Other funding
Other funding opportunities are detailed below and any new initiatives will be announced on the website as and when these become available.
Scientific exchange awards (only open to holders of active arc grants)
These awards are to enable scientists employed on arc project or programme grants or holders of fellowships to spend up to 4 weeks in another institution, preferably but not necessarily in the UK, to acquire training in, or exchange of, specific techniques relevant to their research project. Applications for the full or partial cost of the visit, up to a maximum of £2,000, should be made on the appropriate form at least 1 month before the proposed starting date and should include a brief outline of the training to be received, the candidate's CV and a letter of agreement from the laboratory to be visited. A brief report must be submitted to arc within 3 months of the visit.
Travel awards (only open to arc grant holders)
Current or recent holders of arc project grants, programme grants, clinical trials, fellowships and PhD studentships are eligible to apply for discretionary travel awards to assist their attendance (or that of research staff employed on the grant or working in their laboratory) at prestigious or relevant national or international scientific meetings in order to present arc-supported work. The maximum total amount allotted for travel is a pro rata sum of £750 per year (project grants, clinical trials, academic posts and all categories of fellowship), £1,500 per year (programme grants), or £500 per year (PhD studentships). Applications for travel awards may be made at any time on the appropriate form but this must be submitted at least 1month before the date of the meeting and include an abstract of the work to be presented. Applications will be accepted for meetings held up to 24 months after the termination of a grant or fellowship.
Open access publication charges (only open to arc grant holders)
From January 2007, a copy of the final manuscript of all peer reviewed research papers supported in whole, or in part, by an arc grant must be deposited in an open access archive such as UK PubMed Central (UKPMC) to be made freely available as soon as possible, and in any event within 6 months of the journal publisher’s official date of final publication. Funding is available to all current and recent grant holders to cover the costs of page processing charges levied by publishers who support the open access model. Application may be made at any time on the appropriate form and must be accompanied by a preprint of the paper and a letter of acceptance from the journal. Applications will be accepted after the termination of a grant.
GP Registrar prize in musculoskeletal medicine
The purpose of this annual prize is to encourage study and interest in musculoskeletal medicine. Around 1 in 5 consultations in general practice relate to the musculoskeletal system, so encouraging interest in this area will ultimately bring benefits to patients.
Guidelines for entry
The prize is open to any General Practice Registrar on a UK Vocational Training Scheme. To enter, registrars should complete an application form and submit an audit project, case study or service development they have undertaken in the field of musculoskeletal medicine (maximum 3,000 words).
Your essay could be on any topic within the field of rheumatology and musculoskeletal medicine and the primary care context. Essays describing projects or approaches to problems that are novel or subjects that are currently controversial are particularly welcome.
Here are some suggestions:
Currently musculoskeletal disease is conspicuously absent from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF). Could you make a case for including the managment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or chronic pain in the QoF with reference to published literature?
Could an audit in your workplace demonstrate the need to raise the profile of musculoskeletal disease by inclusion in the QoF?
Should alternative or complementary treatments for musculoskeletal disorders be more available through the NHS?
Could you illustrate an argument (on any relevant subject) with a case study and reference to the published literature?
Please think broadly and write creatively.
A prize of £250 will be awarded in each region and regional winners will be entered into a national competition for a chance to win £500. Please see Application Deadlines for this year's submission date.
