Research Award
Annual Research Award
BIPOSA awards an individual or team for UK and / or Ireland based research into childhood eye conditions or eye movement disorders/strabismus in children or adults. This is a yearly award of £5,000 as a start-up grant for new investigators.
Background
BIPOSA aims to promote research into causes and management of childhood eye diseases and eye movement disorders and strabismus in children and adults. A robust evidence base is required to develop and optimise services for children, families and adult patients. We will consider pilot and feasibility as well as full studies.
Ophthalmologists and orthoptists from the United Kingdom and Ireland are invited to apply for up to £5,000 to carry out an exploratory or full project in childhood eye disease and strabismus; the project duration must not exceed 12 months. One award will be given per year.
The point of this award is to encourage junior people to undertake research, possibly for the first time. BIPOSA anticipates that junior researchers will be appropriately advised by senior colleagues/mentors.
Criteria
Applications will be judged by BIPOSA’s on the following criteria:
a) Relevance to childhood eye disease, or strabismus in children or adults
b) Novelty of the proposal
c) Applications for pump priming or stand-alone projects (i.e. initiating a new project) will take priority over applications to “top up” existing grants
d) Quality of the methodology
e) Feasibility
f) Importance and likely impacts of the intended outputs
g) Value for money
Reporting
Interim and final reports should indicate progress against original timescale, and any significant factors, which may impact on the timescale or deliverables of the work
How to write a grant application
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- Address the points against which your application will be evaluated
- Be clear about your research question
- Make a strong case for your proposal – why is this research necessary? Why now?
- Make sure that your methods are adequate to answer the research question
- Consider getting advice from a statistician
- Consider getting advice from your local NIHR research design service
- Ensure that your team has all the required expertise for this project
Some useful guidance can also be found on the following websites:
How not to kill a grant application
How to get a grant funded – by David Goldblatt (BMJ)
Proposal Writer’s Guide by Don Thackrey