Apply to join

Why join?­­­

Members of the Academy will be able to:

• search for and discover other researchers and research-ready community organisations with an interest in age-related research
• search for mentors
• find professional development opportunities
• access networking opportunities and participate in shared learning events
• access a jobs board on which vacancies on DMT-funded grants may be promoted.

There will also be opportunities for early career researchers to engage in strategy setting and attend grant awarding committee meetings.

Each year, we will make at least two awards: one for rising stars in age-related research and another for a senior researcher who exemplifies our principles providing flexible funding for three years to the winners.

Who can join?­­­

• Current, former and prospective DMT academic and clinical research award-holders and applicants.
• Members of the UKRI-funded ageing across the lifecourse interdisciplinary research networks and relevant membership bodies such as the British Geriatrics Society and the British Society of Gerontology.
• Research-ready* community organisations working with older people.
• Members of the Social Finance Learning Community.

* Community-led organisations which have previously been, or are currently, a co-applicant on a DMT-funded research grant, OR have a place on the DMT Capability Development Programme OR have an internally funded staff member with a research remit.  Community organisations which are care homes must also have successfully joined the NIHR run Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) initiative and Research Ready Care Home Network. NIHR have recently published guidance for care homes considering becoming involved in a research study which can be read here.

If you’re a funder of age-related research, you may wish to consider joining the UK Ageing Research Funders’ Forum.

What do I need to do?­­­

By making your profile publicly available, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits of joining the Academy.  It will appear similar to this:

If you have applied to us before, or reviewed for us, you will have already created a personal profile on our Grants Management System (Flexigrant®).  Simply login as usual, review that your profile is complete and up to date then go to the Application Portal and complete the short supplementary information form.  This is where you’ll be able to indicate whether you are open to becoming a mentor, or whether you’re looking for a mentor or collaborator, provide some keywords to indicate your interests and list any networks/membership bodies of which you are already a member.

If you’re an academic or clinical researcher, or a community organisation who hasn’t applied to us before, then click on Apply now to be taken to our Grant Management System, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Register. You’ll then be able to create a profile and complete the supplementary information form that you’ll find in the Application Portal. 

We really do hope you will want to join us – the more who do, the more useful it becomes.

For help, advice and questions, please email academy@dunhillmedical.org.uk.