Our Research Committee
Our Research Committee is made up of professionals with a wealth of scientific and medical knowledge about scleroderma and Raynaud’s phenomenon, and expert patients who have first-hand experience of the conditions. They have experience in clinical practice and have sat on other advisory committees. Their role is to ensure grant applications submitted to SRUK meet the remit of the charity and the individual grant call, and to review applications in light of peer review comments submitted by external professionals with expertise in the field. Recommendations from the Research Sub-Committee will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for ratification.
Our Grant Application Review Process
At SRUK, we are dedicated to funding high-quality and innovative research that advances our understanding of scleroderma and Raynaud’s and improves outcomes for people living with the conditions. Our grant application review process is designed to ensure that we select the most promising projects for funding, which align to the core areas of our research strategy: precision medicine, early detection and diagnosis, understanding the causes of the conditions, and improving quality of life.
Here’s how it works:
1. Application Submission
We invite researchers to submit their grant applications to our annual grant call. We ask applicants to provide a scientific overview, a plain English summary, and to detail the anticipated impact and outcomes of the proposed research.
2. Initial Research Committee Meeting
Once applications are received, our Research Committee—comprising clinical experts, researchers, and individuals with lived experience—conducts an initial meeting. The group collaborates to evaluate each application, ensuring that multiple perspectives are considered.
3. Shortlisting Projects
Following the initial review, the Committee shortlists a number of promising projects for further evaluation. These shortlisted projects demonstrate significant potential and innovation, and require further evaluation by external peer reviewers who are leading experts in the field.
4. External Peer Review
The shortlisted applications undergo external peer review. We engage a minimum of two independent experts in the relevant field for each project. These experts provide a comprehensive written assessment of the applications, offering insights into the scientific merit and feasibility of each proposal, and the likelihood to deliver impact for patients.
5. Decision Meeting
After receiving the peer reviews, the Research Committee convenes for a decision meeting. During this meeting, Committee members discuss the peer review feedback and make recommendations regarding which applications should receive funding.
6. Final Decision by the Board of Trustees
The Research Committee’s recommendations are then presented to our Board of Trustees. The board evaluates these recommendations in light of the strategic aims of the charity and makes the final funding decisions.
Conflict of Interest Policy
At SRUK, we are committed to ensuring a rigorous and fair review process that aligns with our mission to support ground-breaking medical research in the field of Scleroderma and Raynaud’s. An important part of this is ensuring that all applications for funding are reviewed fairly, and that members of the committee and external peer reviewers do not have conflicts of interest with applicants.
We consider a substantial conflict of interest to occur when a reviewer:
- Is a named party in the grant application, either as a principal investigator, co-applicant, collaborator, or head of department.
- Has a close friendship, personal or familial relationship with any of the named parties on the grant application.
- Is employed at the same research institute as the lead applicant or a co-applicant of the grant application.
- May benefit financially from the work.
- Is directly involved in the work the applicant proposes to carry out.
- Has a co-publication history with the applicants within the last five years.
If a conflict of interest arises, the committee member or peer reviewer cannot assess the application, and is removed or replaced for the assessment of the application in question.
For any questions regarding the application or review process, please feel free to contact the research team at [email protected]
The Use of Animals in Research
Our statement on the use of animals in research.