Today is a big day for the research grants team as we are launching our online summary application form for researchers applying for biomedical* project grants and PhD studentships.
*Biomedical projects are laboratory-based. They aim to identify potential causes of MND, increase scientific understanding of the mechanisms of motor neurone degeneration and develop potential new treatments.
This new system will streamline the summary stage of our application process, making full use of our grants management system allowing all submitted summaries to be uploaded straight into it, minimising the amount of manual data input which is currently required.
Importance of consistency
Consistency in the information provided by applicants will increase as the new online form stipulates exactly what we need to know about the projects. Each summary will be pulled into a template, providing uniformity with layout and information on each project. This will make it easier for our group of MND experts made up of clinicians and scientists, called the Biomedical Research Advisory Panel (BRAP), to review each application and come to an informed decision as to whether we should consider funding it.
Applicants will be able to return to their summary as many times as needed before submission. Also, more than one summary application can be submitted per applicant, with a log of their summary applications being listed on the online system for the applicant to view. This will make the process of submitting a summary application to us smoother for researchers.
Maintaining high standards
Each application for MND Association funding undergoes rigorous review by independent scientists and our independent biomedical and healthcare research advisory panels. By evolving our summary application process to use an online system, we are able to ensure that our high standards are maintained and that we are using our time efficiently and effectively to fund high-quality research.
Only one in five research applications is considered of a high enough standard for funding, but through our rigorous process we can provide our donors with the assurance that they are supporting the ‘very best of the best’ MND research. We’ve recently received our certificate of best practice from the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), of which we are a member, for our peer review system in which they stated that we are: “considered as setting the standard for best practice within the audit”. You can read more about this in a blog article by Dr Brian Dickie.
I’m a researcher and I want to use your snazzy new online system to submit an application for MND research funding…
If you are a researcher and want to apply for a research project grant or PhD studentship please go to our website www.mndassociation.org and click on the research summary application link.
The deadline for the next biomedical research grants round is Friday 21 October 2011
