NHG LKCMedicine Clinician Scientist Preparatory Programme Plus (CSPP Plus)
Introduction
The NHG-LKCMedicine Clinician Scientist Preparatory Programme Plus (CSPP+) is a joint programme between National Healthcare Group (NHG) and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) that aims to prepare clinicians to embark on formal research training leading to PhD in the early phase of their research careers.
The programme would also help them to build up their research experience and generate preliminary data in preparation for competitive research.
Awardees will be offered access to LKCMedicine’s library resources during the term of the award.
Award Components
Each awardee will receive the following funding support under the CSPP+ award:
-
Project funding quantum of up to S$30,000, for up to 1 year; and
-
Salary support for research FTE of up to 0.3FTE, for up to 1 year
-
Up to 0.2FTE* will be provided by NHG Group Research & Innovation
-
Additional top-up of at least 0.1FTE will be provided by the NHG Host Institution
-
Salary support will cover the total annual compensation, inclusive of salaries, CPF, fringe benefits, as well as bonus / incentive payments.
-
* Annual salary cap by awardee’s clinical designation (Table 1) will apply. NHG Host institution will need to top up the difference if the awardee’s salary exceeds the applicable annual salary cap.
Table 1: Annual Salary Cap by Clinical Designation |
|
Clinical Designation |
Annual Salary Cap |
Consultant |
S$200,000 |
Associate Consultant |
S$150,000 |
Senior Resident |
S$120,000 |
Health Science / Healthcare Professional |
S$100,000 |
Application
Eligibility
a) Doctors (i.e., clinically qualified with MD/MBBS/BDS)
– Senior Residents enrolled in the NHG Residency Programme with indication
of continuation with NHG or Associate Consultants or Consultants (no more
than 5 years post-residency exit) with primary appointments 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 CSPP Secretariat for discussion on suitability of the programme. Applicants
should have attained at least 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:
-
Have completed the NHG-LKCMedicine Clinician-Scientist Preparatory Programme (CSPP) with good outcomes;
-
Able to commit up to 0.3FTE to complete their research project within the award period, with the approval of their Reporting Officer;
-
Demonstrates commitment to pursue the LKCMedicine PhD by Research Programme.
Interested clinicians are strongly encouraged to contact the CSPP Secretariat for discussion on suitability of the Programme prior to applying.
Mentorship
Each applicant is required to nominate a mentor from NHG and a mentor from LKCMedicine (subject to approval by the Review Panel) to guide them in their research project. They should approach and discuss the details of the project with their nominated mentors.
The mentor should be an established clinician scientist or clinical scientist who:
a) Is involved in research with significant impact on clinical care;
b) Has had experience as Principal investigator (PI) in a relevant
area of research;
c) Has strong foundation and knowledge in research methodology and
conduct;
d) Has obtained intramural/extramural grant(s) during the past 5
years;
e) Has an established research track record; and
f) Has had experience in supervising or providing research
mentorship to junior investigators or peers.
Nominated mentors should be eligible to be PhD supervisor / co-supervisor and at least one mentor should be medically qualified.
Applicants may contact the CSPP Secretariat if they require assistance in identifying appropriate mentor(s) or refer to the Academy of Clinician Scientists and Innovators (ACSI) mentors’ directory.
Application Period
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.
Table 2: CSPP+ Application Timeline |
|
Call Opening |
15 Apr 2025 (Tue) |
---|---|
Full Application Submission Deadline:
|
27 May 2025 (Tue), 12pm (SGT) |
Resources
NHG-LKCMedicine CSPP+ Information Sheet - FY2025
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.
NHG-LKCMedicine CSPP+ Application Package - FY2025
The CSPP+ Application Package consists of the following documents:
1. Information Sheet
2. Application Form
3. Budget Breakdown Form
4. Application Checklist (for reference only)
5. NHG Funding Guidelines (CSPP+)
Download the latest CSPP+ Application Package.
NHG-LKCMedicine CSPP+ Forms & Templates Package
The CSPP+ Forms & Templates zip folder consists of the following documents:
1. CSPP+ Variation Forms - Budget Variation, Unbudgeted Item, Change of
Scope
2. CSPP+ Final Report Template
3. Annex for CSPP+ Final Report Template (Research Outcomes Tracking)
4. NHG Research Funding Guidelines – CSPP+
Download the CSPP+ Forms & Templates Package here.
Past CSPP+ Awardees
Download the list of past CSPP+ Awardees.
Contact information
For more information and further enquiries, please contact the CSPP Secretariat:
Ms Caslyn Chen
Clinician Scientist Development Office
NHG Group Research & Innovation
Tel: (65) 6038 3630
Email: caslyn_yx_chen@nhg.com.sg
Ms Syarafina Hasan
Clinician Scientist Development Office
NHG Group Research & Innovation
Tel: (65) 6038 3634
Email: syarafina_hasan@nhg.com.sg