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Harry Morton Travelling Fellowship
Applications are invited for the Harry Morton Travelling Fellowship. This award provides funding to support trainee surgeon visits to Canada that last between a 3 and 24-month duration.
Value of the award
The purpose of this travelling fellowship is to advance and promote the study of and research in surgical training, and the practice of research.
There are two fellowships available, up to the value of £10,000 each.
Conditions for award
Harry Morton Travelling Fellowships are made on the understanding that the host centre, the supervisor and the applicant agree to accept the terms and conditions relating to the scheme and any amendments issued during the course of the award. The project should commence within six months of the award date.
Application
Applications must include the following and be made via the Flexi Grant portal in the 2025 Travel Awards.
- An application form (via application portal).
- A letter of support from the head of the department, or consultant, under whom the applicant is currently working (document uploaded to portal).
- A letter of support from another, independent referee (document uploaded to portal).
- Confirmation from the Institute you are visiting (document uploaded to portal).
AI Based Application Success Predictor
1. Clear and direct surgical relevance
Winning proposals:
Improve operative outcomes
Reduce postoperative complications
Advance surgical technique
Integrate novel technologies into surgery
Address unmet needs in perioperative care
Indirect medicine → lower success.
2. Strong feasibility + pilot data
Key predictor:
Small cohort pilot results
Proof-of-concept in simulation or models
Validated measurement tools
Proposals without feasibility evidence score much worse.
3. Impact on patient safety and quality of care
RCSEng strongly values:
Reduced surgical morbidity/mortality
Lower healthcare burden
Shorter length of stay
Enhanced recovery pathways (ERAS)
“Impact on practice” must be explicit.
4. Early career trajectory demonstrated
Awardees often show:
Stewardship of small grants
National presentations (e.g., ASiT, BAOMS, BOTA, RCS events)
First-author surgical publications
Trajectory matters more than volume.
5. Excellent mentorship environment
Fellowship success correlates with:
Proven supervisors with surgical research track records
Clear oversight structure
Interdisciplinary team support (stats, methodology)
Weak mentorship = reviewer concern.
6. Access to relevant surgical infrastructure
Patterns show advantage when applicants demonstrate:
Clinical research facilities
Operating theatre access
Surgical simulation labs
Biomechanics or imaging cores
Environment strength is a predictor.
7. Clear training & development plan
For fellowships:
Research skills acquisition
Statistical training courses
Imaging/AI modules
Clinical trial methodology training
RCSEng rewards skills growth, not just project results.
8. Defined endpoints & measurable milestones
Winning applications specify:
Timelines
Recruitment criteria
Success metrics
Contingencies
Vague milestones → weaker scores.
🔬 Research Themes With Historically Strong Performance
Commonly funded domains:
Surgical oncology
Trauma & orthopaedics
Robotics & minimally invasive surgery
Surgical simulation / education
Infection prevention
Surgical decision-support tools
Biomaterials & tissue engineering
AI for intraoperative navigation
🛡️ Safe, ethical, reproducible science
Panels reward:
Clear risk mitigation
Blinding/controls when appropriate
Data governance & anonymisation
Mistakes here damage scores.
🧠 Applicant Profile Patterns
Successful candidates tend to have:
3–6 surgical specialty publications
Active national society involvement
Abstracts/podium presentations
Multidisciplinary collaborations
“Active in the surgical research community” matters.
🧵 Common Reviewer Criticisms
Frequently observed:
Aim creep (too many questions)
Weak statistical planning
Over-promise, under-justify
Unrealistic recruitment assumptions
Unclear clinical adoption pathway
🧰 Methodologies That Score Well
Historically:
Prospective cohort studies
Surgical simulation outcomes
Health economics (cost-effectiveness)
Machine learning for operative decision-support
Biomechanical validation
Perioperative care optimization
📉 Lower-Success Patterns
Applications often fail when:
Research is primarily basic biology with no surgical angle
The problem size (burden) is not justified
The plan depends on unavailable resources
There’s weak national significance
🩺 Equity, diversity, and public health impact
Growing importance:
Surgical access disparities
Outcomes in underserved populations
Digital access gaps
Adding these strengthens the proposal.
📑 Institutional Commitment Signals
Awardees often show:
Protected research time
Access to clinical trials units
Supervisory committees
Letters committing resources
No institutional support = red flag.
🧭 Meta-Pattern (Simplified)
Successful RCSEng applications demonstrate:
✅ directly surgical relevance
✅ feasibility backed by pilot evidence
✅ career development structure
✅ measurable impact on patient outcomes
✅ strong supervision + institutional support
Weak applications:
❌ basic science with no surgical translation
❌ overly ambitious multi-aim scope
❌ unclear statistical strategy
❌ no risk mitigation plan
✅ Short Summary
You are more likely to win RCSEng funding if your application:
Improves surgical outcomes
Has supporting preliminary data
Develops your academic surgical career
Uses realistic, measurable deliverables
Demonstrates strong mentorship and environment
Shows clear patient benefit and NHS relevance
Specialties
Eligibility Requirements
- The fellowship is open to all trainee fellows/members of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
- Successful applicants must remain in a good standing order with their membership fees throughout the tenure of the award.
- It may be held in any institution in Canada, approved by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
- Candidates must be sponsored by the head of the department where the research will be conducted, who can offer facilities and technical assistance for research in the appropriate field.
- Applicants should not have received a travelling fellowship from RCS England before.
The awards may be used across a 3 to 24-month period. Awards must be used exclusively to support the award holder’s research as described in the application form and may not be used for their own personal salaries. The award may be used, among other things, towards accommodation while in Canada, small items of equipment, for consumables or for technical assistance.
Sponsor Details
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: The Royal College of Surgeons of England
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: 38-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
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Grant, Fellowship, Travel Grant
Letter Of Intent Deadline:
Nov 25, 2025
Final Deadline:
Nov 25, 2025
Funding Amount:
$2,631
5 awards available. £2,000
Host Details
Affiliation: The Royal College of Surgeons of England
Address: 38-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.
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