Types of grant

Deadline: 16 September 2024 (outline) and January 2025 (Full)

Costs: Up to £750,000 (open to extending with discussion)

Duration: Up to 48 months funding (open to extending with discussion)

Decision: Mid-2025

Contact: Nuffield Foundation grants team at applications@nuffieldfoundation.org

This funding round is a partnership with the Nuffield Foundation. More information on how to apply can be found on the Nuffield Foundation website.

Deadline: 16:00 on Wednesday 3 July 2024

Funding decision: February 2025

Maximum duration: Five years

Contact: Julie Marsden at awards@versusarthritis.org

What do career development fellowships provide?

Our enhanced career development fellowship aims to attract and retain talented medical, veterinary, nurse and allied health professional or science graduates committed to a research career in any discipline relevant to arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases and provide them with the opportunity to develop an independent research career and progress towards higher-level appointments.

Who can apply for career development fellowships?

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for the Career Development Fellowship:

• have a PhD (or equivalent) 
• not hold an established (tenured) academic post
• Be based and associated with an established sponsor in a UK university, hospital, or research institute 
• be able to demonstrate that their skills and experience match those of the transition to independence career stage by: 
  • showing productivity across past appointments through a track record of challenging, original, and productive research in their area, as well as an upward trajectory  
  • demonstrate clear plans to establish their own research niche 
• be able to describe how a fellowship will help the applicant move to the next level in their career through a change in their current role 
• be able to demonstrate a commitment from their host institution towards supporting their future trajectory.

Some of the types of commitment that we will accept are the following:

• A financial contribution towards the fellow’s salary costs, equipment, expenses or animal costs
• Provide an additional member of staff or PhD studentship
• A commitment that the fellow will move into a tenure track post either during or at the conclusion of the fellowship.

Projects must demonstrate a clear relevance to the aims of Versus Arthritis. Our Research Strategy can be found here: https://www.versusarthritis.org/research/introducing-our-research-strategy/

What can you apply for?

The scheme will offer up to 5 years full-time funding. Costs for a PhD student, research technician or research assistant may also be requested depending on the funding model requested. The overall costs must not exceed £750,000.

The Fellowship can be held on a part-time basis.

Salaries

For basic science graduates, veterinary, nurse and allied health professionals up to 100% of the applicant’s salary costs can be requested according to experience on the appropriate scientific or clinical salary scale, including London weighting if relevant. However, we will only allow for up to 20% of the fellow’s time to be spent on non-research activities such as teaching or clinical activities.

For medically or surgically qualified individuals that are practicing medicine, two models of funding are available:  

• 60% of the applicant’s salary costs can be requested according to experience on the appropriate clinical salary scale, including London weighting if relevant. The applicant would only be expected to work on the fellowship at 0.6FTE.  
• up to 100% of the applicant’s salary costs can be requested according to experience on the appropriate clinical salary scale, including London weighting if relevant. However, the costs for a PhD student or research technician or assistant cannot be requested and we will only allow for up to 20% of the fellow’s time to spent on non-research activities such as teaching or clinical activities.

PhD studentships up to 4 years in duration and the following costs can be requested: 

• UK Tuition fees 
• Tax-free incremental stipend at Versus Arthritis rates 
• Running costs of £10,000 per year for the first 3 years and £7,500 in year 4 

Expenses

You are permitted to apply for reasonable research expenses directly related to your proposal, including:

• Consumables
• small pieces of equipment (up to £30,000 in value)
• purchase and maintenance of laboratory animals (see below)
• travel to a collaborating institution.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted through our grants management system, Grant Tracker.

The fellowship application is a one-stage process, a full application should be submitted by the deadline.

As part of the application you will be asked to complete a short scientific summary which will be used by the fellowship funding panel for the purposes of triage.

If you are applying for a fellowship with a PhD studentship rather than a research technician or assistant, you will need to provide details of an independent PhD project proposal and training plan which complements the fellowship project. Information on completing the PhD student section can be found within the online application form.

How career development fellowships are awarded

There are four stages to the assessment process:

• Triage: Only the scientific summary, applicant CV and lay summary of each application are assessed by the fellowship funding panel. Applicants will be informed at an early stage if their proposal has been triaged and all other applications will undergo full peer review.
• Peer review: the applications of those successful at triage are sent for lay review and external peer review by experts in the field of the proposal.
• Shortlisting: all sections of the applications including the peer reviews are assessed by the fellowship funding panel. Shortlisted applicants are invited to attend interview.
• Interview: the fellowship awarding panel interview the shortlisted applicants and make recommendations for funding.

