Relaunch of UK Biomedical Ethics grant schemes: June 2007

The review of the Biomedical Ethics UK Programme is now complete. Thank you to all those who took part in our surveys that helped to define the programme's new direction. Staff are now planning a series of university visits to communicate the changes and advise on new applications.

Below is a definition of the scope of the new programme, a brief overview of the recommendations of the review and their practical implications for grant submissions.

The scope of the Programme

The field of biomedical ethics should be taken to cover ethical issues that arise in the development and delivery of healthcare, or that arise from the use of medical techniques. This includes ethics of research (involving either humans or animals); ethical issues in the translation of research into practice; ethical issues arising in clinical care; and ethical issues arising from the delivery of care including policy and public health.

Criteria for research in ethics to be funded through the programme

For research to be funded under the Biomedical Ethics Programme, ethical issue(s) must be central to its aims, and the project must include among its aims to provide some ethical analysis of what ought or ought not to be done, or some analysis of concepts that are crucial to that ethical analysis.

The Trust believes that ethical analysis of issues in biomedicine requires a thorough understanding of context and will often require the collection of novel data (quantitative or qualitative), or the evaluation of changes in practice. We are therefore open to funding projects with a substantial empirical component. In the case of empirical projects the project must also involve some critical analysis. We will also consider purely philosophical research, or research that involves purely theoretical analysis (including research that involves more than one analytic discipline, such as legal and ethical analysis).

We will not normally fund research, under the Biomedical Ethics Programme, that is purely empirical or in which the analyses are purely legal.

Main recommendations

Greater support for centres or collaborations
It was recommended that we allocate our resources such that a greater proportion be put into supporting centres or collaborations. Such centres and collaborations should: have a track record, or be otherwise able to demonstrate the likely ability to carry out good quality research; have the breadth of experience needed for good multidisciplinary working; and act as a training resource to help build capacity in the area of biomedical ethics.

Improving dissemination
It was recommended that we build on our experience to further improve the dissemination of results of research to the public, media, patient groups, and to policy makers as appropriate. We are well placed to identify and support appropriate researchers through: training; advice; contacts; and hosting or funding events as well as through dissemination awards.

Facilitation of training in research methods
It was recommended that we facilitate training (for example through 'summer schools') in multidisciplinary research methods in biomedical ethics.

Clinical studentships and fellowships
It was recommended that clinical studentships and fellowships be available under the Biomedical Ethics Programme.

Increasing the proportion of fellowships to studentships
It is recommended that the ratio of fellowships to studentships be increased. Over the last few years the programme has funded significantly more PhD studentships than postdoctoral fellowships. It was agreed that this needed to be addressed.