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Our Solomons' and Translational awards are open
For details, please read the individual grant descriptions below.
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Special Emphasis Grants
For multidisciplinary, outcome-driven initiatives. Target outcomes should be based on restoration of neurological function, clinically relevant and of high priority to patients with spinal cord injury translating neurological plasticty.
Strategy Awards
Basic science research grants usually three years in duration. These grants are available to international researchers. Strategy grants form our basic science programme and are normally awarded following an internationally-advertised competitive call for proposals based on themes identified by our Scientific Advisory Committee with reference to our research strategy discussion document. Calls for project proposals are advertised in published academic journals and through email alerts to researchers on our database. Project grants are generally for the support of a postdoctoral researcher to undertake the approved research plan over a period of up to three years, plus necessary consumables, travel or technical assistance. Support will also be considered for equipment if essential to the project.
Translational Award
Two year grants focused on translational activities aimed at addressing scientific and technical hurdles on the critical path to the clinic. These grants are not expected to be rich in new hypothesis.
Grants will be awarded to support the translation from the laboratory into the clinic of promising new treatments for spinal cord injury. Candidate treatments should already have demonstrated efficacy in a peer-reviewed publication in at least one in vivo spinal injury model, and should involve a clinically-feasible delivery procedure.
Funding is designed to bring promising treatments to a stage that they are ready for first-in-man studies, and will provide support for pre-clinical studies of the following example types: dose-response, toxicity and studies of the optimum therapeutic windows; optimisation of delivery methods; assessment in additional spinal injury models. Support for phase I clinical trials and clinical feasibility trails will also be considered. Funding through this scheme will not be available for projects where the primary aim(s) are to examine mechanisms of action, test novel therapeutic concepts or establish proof of principle. Milestones that are demonstrably on the critical path to the clinic are essential and will have a strong bearing on the success of the application.
Applicants will be expected to have considered possible primary and secondary clinical outcomes and the target patient cohort.
New: Call for Proposals
The International Spinal Research Trust and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation are pleased to announce their new international call for research proposals, focusing on restoration of function through novel circuit formation in chronic, traumatic spinal cord injury. The focus is on bench to bedside to bench translational research (clinical trials are not supported in this call) aimed to improve the lives of people living with spinal cord injury.
Junior faculty, including those supported by independent, non-mentored fellowships, are highly encouraged to apply.
Applicants should consider the following:
1) Collaborative projects.
2) Input from clinicians and/or clinical researchers to promote an understanding of the feasibility of eventual clinical translation and alignment of pre-clinical and clinical outcome measures.
For an application form e-mail us at research@spinal-research.org. Limited number of proposals will be invited to submit their full grant application in the spring.
Awards of up to £ 250,000 total, for two-three years of funding will be made in the summer of 2021.
Applications must be submitted before: 5pm GMT Sunday, 7th March 2021.
Click here for further information.
Solomons' Award
The Solomons' award is to help endorse quality experimental medicine, translational and reverse translational research in the UK within the field of spinal cord injury. The purpose of the award is to support the development of an early career clinical researcher with either a science or medical training background. The call is initially open to applicants from clinical units and allied research institutions that have an evident traumatic spinal cord injury case mix or demonstrable interest in SCI clinical research. The award is for up to £10,000 which may be made to a single recipient or may be split between two or more if felt warranted. A central theme is to encourage innovation, collaboration and research activity amongst early career researchers. In particular, we would welcome activity that helps bridge the basic science/clinical divide.
Our Solomons' awards are ongoing and open for applications. You can apply by completing our online application here.