Successful applicants to this scheme requiring a visa are eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa under the fast-track process of endorsement.

The deadline for submission of applications is 16:00 – this deadline relates to the time Versus Arthritis receives the application NOT to the time you press submit. When you press submit an automated email will be sent firstly to your finance officer for approval and once they have approved the application a second email will be sent to your Head of Department. It is only upon your Head of Department’s approval that the application is finally submitted to Versus Arthritis

Helpful Links

1. Our career development fellowship guidance document
2. Our applying for a fellowship webpages which includes details on costing your Fellowship and our flexible working policy

Deadline: 16:00 on 10 July 2024

Funding decision: November 2024

Maximum duration: Two years

Contact: Julie Marsden at awards@versusarthritis.org

This scheme has two funding rounds a year: one with a submission deadline in January with a decision in May and one with a submission deadline in July with a decision in November.

What does the bridging fellowship provide?

The new bridging fellowship will provide up to 2 years funding for current Versus Arthritis fellowship holders who are in the final year of their fellowship. The aim of the fellowship is to provide fellows with additional financial support to bridge them to their next fellowship application or academic post, providing them with the opportunity to continue the development of an independent research career and progression towards higher-level appointments.

Who can apply for a bridging fellowship?

Current Versus Arthritis Fellows who are in the final year of their fellowship. Applicants will need to need provide a strong case for why the additional financial support is needed and clear plans for what the fellowship will be bridging the applicants towards, such as specific funding schemes or academic positions.

The current Versus Arthritis fellowships are eligible for this scheme:

• Clinical Research Fellowships
• Foundation Fellowships
• Career Development Fellowships.

What can you apply for?

Up to 2 years funding for the applicant’s salary, expenses and animal costs can be requested.

There are two funding options:

1. Up to 1 year of funding with no host institution buy-in required. A maximum of £80,000 can be requested by foundation and clinical research fellowship holders and £100,000 for career development fellows.
2. Up to 2 years of funding with the host institution contributing 50% of salary costs. A maximum of £100,000 can be requested by foundation and clinical research fellows and £150,000 for career development fellows.

Expenses

You are permitted to apply for reasonable research expenses directly related to your proposal, including:

• consumables
• small pieces of equipment (up to £30,000 in value)
• purchase and maintenance of laboratory animals (see below)
• travel to a collaborating institution
• costs related to public and patient involvement or engagement activities.

Studies involving animals must provide adequate details on the number, species, strain and associated costs of animals to be used in the study. Justification for the use of animals and why a suitable alternative cannot be used must also be provided. Versus Arthritis is a signatory to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research and supports the principle of the 3Rs.

Detailed justification of costs requested should be provided in the fellowship application. Please read our costing your fellowship page for more information about eligible and ineligible costs.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted through our grants management system, Grant Tracker.

Applications should be submitted jointly by the candidate with his/her sponsor, outlining the proposed programme of research.

The fellowship application is a one-stage process, a full application should be submitted by the deadline.

Please read the Bridging Fellowship Guidance document (PDF, 256.8 KB) and the applying for a fellowship webpages prior to beginning your application.

How are they funded?

These Fellowships are awarded by the Fellowship Expert Committee following external scientific and lay review. Applicants will have the opportunity to provide a written response to external scientific and lay review, ahead of the Fellowship Expert Committee panel.

If you have any questions about the scheme please e-mail awards@versusarthritis.org

Deadline: 16:00 Wednesday 11th September 2024
Costs: Between £400,000 to £1,000,000
Duration: Up to 36 months
Funding Decision: March 2025
Contact: Tammy Peters at awards@versusarthritis.org

Focus

We want people with arthritis to feel in control of their musculoskeletal health and to be well equipped to manage their physical and emotional wellbeing. This call for applications for research funding focusses on one of the research priority areas from our Better Lives Today, Better Lives Tomorrow Research Strategy 2022-2026:

• Living Well - Addressing musculoskeletal health inequalities for individuals and wider society by striving for better musculoskeletal health and care at home, in leisure, at work and in communities. 

What are we looking for?

The outcomes sought from this investment are progress toward the changes we want to see:

• We want everyone to experience clear, consistent access and pathways through high quality evidence-based integrated care across clinical and community settings - with a particular focus on osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and gout.
• We are particularly interested in helping disadvantaged communities access and utilise healthcare services with ease and clarity. 
• We want good practice mechanisms to enable smooth transition supporting individuals moving from paediatric to adult services.
• We want to see improvements in communication between people with arthritis and healthcare professionals with helpful decision aids.
• We want healthcare and public health services to be well informed by relevant, good-quality health data and knowledge to generate, evaluate and implement definite models of person-centre care, across multiple long term conditions. 

