BIOS is delighted to announce our first joint Fight for Sight /BIOS co-funded Small Research Grant Award.

The Award is up £15,000 over one year. This is a significant sum that could fund equipment, specific research training, research staff or time, or specialist services. It is designed as a stepping-stone to a research career in core orthoptic topics, or for small scale projects with potential for further development into larger applications to bodies such as the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The main criteria specify the successful applicant will be an orthoptist, with BIOS membership, leading or carrying out research in a topic which would increase the scientific evidence-base of relevance to orthoptic patients and the profession. Applications can include, but are not limited to: binocular vision and strabismus; orthoptic aspects of paediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology or vision science; orthoptic patient care; within-hospital or community orthoptic practice, or orthoptics in a multi-professional setting, or orthoptic service delivery and evaluation.

If you are interested in finding out more:

  • Visit our Research page.

  • Keep up to date with the latest research in the BIOS journal, BIOJ.

Full details of specific eligibility and submission criteria are in the Fight for Sight Guidance Document pdf, not just the entry webpages which are more generic

https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/media/3180/final-small-grant-award-guidance-document-2020.pdf

Read it very carefully before planning an application. Some post-graduate research training or experience, and publication, presentation or local funding success will be a definite advantage. Please note that although the Fight for Sight entry webpage says that salary buy-out cannot be included, and that applicants must have a PhD, the BIOS Award criteria are more flexible for the right application. Applications can include some specific research training costs and a modest amount of salary buy-out (subject to Trust/Fight for Sight agreements) if the applicant does not have sufficient protected research time in their clinical contracts, but it is not anticipated that the whole award will cover salary.

If an applicant does not have experience in grant applications, they are strongly recommended to seek advice from those with experience of successful applications e.g. a BIOS, CAHPR, academic or Trust research mentor or advisor. For information about research funding and research career development, also visit the NIHR website and the Research Priorities and Research Activity Guidelines documents on the BIOS Research pages.

The call is open for applications now and the closing date will be 10th December (NOT the earlier June deadline), so you have plenty of time to plan and gather information. Notification of success will be in March 2021. The first post of call for further information is  [email protected]  the BIOS Research Director [email protected]

2020-06-02T11:15:09+01:00