PRUK opens funding round for 2018
Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK) — a research charity that supports pharmacists and pharmacy research — has announced the opening of its funding round for 2018 personal research awards and training bursaries.
Any potential applicant for the funding will be able to submit applications until 2 May and new to this year (and to be continued from now on) funding will be open to all pharmacists engaged in research including non-Royal Pharmaceutical Society members.
The small grants provided by PRUK enable successful applicants to develop a research active pharmacy profession. Additionally, the personal awards (which are available to both academics and pharmacy practitioners) help small scale research projects that may not be eligible for funding from other bodies to be undertaken.
There are three categories for PRUK funding — Research Training Bursaries, Personal Research Awards and BOPA-PRUK Research Award.
Research training bursaries provide funding for community and primary care pharmacists who want to develop their research skills. It is not essential for applicants to have extensive experience at this stage, but some grounding in research will be an advantage and the funding is usually awarded where the qualification will benefit their day to day practice. There are three tiers of funding that are suitable for each type of qualification being worked towards.
Personal Research Awards are available to both community and primary care pharmacists. This unique funding opportunity is vital for building pharmacy research capacity. By advocating for a research active career route for pharmacists, a strong evidence base can be developed to inform pharmacy’s contribution to patient care and public health. Previous recipients have undertaken research in areas such as public health, health economics, infection management, organisational psychology and over the counter prescribing.
The BOPA-PRUK Research Award (jointly funded by the British Oncology Pharmacy Association) calls for pharmacy professionals who are new to research to lead on their own project for the benefit of patients within the field of haematology or oncology pharmacy research. This funding is designed to enable the recipients to gain further exposure and experience in conducting their own research project, whilst also informing the research area and allowing for further collaboration with experienced researchers.