Our research funding process

We have developed a fair, robust and transparent grant award process in line with the principles laid out by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

We have two distinct funding mechanisms for research projects:

• An organised Competitive Funding Call
• Adhoc Exceptional Funding Requests

Competitive Funding Calls

In September each year, Solving Kids’ Cancer UK will issue a Request for Applications (RFA) inviting researchers to submit their ideas to us as part of a Competitive Funding Call process. The nature of the RFA will be decided and agreed between Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and any potential funding partners.

The RFA may be completely open, or it may be more targeted through the stipulation of requirements that must be met in any application, such as:

• Addressing the needs of certain patient groups
• Involving a particular kind of therapeutic intervention
• Having a specified geographical footprint

Proposals will be peer-reviewed by experts, reviewed by the SAB, and by patient experts nominated by Solving Kids’ Cancer UK. Following this, and taking all reviews into consideration, a recommendation regarding funding will be made by the SAB to the Executive and Board of Solving Kids’ Cancer UK. Where a funding call has been made with one or more partners, the Secretariat of the Solving Kids’ Cancer UK SAB will then arrange a call between all funding partners, seeking to gain a consensus view on which project (if any) to award funding to.

Exceptional Funding Requests

This is an irregular, ad hoc invitation for a researcher or collaborative group of researchers to submit a proposal to the charity for funding consideration. It will be initiated either by the SAB directly or as an unsolicited approach that may be considered by the SAB.

It could result from an initiative instigated or cultivated by Solving Kids’ Cancer UK itself, a project that Solving Kids’ Cancer UK has had prior sight of, or perhaps even held discussions about with researchers. Or it may simply be something that is brought to the attention of the charity to inquire whether it would be willing to receive a funding request for consideration.

Our review process

Each application for funding will be subject to a rigorous scientific review process, and as part of our commitment to ensure the patient voice is at the heart of all our research funding, the views of patient experts will also be taken into consideration.

Overall success rate of applications to competitive grant calls: 50% (6/12 funded)
Overall success rate of applications including exceptional funding requests: 67% (12/18)

We are proud to be an accredited member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and a non-commercial Partner of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This enables our grant awards to be supplemented by the Charities Research Support Fund (CRSF), NHS and NIHR funding, ensuring that every penny invested in research through our charity delivers greater impact for children and families affected by neuroblastoma.

To find out more about our research funding, contact our team at research@solvingkidscancer.org.uk.