Awards
BSPED Research Awards
Each year the BSPED offers a limited number of small project grants that are intended to promote and support academic research by its members. The grants are intended to support endocrinologists and trainees in a number of ways. Specifically they are meant to provide:
- the resources to obtain preliminary data before applying for other external funding
- the funding required to con duct a small project
- the funding required for a specific piece of equipment
- the resources to complete a project
Applications will only be considered if submitted by a member of the BSPED who has been a member for at least one year by the date of submission deadline. Scientists-in-Training and Clinicians-in-Training may apply if they hold a minimum of six months' membership and sponsored by a member of at least 1 year standing. The applicant may be an academic or academic-related staff member, a paediatric endocrinologist, paediatrician with an interest in endocrinology or a paediatric endocrine trainee.
There will be one deadline per year with grants awarded at the annual autumn BSPED meeting. A call for applications will occur well in advance of the deadline and application will be judged by the Grants Panel selected by the Executive Committee of the BSPED. Panelists will not be permitted to judge any application from their own institution. There will usually be one award for £25,000 and two awards for £15,000 but this will ultimately be at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Potential applicants should consider the following:
- Only one application can be considered by an applicant in each year
- Only applications submitted by a recognised Higher Education Research Institute and/or Medical Institution will be considered.
- Funds awarded are final and do not include overheads.
- Grants cannot be awarded retrospectively.
- The decision of the Grants Panel is final and not subject to appeal.
- The Grants Panel will not accept resubmissions of the same project in the following year.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Award winners will be required to comply with the following:
- The BSPED will require a written report from the award winner demonstrating how the grant benefited the applicant, the home institution and enabled significant advances in endocrine science/medicine as a whole. The report (max 1000 words) must be submitted to the BSPED no later than 24 months after receipt of the grant. The report should include details of any publications resulting from the grant and will be published on the BSPED website.
- The BSPED reserves the right to publish brief details of the successful applicant's project on its website, as outlined by the applicant in the 'lay summary' section of the application.
- The award must be acknowledged in any publication that arises from the funding as:
- the 'Merck Serono BSPED Award' for the £25,000 award or
- the 'BSPED Research Award' for the £15,000 awards.
- The award holder's group will be expected to present their work at a special session of the BSPED meeting.
