

Each awardee, with endorsement and support of his / her HOD, is expected to have at least 20% protected time set aside for research. While the awardee is in the IDP / Khoo Scholars Programme, requirements of the programme(s) shall apply. For an awardee who is a Resident with PhD, ACGME residency guidelines shall then apply. 

i. Each NCRS awardee must enrol into Duke-NUS CCS+D’s (Centre for Clinician Scientist+ Development) Individual Development Plan (IDP), with the aim of preparing for a national grant application by the end of their NCRS award period. They may be further advised to join the Khoo Scholars Programme and / or the ACE in Grants Programme that are run by CCS+D, as deemed appropriate by their CCS+D mentors.

ii. The NCRS candidate should be a qualified medical doctor / dental specialist registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) / Dental Specialist Accreditation Board (DSAB) respectively, and employed to perform clinical duties in a SingHealth institution (hereinafter referred to collectively as “clinicians”). Additional SMC or DSAB certified qualifications, such as PhD, MCI or equivalent, are preferred.

iii. Residents who are in their final year of residency and have a MD-PhD / MBBS-PhD background (including A*STAR MD-PhD Scholars / Duke-NUS MD-PhD graduates) and SingHealth CS-Residents in final year of residency are eligible to apply for this talent development funding support if the following 2 criteria are met:

a. Expected to be employed by one of the SingHealth Institutions after official exit from Residency before / by grant start date
b. Expected to become an Associate Consultant shortly after joining the SingHealth Institution

The candidate must be supported by the potential employing institution and the ACP with which the nominee will be associated, upon their successful exit from their Residency Training Programmes.

*Kindly note that the applicant is only eligible for the funding support if he / she meets criteria (i) and (ii). Residents are encouraged to prepare and apply no more than 6 – 12 months before the official exit from Residency.

iii. A nursing or allied-health practitioner with a relevant PhD qualification, who performs clinical duties, conducts research in clinical settings or research with clinical and healthcare applications / relevance and aspires to become a clinician-researcher, may be considered. Such a nominee must be strongly supported by the ACP with which the nominee is associated.

iv. The nominee must not be a scientist or staff with non-medical degree and whose primary career commitment is to perform research.

v. The nominee must not be past recipient of a NCSS / NCRS award.

vi. The nominee must not be a past / current recipient of national grants e.g. National Medical Research Council (NMRC) grants (except NMRC Research Training Fellowship (RTF)).

vii. After receiving the NCRS grant, the applicant must not have received internal funding (e.g. institution funding, SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC funding) to conduct their own research project as PI which cumulatively exceeds S$300,000, and must not have received internal and external funding (e.g. industry, external funding agencies) to conduct their own research project as PI which cumulatively exceeds S$500,000. This is to ensure financial prudence and that the applicant can fulfil the eligibility criteria for NMRC CS-IRG-NIG application, in the event that the NCRS awardee is unable to secure a TA or CSA-INV award. The ultimate intent is for Clinician Researchers to obtain national or external funding.

viii. For a clinician (with MBBS / MD / BDS) applying for NCSA / NCIA, the maximum number of years after exiting from specialist training should not exceed 5 years; and for a PhD holder who is applying on an exception basis, the maximum number of years of post-doctoral experience is 5 years post PhD. This is to align with NMRC’s eligibility criteria of ≤8 years post specialist exit / post PhD for TA application.

*Candidates who do not fulfil point 8 due to special circumstances should contact the NMRC TA Coordinator to enquire if such circumstances will be considered for exception for the purpose of TA application. NMRC response should be submitted as supporting document together with the application materials.

ix. A CIVDA candidate should demonstrate prior research experience such as past / current participation in research, with at least 3 publications.