NHG LKCMedicine Clinician Scientist Preparatory Programme (CSPP)

a) Doctors (i.e. clinically qualified with MD/MBBS/BDS) enrolled in the NHG Residency Programme; or with primary appointments as Associate Consultants at NHG institutions.
OR
b) Health science / healthcare professionals with non-medical degrees, such as nurses, pharmacists and other allied health professions (as listed on MOH's website) in clinical practice, with primary appointments at NHG institutions and at least 3 years of clinical or relevant experience. Others may contact the Secretariat for discussion on suitability of the programme. Applicants should have at least a Bachelors (Hons)/Masters with an Upper Second, preferably First class honours degree in a relevant field. Experience as first or co-author of research publications is preferred but not required.

All applicants should also fulfil the following criteria:
a) Is interested in research but have little or no research experience; and
b) Able to commit time to complete the required CSPP research training.
c) Applicants are recommended to commit an estimated 0.1FTE to complete their research project within the award period, with the approval from their Reporting Officer.

Interested clinicians are strongly encouraged to contact the CSPP Secretariat for discussion on suitability of the Programme prior to applying.

Each applicant is required to nominate a mentor from NHG and a mentor from LKCMedicine (subject to approval by the review committee) to guide them in their research project. They should approach and discuss the details of the project with their nominated mentors.

The Review Panel will approve the choice of mentors based on the following eligiblity requirements:

a) Is a clinician/ scientist; if scientist, additional requirement of a co-supervisor who is a clinician;
b) Has had experience as a Principal Investigator (PI) in a relevant area of research;
c) Has a strong foundation and knowledge in proper conduct of research; and
d) Has had experience in supervising or providing mentorship to junior investigators in their research work.

Nominated mentor(s) are recommended, but not limited to be (1) NMRC TA / CSA past or current recipient, (2) Director of Research, (3) CSCS past or current awardee or (4) Academy of Clinician Scientists and Innovators (ACSI) Mentor.

Applicants may contact the CSPP Secretariat if they require assistance in identifying appropriate mentor(s).

Applicants are required to submit all application documents (Table 1) in softcopy to the CSPP Secretariat at NHG Group Research and Innovation through their Institution’s Clinical Research Unit (CRU) / Clinical Research and Innovation Office (CRIO).

The Institution’s CRU / CRIO will set internal deadlines for the submissions and ensure that the respective documents reach the CSPP Secretariat by the stipulated deadline. Please check with your institutions for these deadlines. Applications submitted after the call closing date and time will not be considered.

This document contains important information about the objective of the scheme, award components, eligibility, application procedure, and evaluation criteria, etc., and should be read carefully before proceeding to apply.

Download the latest CSPP Information Sheet.

The CSPP Application package consists of the following documents:
1. Information Sheet
2. Application Form
3. Application Checklist (for reference only)
4. NHG Funding Guidelines (CSPP)

Download the latest CSPP Application Package.

The CSPP Forms & Templates zip folder consists of the following documents:
1. CSPP Variation Forms - Budget Variation, Unbudgeted Item, Time Extension, Change of Scope
2. CSPP Interim Report Template
3. CSPP Final Report Template
4. Annex for CSPP Interim & Final Report Template (Research Outcomes Tracking)
5. NHG Research Funding Guidelines – CSPP
6. CSPP Acknowledgement for Supplementary Readings

Download the latest CSPP Forms & Templates Package.