Musculoskeletal Excellence & Innovation Award

Musculoskeletal Excellence & Innovation Award

Current Application Deadline: 31 July 2026 23:59

Example of an application for this award to show how the award could be used

The MACP is committed to facilitating the development and maintenance of excellent contemporary clinical knowledge and skills across musculoskeletal healthcare. In line with this objective, this award (formerly known as the Maitland Fellowship) has been reimagined to reflect the evolving landscape of advanced musculoskeletal practice and the MACP's strategic vision. It continues to honour the legacy of Geoffrey Maitland, whose clinical expertise and commitment to excellence has inspired countless clinicians, while broadening its scope to support members across the full spectrum of advanced practice. The award supports members in pursuing high-quality, practice-changing experiences that advance their clinical, educational, leadership, and/or research development in the pursuit of advancing the wider musculoskeletal physiotherapy community.

Criteria for Applications

• Applicants must be full members of the MACP.
• Members may apply before 31st July 2026 for a clinical study visit that will occur between 1st November 2026 and 31st October 2027
• Applicants who have previously received this award may reapply after a minimum of one elapsed year since the completion of their successful visit.

Applicants must justify how the visit will:

• Facilitate and provide unique learning opportunities to enhance their clinical knowledge and skills.
• Offer opportunities to observe or experience innovative practice, education, leadership, or research development.
• Contribute to ongoing influence on their clinical practice and professional development.
• Enable them to inform other members of their experiences and disseminate the knowledge and skills acquired.
• Strengthen alignment with the MACP's strategic vision and contribute to raising the profile of musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

Nature of the Visit:

Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed visit contributes to one or more of the four pillars of Advanced Practice (clinical practice, education, leadership, research), clearly articulating how the experience will advance excellence in musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

• Clinical practice — observation of and immersion in innovative clinical practice at a recognised centre of excellence.
• Education — mentorship development, advanced teaching practice, or engagement with educational innovation in musculoskeletal healthcare.
• Leadership — visits that develop leadership capabilities, build professional networks, or strengthen the applicant's contribution to the musculoskeletal healthcare community.
• Research and evidence-informed practice — formal research training, translational research development, or the application of emerging evidence to clinical practice.

Please note: proposals focused exclusively on primary research remain under the remit of the MACP Research Award and are not supported by this award.

How to apply:

• Provide full details of the proposed visit (name of institution, proposed programme, dates and the names of all clinicians involved in the visit)
• A supporting statement of up to 800 words to justify the benefits of the proposed visit
• Details of projected costings (Within the breakdown of costs, please note that travel and accommodation expenses should be kept to a minimum (for example, second-class rail, standard mileage, and budget accommodation). 
• Applicants must submit a CV (maximum 1 page A4)
• Applicants must include a letter of support from their employer, if appropriate
• Applicants must submit a letter from the clinician and relevant clinical centre/institution confirming support for the clinical study visit.

• References are required from two other MACP full members

Review of Applications:

• Applications will be judged by the Committee for Education and Approval
• Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome within 6 weeks of the submission deadline.
• The MACP reserves the right to either share or not grant an award in any year or consecutive years 

Conditions of the Award:

• Any publications/presentations that relate to work supported by the award should acknowledge the contribution of the MACP
• The successful applicant will be required to produce a 1500-word report, which will be uploaded to the MACP website, within 3 months of the end of the period of study.
• A blog or podcast detailing the benefits of the experience will also be requested to promote the award to prospective candidates in the future or a presentation at the AGM within two years of receiving the award
• Any applicant not meeting this requirement will normally be required to reimburse the MACP for the full amount of the award.

We encourage all members to promote the MACP when undertaking their CPD activity by tagging the MACP on its social media channels and by emailing the MACP communications team admin@macpweb.org with reports/outcomes for sharing where appropriate.

Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI):

The MACP actively supports the enhancement of equity, equality, diversity and inclusion within musculoskeletal healthcare. Applications that demonstrate how the visit contributes to the EEDI agenda, including those from applicants from minoritised groups, varied socioeconomic backgrounds, or those seeking to amplify underrepresented perspectives in practice, education, or MSK healthcare are warmly encouraged.

The MACP will seek to add value to successful applicants' visits by facilitating networking opportunities, stakeholder engagement, and potential IFOMPT connections where possible. Successful applicants are encouraged to seek support from the organisation to consider how their visit might strengthen national and international networks in line with the MACP's collaborative objectives.

Payment of monies:

Monies will only be paid once confirmation of acceptance has been received from the hosting clinic, centre of excellence, or institution (UK or abroad).

Apply for this award