Amrc

Dr Martin Turnerpolicy officer

today’s talk

1. AMRC

Who we are and what we do

Benefits of membership

2. Our members

Who are they?

Research funding opportunities

3. Peer review and the AMRC principles

about AMRC

• Association of Medical Research Charities

• Represent 125 member charities

• Support our members to enable them to be effective research funders

what we do

• Support

Provide guidance and training to members

Peer review audit

• Leadership

Develop solutions to key challenges facing the sector

Speak on behalf of the sector

• Influence

Campaigning to help researchers

Sitting on boards and committees

what we do

benefits of membership

• A united and strong public voice

Working together to develop and push our positions

Sector-wide data reinforces our arguments

• Opportunities for collaboration with public and private partners

We act as a hub and offer guidance

Spreading best practice

• Access to support and unique funding streams

AcoRD and CRSF

Grant-making trusts recognise AMRC membership as a quality-mark

2010/11

our members

Wellcome Trust & Cancer Research UK

BHF & Arthritis Research UK

Breast Cancer Campaign

Alzheimer’s Research UK

Parkinson’s UK

Alcohol Research UK

British Skin Foundation

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

British Scoliosis Research

Foundation

our members

Over £58 million in current active grants in the North East

our members

our members

2009/10

Research funding opportunities

As long as it fits with the charitable objectives

• Traditional funding schemes

projects, studentships, pilot grants• Collaborations/partnerships• Invest in ‘infrastructure’

Clinical study groups

Tissue banks

Clinical Trials Units• Invest along the pipeline

Patenting costs

Seed funding

Spin outs

The grant application process

Triage

External reviewers

Scientific Advisory Panel

Trustees

Top tips:• Check the fit

Read the strategy

Talk to the programme manager

Have they funded in this area before/recently?• Provide the right information

Get a non-specialist to read your lay summary

Is it clear how the application fits the call/strategy?• Be a good grantee

Let them know when you are presenting/publishing

Look for opportunities to help them get additional funding/support

The grant application process

AMRC’s principles of peer review

Same standards for all AMRC charities


Member charities developed five principles, based on agreed good practice:

• Accountability

• Balance

• Independence

• Rotation

• Impartiality

Accountability:

• Have a research strategy and information about funded research available online

• Publish scientific advisory panel members’ names and details of the peer review process online



Balance:

• Ensure scientific advisory panels reflect a fair balance of experience and scientific disciplines

• Use a variety of methods to select internal and external peer reviewers


Independence:

• Charities’ staff do not make scientific judgment but can do “triage”

• Trustees may sit on the scientific advisory panel, but should generally act as observers with no voting rights

• The procedure for assigning reviewers to applications is fair

• There is a clear line of communication between the scientific advisory panel and the charity’s board of trustees


Rotation:

• Appoint internal peer reviewers, including the committee chair, for a fixed term of office

• Scientific advisory panel members serve for a period of three years, with the option of renewing their term for a further two or three years


Impartiality:

• A majority of the members of charities scientific advisory panels are not active grant holders (beneficiaries)

• A code of conduct and conflict of interest policy is in place

• Would-be beneficiaries are not present when their applications are discussed or when decisions are made


Why do charities use peer review?

• Accepted by the research community

• Membership criteria for AMRC and other partnership schemes

• Provides relatively unbiased view for trustees

• Panels provide broad basis of advice and expertise drawn into

the work of the charity

Peer review aims to ensure that the research is:

• Scientifically valid, significant, original

• Timely and achievable

• Not unnecessarily duplicating other work

• Using appropriate methodologies – including animal work

• Done by researchers with the right skills and facilities

• Offering value for money

• Relevant to the charity’s aims and objectives

• Contributing to the charity’s strategy



However, peer review is also:

• A risk to confidentiality

• Not a fraud detection system

• Incestuous in small communities

• Time consuming and costly to administer

• Subjective

final thoughts

• Charities are an important source of funding for universities

• Different funding models

• All high quality

• More than just research funders

Thank you

Email: [email protected]

Follow me on twitter: @amrc

Amrc

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Amrc