A charity dedicated to funding research to improve the quality of life and wellbeing for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) has opened applications for its annual funding programme.
Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research (SMSR) will award grants of up to £150,000 per year for up to three years to clinical researchers.
The grants programme, launched in 2019, has already supported a number of research projects with awards totalling £400,000 to date, and is now set to support even more.
An estimated 50,000 people in the UK alone are living with spinal cord injury, with ongoing research committed to improving their quality of life and outlook.
Research eligible for grants should focus on:
- Assistive Technology Primarily for Upper Limb function
- Neuropathic Pain
- Pressure Ulcers
- Urinary Tract Infection
SMSR Trustee Chair, Richard Tolkien, said: “Since we launched our grants programme in 2019, we’ve funded over £400,000 towards research.
“We’re seeing some really good progress into tackling the chronic, and often unseen health, wellbeing and day-to-day complications affecting people living with spinal cord injury.
“This next round of funding, we hope will pave the way towards developing even more innovative research that can lead to new treatments.”
SMSR research manager, Derek Cutler, said: “Despite the impact of the pandemic on our funding pot, we hope that the pioneering research we are continuing to support, will lead to new treatments and therapies, and a deepening understanding of the complications associated with spinal cord injury.
“Research really can make a significant impact in helping to improve quality of life, health and wellbeing for those living with spinal cord injury, currently over 50,000 people in the UK alone.”
On the applications, he added: “Our emphasis is on the treatment of people with non-progressive spinal cord injuries, which have the potential for rehabilitation.
“Research projects should have clinical impact, and ideally, at least one applicant would be affiliated with an academic institution. We encourage joint applications with the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.”
Application forms, details of the application process, and eligibility criteria, are available here
Preliminary applications must be submitted by Friday, November 5, 5pm GMT. Successful applicants will be notified and invited to submit a full proposal after this date.