Who can apply?

• The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK institution. 
• One applicant must have a tenured position within the lead institute.

For further information see the associated guidance document (PDF 253KB).

What you can apply for

• Costs for salaries, expenses and small items of essential equipment can be requested. 
• Awards of up to 36 months duration, between £400,000-£1,000,000 in value are available. 

We plan to invest around £2 million in a small number of ambitious awards. We intend to run this call on an annual basis for the next 3 years, aligning to our Research Strategy.

For further details on what you can apply for, please see the associated guidance document (PDF 253KB).

How to apply

Applicants are invited to submit applications through Grant Tracker, where the form is available.
There is a single stage application process for all applications.

Applicants must carefully read the call document (PDF 162KB), application form and guidance document (PDF 253KB). before starting an application.

Please ensure that the most appropriate language is being used in each section of the form and that the correct sections are completed.

The deadline for the receipt of applications in 16:00 on Wednesday the 11h September 2024. Please allow time for management of appropriate reviewers and signatories to access the Grant Tracker system and provide their approvals. Submissions after 16:00 will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the call, please email: awards@versusarthritis.org

Deadline: 16:00 Wednesday 18th September 2024
Costs: Between £100,000 to £1,200,000
Duration: Up to 60 months
Funding Decision: March 2025
Contact: awards@versusarthritis.org

Focus

We want to bring about more accurate and faster diagnosis and more timely, effective and targeted treatments, tailored to individuals, taking into consideration not just their genes but also the environment they live in. This call for applications for research funding focusses on two of the research priority areas from our Better Lives Today, Better Lives Tomorrow Research Strategy 2022-2026:

• Early detection & prevention: spotting the biological signatures of arthritis early to maximise the opportunities for timely intervention and preventing it from getting worse
• Targeted treatments: taking the guesswork out of treatment by increasing effective, reliable and timely drug and non-drug solutions to reduce, manage or cure disease

What are we looking for?

The outcomes sought from this investment are progress toward:

- better understanding and tools to identify markers of risk to enable proactive screening and early detection (secondary prevention) approaches
- better tools and biomarkers to diagnose arthritis accurately and as rapidly as possible after symptoms begin 
- clinical and care pathways applying a precision medicine and holistic approach – accounting for individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle and the management of pain, mental health and fatigue  
- more effective, safer treatments and ultimately cures, that work for more people  
- better tools to help decide the most appropriate treatments
- better understanding of how different diseases can be most effectively tackled together

Who can apply?

• The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK institution. 
• One applicant must have a tenured position within the lead institute.

We welcome applications from fellows and lecturers who are looking to secure project support as a new investigator or mid-career researcher. Whilst there is no separate scheme or eligibility criteria, the panel will be asked to take career stage into account during the assessment process.

Versus Arthritis has a new collaboration with the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (NIHR EME) programme, potentially considering applications seeking co-funding from both funders where projects address aspects relevant to this funding call and the remit of the NIHR EME programme. For applicants who have an interest in seeking this co-funding, it is essential that contact is made as early as possible with the Versus Arthritis team through awards@versusarthritis.org.

For further information see the associated guidance document (PDF 327 KB).

What you can apply for?

• Costs for salaries, expenses and small items of essential equipment can be requested. 
• Awards of up to 60 months duration, between £100,000-£1,200,000 in value are available. 

We plan to invest around £4 million in different sized projects.

For further details on what you can apply for, please see the associated guidance document (PDF 327 KB).

How to apply

Applicants are invited to submit applications through Grant Tracker, where the form is available.
There is a single stage application process for all applications

Applicants must carefully read the call document (PDF 242 KB), application form and guidance documentation (PDF 327 KB) before starting an application.

Please ensure that the most appropriate language is being used in each section of the form and that the correct sections are completed.

The deadline for the receipt of applications in 16:00 on Wednesday the 18th September, 2024. Please allow time for management of appropriate reviewers and signatories to access the Grant Tracker system and provide their approvals. Submissions after 16:00 will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the call, please email: awards@versusarthritis.org

Deadline: 24 July 2024
Maximum duration: 12 months
Contact: grants@fightforsight.org.uk

This scheme is a partnership between Fight for Sight and Versus Arthritis.

What do Small Grants provide?

Small Grants provide support to collect preliminary/pilot data to make research ideas more competitive when developing larger, follow-on funding applications. The proposed research should address arthritis and visual impairment. This includes, but is not limited to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Bechet’s syndrome, giant cell arteritis, and Sjögren's syndrome. Any research relevant to eye inflammation and uveitis is also welcomed.

