To be eligible for the CS-IRG-NIG, the following requirements apply:
(i) Awardees of the following grants as PI/Co-PI* at the point of application will not be eligible for the NIG: A*STAR Investigatorship, NRF Fellowship, NMRC CSA and STaR, MOE Tier 2 and 3 grants, MOH/NMRC IRG-equivalent grants^.
*Co-PIs refer to PIs whose projects are jointly led by other PIs (e.g. projects under NMRC’s Bedside & Bench grant). They are not the same as, and should not be confused with Co-Investigators (Co-Is).
^NIC Ageing Grants (with the exception of Health and Longevity Catalyst Awards) are considered IRG-equivalent grants.
(ii) Applicants must not have received external competitive funding exceeding $500,000 (direct costs only), to conduct their own research project as the PI.
Applicants who are applying under the new investigator category (CS-IRG-NIG) have to work with a mentor for guidance in their research. This mentoring will provide support for a period of supervised research leading eventually to the clinical investigators conducting larger scale research projects independently. Please note that the NIG is intended to fund a new investigator’s independent project, and not to provide additional funding for the mentor's project (or clinical trial).