How to apply for research funding

Bliss is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). We fund research of the highest quality and are transparent and open about the way decisions are made about the work we fund.

The following details cover the review and decision processes that went into awarding the Bliss research grant in 2018.

The review process:

1. Applicants are first invited to submit an expression of interest outlining their project. Applications are then checked to see if they meet our research strategy. Those that do, are invited to complete a full application. Unfortunately we are unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants at this stage.
2. Where necessary, full applications are reviewed by experts in the field.
3. Full applications are reviewed by Bliss’ Research Panel and independent external experts.

External peer review

Projects that require more than £10,000 a year are sent for external peer review. This gives us expert insights from people who know the area of work or the technique that is being proposed by the research team. The peer reviewers are asked to provide their comments on areas such as the method of the research project, value for money and their overall thoughts on whether Bliss should fund the project.

Bliss doesn’t fund animal testing research, but as a member of the AMRC we support their statement on the use of animals in research.

Making an application for funding

Please note that we are no longer accepting expressions of interest. Please check back here for details of future funding rounds.

Bliss is only able to fund research in the UK.

Requirements

Future applicants are expected to:

• Follow the Medical Research Council’s Good Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Have patient and public involvement embedded throughout the project. Further guidance can be found on the INVOLVE website
• Consider budgeting for open access publication costs within the project submission, as funding for this will not be available at a later date
• Have appropriate ethical arrangements in place which will be reviewed throughout the application process.