Opportunity profile: The right tools to tackle dementia

Alzheimer’s Research UK hasn’t awarded a Travelling Research Fellowship for six years, despite twice yearly calls. Edward Pinches, a science media officer at the charity, tells Antoaneta Roussi how applicants can buck that trend.

Edward’s top tips

• Demonstrate that the skills or resources you seek to acquire with the fellowship can only be gained in the named laboratory abroad.
• Remember that travel may give access to study cohorts, not just research techniques.
• Back up your bid with letters of support from the labs involved.
• Show that you will be the real leader of the project you propose and aren’t piggybacking on a supervisor’s idea.

Alzheimer’s Research UK research fellowships come in a range of career-stage-dependent shapes and sizes. Of all of them the Travelling Research Fellowship seems to be the least frequently awarded. The scheme was launched in 2011, but there’s not been a fellow in this category since 2012.