Introduction and assessment criteria

Introduction

The Foundation is prepared to fund development work by groups of individuals seeking to submit a future research application. Examples of expenditure that might qualify as such development work are: travel (including overseas travel) and overnight accommodation of potential applicants to a central location for a planning meeting; payment of a research associate for a literature search and survey; pre-pilot work; travel to possible sample recruitment sites. Inter-disciplinary applications are welcomed, but all applications should involve significant input from medical sociologists. The expected output would be a grant proposal.

Assessment criteria

The Foundation will award up to three RIGs each financial year, each worth up to £10,000. The objectives of the grants, and the criteria upon which they will be assessed and selected, are shown below. Applications should fulfil at least one of these four objectives.

1. To pump-prime innovative, high-quality research in the sociology of health and illness of an international standard.
2. To facilitate collaboration between different research disciplines and research centres by the development of new or existing multidisciplinary research networks incorporating significant input from the sociology of health and illness.
3. To aid the development and advancement of new methodologies in the sociology of health and illness.
4. To add value to ongoing studies in the sociology of health and illness.