Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be a current BSPED member in good standing.
- Applications will only be considered if they are submitted by an individual who has been a BSPED member for at least one year by the submission deadline date.
- Other scientists and clinicians who are in-training may apply if they hold a minimum of six months' membership or if their research team or clinical supervisor includes a member of at least 1 year standing.
- The BSPED strongly encourages any BSPED member to submit a proposal including nurses, research fellows, specialist trainees, DGH consultants, allied health professionals and Clinical Networks.
- Only applications submitted by a recognised Higher Education Research Institute and/or Medical Institution will be considered.
- Applications from District General Hospitals are strongly encouraged.
- Only one application will be considered by an applicant each round of grant awarding. This also applies to the applicant’s supervisor.
- Winners of BSPED research awards in the previous two rounds are ineligible to apply. This includes the grant holder and their supervisor.
- The Awards Committee will not accept re-submissions of the same project the following round of applications.
- Audits will not be considered.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- Applications must include detailed breakdown of the proposed project costs.
- Applications must include an outline of timelines and deliverables.
Application and judging process
- There is one deadline per year which will be published on the BSPED website and in the BSPED newsletter as soon as this has been set.
- Grants will be awarded at the annual autumn BSPED meeting.
- Applicants are required to complete an application form.
- Applications will be scored by three-five external, independent reviewers selected by the Awards Committee. Clinical and basic research and innovation will be given equal priority.
- Scoring criteria will be applied and only those projects that score at least 50 out of 60 will be considered for a grant.
- The Awards Committee will review and select the winners.
- Awards Committee members will not be permitted to judge any applications if there are any conflicts of interest or the applicant is from their own institution.
- Funds awarded are final and do not include institutional overheads.
- Grants cannot be awarded retrospectively.
- The decision of the Awards Committee is final and is not subject to appeal.
- 80% of the award funding will be paid at the time the award is made. The final 20% will be made following receipt of the interim report at one year.
Requirements of the winner
- The BSPED will require a written report from the award winner demonstrating how the grant benefited the applicant, the home institution and how the funding has enabled advances in endocrinology/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 funding and will be published on the BSPED website.
- A 500 word interim update is required to be submitted to the BSPED after 1 year, detailing status of the project so far, any preliminary findings and plans for the following year.
- The BSPED reserves the right to publish details of the successful applicant's project on its website. This is usually the 'lay summary' section of the application.
- The award must be acknowledged in any publication that arises from the funding as: the 'BSPED Research & Innovation Award'. Any publication should also include the following disclaimer: ‘The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the BSPED’.
- The award holder or member of their group will be expected to present their work at a special session of the BSPED meeting two years after the award is made.
- It is expected that approvals etc. will be in place to allow the research project to commence immediately and will be completed within 24 months following receipt of the grant. Grant extensions will only be considered by the awards committee in very exceptional circumstances and if requested in advance of the extension being required.
- The BSPED will reserve the right to request the return of the award if the study has not been commenced within 1 year of receipt of the award.
- The award must only be used for the project which is proposed in the successful application.
- The grant is awarded to the applicant(s) named on the application form and as such, it is not transferrable to other member(s) of the clinical or research team.