The Association of Anaesthetists/Anaesthesia and ACTACC are issuing a joint call for research projects up to the value of £60,000. To be successful, an application must demonstrate how the proposed project meets one or more of the aims of both funding partners.

The Association of Anaesthetists research strategy focuses on supporting the following key areas:

• Patient safety

• Innovation

• Clinical outcomes

• Education and training

• Related professional issues (e.g. standards and guidelines, working conditions, medicolegal issues, etc.)

• The environment

• Network based or other audits, QA/QI projects that may involve guideline implementation

The strategy is also informed by the results from the James Lind Alliance/NIAA Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care Priority Setting Partnership.

The Association for Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care (ACTACC) research priorities cover all aspects of the perioperative management of patients undergoing cardiac, thoracic and cardiology procedures.

To have a chance of being successful, applications for funding must clearly demonstrate public participation in clinical trial and value for money. Projects that are not clearly aligned with our joint aims will not be funded. (Please note - it is unlikely that a project can meet more than one or two of these aims, and we suggest applicants be realistic when justifying their chosen area of work).

Please note that unless you inform us that your study is suitable for NIHR portfolio adoption, applications for under £5,000 will be reviewed internally by the NIAA Grant Committee and will not be sent for external peer review. If you intend to apply for portfolio support, please confirm this on the application form in the space provided.

The work must be done within Great Britain or Ireland. Applicants should indicate whether support for their project has been granted or is currently under review from locally available research funds, or from other bodies. If you are unsure about eligibility please enquire.

Salaries may be payable in the form of part-time fellowships for doctors and salaries for technicians or other assistants. Superannuation and National Insurance contributions (or Irish equivalent) should be included.

Basic equipment that would normally be provided by the institution, e.g. computers and standard software, will not be eligible for support except under very exceptional circumstances. Request for specialised equipment may be supported, but evidence must be given that the expertise to use the equipment is available. Equipment running and maintenance costs must be considered and these should be reasonable and sufficient to allow the equipment to be used for the duration of the grant. A competitive quotation and reasons for choice should be provided. VAT should be included where appropriate.

All equipment remains the property of ACTACC and the Association of Anaesthetists and must be labelled as such. At the end of the project the equipment will be donated to the department but should continue to be labelled with the source of provision. It is the express wish of the Associations that any equipment will continue to be used for research purposes.

Neither ACTACC nor the Association of Anaesthetists will contribute to any other indirect costs and may also decline requests for conference travel.

ACTACC and the Association of Anaesthetists will wish to share any intellectual property rights and income arising from this work with the host institution, and applicants must obtain agreement for this from their institution before applying, if this is likely.

Applicants should indicate their qualifications and experience to carry out the project. The recipient of the grant must be in a permanent post although the Principal Investigator could be in a trainee appointment.

Should this application be successful, please be aware that it is now a condition for any NIAA facilitated grant-holder to submit annual reports on the outcomes of their awarded grant through the Researchfish Impact Assessment platform. Please note that applicants who do not submit their progress reports on time may not be permitted to apply for further funding until the outstanding report is provided.

Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

It is also now a requirement to complete the NIAA Grants EDI data capture form and submit by email once you have submitted your application. You can download this form here.

Submission

The closing date for applications is noon, Friday 27 September 2024.

To apply, please download and complete the application form here and follow the below instructions on how to submit your application.

Please also complete the EDI data capture form here and submit by email once you have submitted your application.

All applications and requested supporting paperwork must be uploaded as a single pdf document using ScholarOne. Please click the link below for instructions on how to do this.  

The NIAA administers the grant awarding process on behalf of its partner organisations. Grant applications and the personal data of applicants will be shared with those organisations on the basis of legitimate interests for processing the funding linked to an award and fulfilling ongoing reporting requirements.

Guidance and FAQs are available here.

Contact us with any queries on applying for NIAA funding.

Please be advised that incomplete, unsigned or late applications will not be considered. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the full application is successfully uploaded before the closing date. You will receive an automated acknowledgment email once your application has been received by us.