Confidence in Concept Fund
Confidence in Concept (CiC) is part of the Medical Research Council's (MRC) translational research strategy. The aim of the funding available is to accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects.
Since the University's first CiC award in 2014, 105 projects have been funded. Our strategy has been to target funds into areas where Newcastle has internationally recognised research strengths in basic discovery science, experimental medicine and clinical trials including (but not limited to) rare diseases (mitochondrial and neuromuscular), liver disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. CiC projects have been delivered in diagnostic technologies, drug discovery and early phase clinical trials, all aligned to these patient groups.
Researchers at the University have achieved significant successes through past funding, including:
- awarding of follow-on funding, over 60% of which has focused on onward translation.
- granting of seven patent awards to research projects.
- the launch of three spin-out companies, including Changing Health, which was highlighted in the MRC's evaluation report on Translational Research 2008-2018 as an exemplar of CiC-funded research, having achieved NHS adoption and having significant patient impact.
- new industrial interactions and ongoing collaborations, including onward investment and joint research.
Current Call
In 2021, we aim to maximise translational research opportunities by supporting projects via a joint approach between the MRC CiC funding and the Newcastle University’s Wellcome Trust Translational Partnership (WTTP). The WTTP was established in October 2019 and has so far supported 19 small translational projects. It aims to provide a supportive environment for researchers to undertake translational research and in addition to project funding, a Translator in Residence can give expertise and guidance, bespoke training for researchers in translation can be provided and external expertise arranged to provide necessary guidance to projects. Awardees of this years CiC awards will be able to access this additional support from WTTP.
This year, Newcastle University's 2021 CiC award will consider smaller applications as result of the limit resource available. This funding will support investigators to undertake further scientific and technical development of an idea that is close to translation, to establish the scientific and/or commercial potential of a concept. Each project can apply for £25k-£100k, and projects must be no longer than 12 months in duration, with a strict finish date of 28 February 2023.
The closing date for Expressions of Interest is 24 September 2021.
If you have any questions about the fund please email cic.pm@newcastle.ac.uk.
Eligibility
Applications are accepted from:
- Newcastle University researchers and academics (including NHS staff with honorary University contracts)
- basic scientists
- clinician scientists
Scope
Applications relevant to any area of translational research are considered. Projects deemed to have the greatest potential for near-term impact and the ability to attract additional investment will be given priority. It is desirable that projects also include plans to create/develop new interactions aimed at forming partnerships for future translational funding opportunities.
The award will not fund:
- entire translational projects
- admin costs
- industrial partner costs
- staff between posts/funding or PhD studentships
- continuation of normal research grants
- costs related to the protection of IP
- staff exchange into a Newcastle University spin-out company
Projects should be no more than 12 months in duration and must finish by 28 February 2023. We will not permit extensions beyond this date.
Application process
There is a two-stage application process:
1. Expression of interest (EoI)
Three panel members (clinician scientist/non-clinician scientist/industry representative) and a representative from the University’s Global Challenges Academy review all EoIs and select projects for full application.
The closing date for Expressions of Interest is 24 September 2021.
Please read the CiC 2021 Guidance Document in full.
Complete the CiC 2021 EoI form.
Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application by end of November 2021.
2. Full application
Each application is reviewed by three panel members (clinician scientist/non-clinician scientist/industry representative) and a representative from the University’s Global Challenges Academy before being discussed by the full panel, which includes experts in methodology, clinical governance, clinical trial design and delivery and statistics.