Small Grant Awards are intended to support early career research, which should be used to collect preliminary/pilot data to make research ideas more competitive when developing larger follow-on funding applications. These awards offer competitive funding of up to £15,000 to clinical or research scientists to conduct stand-alone research projects for up to 12 months.

Who can apply?

• To support capacity building in the field, lead applicants are particularly encouraged from the following career stages:
  • Early career researchers (either within eight years of their PhD award or equivalent professional training or within six years of their first academic appointment, excluding any career break)
  • New investigators (where this would be the first substantial award)
  • Those new to the field of vision research
  • Those returning to research following a career break
  • Researchers (at any career stage) working in a rare disease space
• Lead applicants can be allied health professionals, clinical scientists or research scientists and projects can be clinical or non-clinical. 
• Small Grants are not intended to top up existing grants or be part funding for a larger project.
• Lead applicants and co-applicants must be affiliated with UK academic or medical institutions.
• The research must take place within the UK.

What can you apply for?

The maximum grant available is £15,000. Grants can be used to pay for salaries, and consumables.

How to apply

Please visit the Fight for Sight website for more details, including in depth guidance.

For any queries during the process, please email grants@fightforsight.org.uk

Deadline: 16:00 Wednesday 25th September 2024
Costs: Up to £3 million
Duration: Up to 60 months
Funding Decision: February/March 2025
Contact: awards@versusarthritis.org

Focus

Versus Arthritis seeks to support team science working ‘across and together’ to bring integrated thought and ambition toward unlocking a problem area at pace - creating a community of shared expertise and knowledge to deliver a cohesive series of research to achieve the aims. 

Versus Arthritis has long supported research into the clinical epidemiology of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions.  The strength of UK research in this area is well recognised and Versus Arthritis seeks to further support and enhance UK musculoskeletal clinical epidemiology research - putting the application of these methodologies to work with urgency on issues around arthritis.

What are we looking for?

Consortium funding should aim to unlock area(s) of problematic understanding around the occurrence and progression of disease, and the effectiveness and safety of treatment. 

We will invest in novel clinical epidemiology research including digital, genetic, proteomic and molecular epidemiology focused on:

• Better understanding the biopsychosocial causes, patterns, risk factors and treatment responses influencing and predicting disease onset, progression and outcome.
• Developing effective diagnostic and risk management tools.
• Contributing to effective decision making around care and treatment options.

This can include novel bioinformatic methodology development as well as novel application of epidemiology techniques and analysis.

We are particularly interested in supporting furthering understanding of factors that influence the development and progression of osteoarthritis.

Who can apply? 

• The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK institution.
• One applicant must have a tenured position within the lead institute.

The Consortium leadership should adopt a team science approach. However, financial and administrative system limitations and contractual and governance arrangements require there to be a defined Consortium Lead and administrative point of reference. Individuals are not allowed to Lead more than one Consortium. Individuals are allowed to be members of multiple Consortia. 

There is no defined minimum or maximum number of Consortium members, it’s about bringing the best people together; we are not generally expecting single site applications. International members bringing expertise or facilities that are not available in the UK are welcomed

What you can apply for? 

• Costs for salaries, expenses and small items of essential equipment can be requested.
• Awards of up to 60 months duration, up to £3 million. 

A proportion of the Consortium funding can be allocated to support the core facilitatory resources and assets required for the research delivery. 

We plan to invest up to £3 million in a single award.

How to apply

There is a one-stage application process, with a gathering of interests step. 

Please submit an Expression of Interest by 16:00 on Wednesday 10^th July 2024. 

This should be an email to awards@versusarthritis.org with a PDF document outlining:

• summary of the proposed consortium in plain English (500 words)
• a list of consortium members (name, institution and role)

You should not wait for an invitation to submit an application in Grant Tracker following submission of your expression of interest.

• Additional Consortium members can be added after the expression of interest submission, they should be noted to the office by email.

Applicants are invited to submit applications through Grant Tracker, where the form is available.

Applicants must carefully read the Call document, the application form and guidance document before starting an application.

Please ensure that the most appropriate language is being used in each section of the form and that the correct sections are completed.

