Back in March I mentioned that the Association’s peer review practices were being audited by the Association of Medical Research Charities. I’m pleased to say that we’ve been given a clean bill of health and are now the proud owners of a new AMRC Certificate of Good Practice.
With increasing numbers of scientists seeking funding and an explosion of new ideas and research avenues to pursue, the process of independent and objective review by other researchers helps us to ‘separate the wheat from the chaff’, ensuring that the research we do fund is of the highest scientific quality and greatest relevance to MND. It also provides our supporters with assurance that we are using their generous donations appropriately and not being led by fashion or vested interest.
Of course, the best review processes in the world won’t guarantee that any specific project will be successful. By its very nature, research is exploring the unknown – to quote Albert Einstien: “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research!” But it does give us confidence that we are heading in the right direction, towards a World free of MND.