Clinician scientists
- Prof John Isaacs (Panel Chair), Prof of Clinical Rheumatology; Associate Medical Director for Research, NuTH; Chair of the NHIP Research Innovation Strategy Group
- Prof John Simpson, Prof of Respiratory Medicine and Director, NIHR Newcastle Medtech and In vitro Diagnostic Co-operative
Non-Clinician scientists
- Prof Andrew Blamire (CiC lead for IAA Award), Dean of Translational & Clinical Research Institute and Prof of MR Physics
- Prof Steve Wedge, Prof of Stratified Cancer Medicine Discovery (formerly of AstraZeneca)
- Dr Julia Hubbard, Senior Research Associate in Drug Discovery (formerly of GSK)
Industry representatives
- Ms Meena Arora, Head of Global Medical Affairs, Amyrt Pharma PLC
- Prof Claire Harris, VP Head of Biology, Gyroscope Therapeutics
- Mr David Hill, Company Director, Ronin Solutions Ltd
- Dr David Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Iksuda Therapeutics
University representatives
- Dr Geraint Lewis, Director of Business Development and Enterprise (Medical Sciences)
- Dr Dale Athey, Translator in Residence (Wellcome Trust Translational partnership)
- Dr Clare Lendrem, Evaluation Methodologist / Statistician, NIHR Newcastle MIC
- Dr Amy Brown, Research Funding Development Manager - Experimental Medicine and Translational Research
- Dr Emma Campbell, Early Translational Development Manager (Wellcome Trust Translational Partnership)
- Dr Emma Burton, CiC Programme Manager
Assessment criteria
Applications are assessed on scientific grounds, with the potential to convert the CiC project to downstream translational research grants a key consideration. The criteria are adopted from the MRC’s guidance and include:
- quality (methodology, innovation, leadership, collaboration),
- impact (scientific question, knowledge gap, health and/or socioeconomic impact, resource of value to many disciplines),
- productivity (likelihood of delivery, use of resources).
Projects should be no more than 12 months in duration and must finish by 28 February 2023 (extensions beyond this date will not be permitted).
Project Management
We will arrange a project set-up meeting to review the stated aims, methodology and its milestones. It will confirm the funding and budget set-up requirements.
Progress reporting
Regular meetings will ensure effective monitoring of research progress. The allocated translational development manager will help develop follow-on funding applications.
Outcome reporting
Project end
There is a requirement to submit a short report once the project is complete. The business and translational development teams will advise with ongoing support. They will build external collaborations and develop follow-on funding applications.
Annual report
This report must include:
- follow-on funding applications (submitted/awarded)
- publications
- patents (applications/published)
- impact activities
- industry collaborations
- spin-out companies related to the project
This is a requirement by the Medical Research Council for the annual Researchfish submission. We use the report for the University’s annual renewal application for Confidence in Concept funding.
Project 1: Pharmacy enhanced services for people with type 2 diabetes
This project provided a digital platform for education and behaviour change for people living with type 2 diabetes.
Changing Health is a digital health service spin-out from Newcastle University. It delivered the national digital behaviour change platform. It also delivered the national type 2 diabetes digital education and behaviour change service. Both were for NHS England.
It is one of five providers for the national diabetes prevention programme. They delivered education and behaviour change to 200,000 people in England.
They provided digital education and behaviour change to 20 English clinical commissioning groups.
The service has licensed evidence-based programmes from other academic groups. These groups had previously found it difficult to commercialise digital behaviour change programmes.
Project 2: Mechanistic evaluation of stroke and mitochondrial dysfunction: toward clinically relevant therapies
This project aimed to test a range of parameters, including:
- demographic
- anthropomorphic
- physiological
- clinical
All testing occurred in a genetically defined group of patients with mitochondrial disease.
The project determined the patients' contribution to disease mechanisms. It also assessed their potential as clinical biomarkers and for clinical trials.
The project identified many clinical biomarkers and outcome measures. This data contributed to the largest clinical trial of a medicinal product in mitochondrial disease.
Project 3: Development of a non-invasive MRI method to image and quantify lung ventilation properties
This project investigated whether 19F-MRI of inhaled perfluoropropane could produce images of tracer distribution within the lung. It then explored if this data could provide reproducible metrics of lung ventilation properties.
Using this technique, we produced the first UK images of pulmonary ventilation properties. It demonstrated high reproducibility in a study of 12 healthy volunteers.
The project received MRC DPFS funding for scale-up of the methodology and next stage of human evaluation. The DPFS award has delivered robust scan methodology. We applied this in two-site UK studies of healthy volunteers and patients with respiratory.
The next steps of the translational pathway are being planned. This will test the ability to inform clinical decision-making. It will also implement the methods into clinical care pathways.