The deadline for the receipt of applications is 16:00 on Wednesday 25th September 2024. Please allow time for management of appropriate reviewers and signatories to access the Grant Tracker system and provide their approvals. Submissions after 16:00 will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the call, please email: awards@versusarthritis.org

Deadline: 16:00 Wednesday 25th September 2024
Costs: Up to £3 million
Duration: Up to 60 months
Funding Decision: February/March 2025
Contact: awards@versusarthritis.org

Focus

Versus Arthritis seeks to support team science working ‘across and together’ to bring integrated thought and ambition toward unlocking a problem area at pace - creating a community of shared expertise and knowledge to deliver a cohesive series of research to achieve the aims. 

We are inviting Consortium-based research that contributes to people with inflammatory arthritis having access to more personalised and effective treatment at all stages of their condition in order to halt or reverse disease progression; this includes understanding the biological mechanisms of these diseases to spot the signs of arthritis and understand people's risk factors in these specific diseases. 

What are we looking for?

Consortium funding should aim to unlock area(s) of problematic understanding and blockers to delivery of precision medicine approaches in inflammatory conditions. Consortium funding that encompasses understanding of the mechanisms of these diseases, the holistic influence of lifestyle factors such as diet as well as comorbidities, seeks to gain distinct:

• Understanding of the causes of these conditions to manage people's risk factors and aid earlier detection and prediction of disease occurrence. 
• Availability of further, novel, personalised and effective interventions that provide confidence in understanding treatment responses and disease progression.
• Understanding around management of treatment tapering and disease flares.

Who can apply?

• The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK institution.
• One applicant must have a tenured position within the lead institute.

The Consortium leadership should adopt a team science approach. However, financial and administrative system limitations and contractual and governance arrangements require there to be a defined Consortium Lead and administrative point of reference. Individuals are not allowed to Lead more than one Consortium. Individuals are allowed to be members of multiple Consortia. 

There is no defined minimum or maximum number of Consortium members, it’s about bringing the best people together; we are not generally expecting single site applications. International members bringing expertise or facilities that are not available in the UK are welcomed

What you can apply for?

• Costs for salaries, expenses and small items of essential equipment can be requested.
• Awards of up to 60 months duration, up to £3 million. 

A proportion of the Consortium funding can be allocated to support the core facilitatory resources and assets required for the research delivery. 

We plan to invest up to £3 million in a single award.

How to apply

There is a one-stage application process, with a gathering of interests step. 

Please submit an Expression of Interest by 16:00 on Wednesday 10^th July 2024. 

This should be an email to awards@versusarthritis.org with a PDF document outlining:

• summary of the proposed consortium in plain English (500 words)
• a list of consortium members (name, institution and role)

You should not wait for an invitation to submit an application in Grant Tracker following submission of your expression of interest.

• Additional Consortium members can be added after the expression of interest submission, they should be noted to the office by email.

Applicants are invited to submit applications through Grant Tracker, where the form is available.

Applicants must carefully read the Call document, the application form and guidance document before starting an application.

Please ensure that the most appropriate language is being used in each section of the form and that the correct sections are completed.

The deadline for the receipt of applications is 16:00 on Wednesday 25th September 2024. Please allow time for management of appropriate reviewers and signatories to access the Grant Tracker system and provide their approvals. Submissions after 16:00 will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the call, please email: awards@versusarthritis.org

Deadline: September 2024

Maximum duration: One to two years

Contact: Academy of Medical Sciences grants team at clinicallecturers@acmedsci.ac.uk

This scheme is a partnership between the Academy of Medical Sciences and Versus Arthritis. Other partners in this scheme include Wellcome, the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council and Diabetes UK.

What do starter grants for clinical lecturers provide?

The starter grants for clinical lecturers scheme provides modest starter funds of up to £30,000 over one to two years to enable research active clinical lecturers to pursue their research work, gather preliminary data and so further strengthen their applications for longer term fellowships and funding.

Who can apply for a starter grant for clinical lecturer?

The grants are intended as start-up funding and as such are not intended for applicants who have already obtained substantial funding through, for example, Clinician Scientist Fellowships, New Investigator Awards or large project grants.

All eligible applicants must:

• Have a PhD or MD 
• hold a medical, dental or veterinary undergraduate degree and be registered with the General Medical Council, General Dental Council or Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons 
• hold a clinical contract.

What can you apply for?

The maximum grant available is £30,000. This can be spread over one to two years to contribute towards directly incurred research costs such as consumables and equipment.

Grants cannot be used to pay for your personal salary costs or to employ research assistants, PhD students or postdoctoral staff.

How to apply

These grants are administered by the Academy of Medical Sciences, more information and details on how to apply can be found at acmedsci.ac.uk.

During the review process, prior career breaks will be taken into account when evaluating a candidate’s research output and progress.

Successful applicants cannot reapply. Unsuccessful applicants are limited to one resubmission.