The Bupa Foundation is an independent medical research charity that funds medical research to prevent, relieve and cure sickness and ill health. The Foundation aims to produce long-term benefits that have the potential to improve the health of individuals and populations worldwide.
Aims
The charitable objects (intentions) expressed above are interpreted in the aims to fund:
Implementation of translational and action orientated research-based solutions, which:
- drive tangible action to prevent or alleviate chronic disease or the adverse elements of ageing, and to promote wellbeing
- lead to the sustained uptake of healthy lifestyles
- measurably improve public health to a significant degree
And/or research which leads to the development of such solutions.
Objectives
The Foundation’s objectives are:
To offer grants to fund research into identifying and evaluating solutions with the potential to improve health outcomes at a population-level as well as reducing health inequalities. Population groups of particular interest, although not exclusive, are: young children and families, and older adults. Intervention settings might include workplaces as well as educational establishments.
The funding will be available for the following areas:
- achieving sustained behaviour changes in relation to smoking, diet, physical activity and/or alcohol consumption
- facilitating wellbeing and preventing mental ill health
- improving patient decision-making through, for example, shared decision-making interventions
- improving the design of community health activities by using new technologies to cost-effectively organise and interpret health outcome data
The Bupa Foundation is dedicated to providing support for research into the prevention, relief and treatment of ill health, for the public good.
All projects should develop, apply or test research-based approaches in community settings - with clear intended impacts on public health.
The Bupa Foundation supports high-quality medical research through its four programmes.
Research grants
All projects funded under this heading should develop, apply or test research-based approaches in community settings - with clear intended impacts on public health. The areas for funding as detailed above are not intended to be exclusive of each other. Figure 1 below may assist in interpretation of these objectives.
Research grant applications are open only to clinicians, researchers and health care professionals who are UK residents. Applicants are encouraged to include partnerships with other universities, healthcare organisations, research institutes, charities and community groups on their application.
The Foundation will normally consider applications for funding to a maximum of £100,000 per annum for up to three years. Successful applications are more likely if added value (such as potential for co-funding) is clearly demonstrated. If funding is required for a longer period, a separate application must be made in the third year. Continuing support cannot be guaranteed; any application for further funding will be considered in open competition with other applications submitted on that occasion.
Annual Multi-Country Grant
A total grant of up to £600,000 will be awarded to fund one multi-country* initiative of one to three years duration, under one of the funding themes detailed above. It will be advertised on the Bupa Foundation website and appropriate online journals.
*This should be defined as a project carried out in at least two of the following countries: United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, the United States or India.
Philip Poole-Wilson Seed Corn Fund
A fund of £200,000 per annum to award grants of up to £20,000 each, to fund research into any of the four research grant themes. Each application must be made either by a researcher beginning their research career or if a pilot project by an experienced researcher, must include such a researcher on the team and contribute meaningfully to his/her development and training.
High priority will be given to applications from young and/or new researchers who have not previously been funded. Philip Poole-Wilson Seed Corn fund grant applications are open only to clinicians, researchers and health care professionals who are UK residents.
Applicants are encouraged to include partnerships with other universities, healthcare organisations, research institutes, charities and community groups on their application.
Annual Prizes
A total of £60,000 will be allocated for completed research and/or development that has been conducted over the past three years into each of the four research themes.
Healthy Lives Prize
Enabling sustained behaviour changes in physical activity and/or nutrition amongst children, families or in the workplace.
Patients as Partners Prize
Utilising or developing shared-decision making tools for better patient decisions for use amongst disadvantaged or diverse groups.
Vitality for Life Prize
Promoting and encouraging healthy ageing through physical activity and other behaviour-based and social solutions for the older age groups (65+ years).
Technology for Healthy Outcomes Prize
Using new technologies to organise and interpret health outcomes data cheaply and effectively for better design of community health activities and improved patient decision making.
The Chairman and Board of Governors of the Bupa Foundation reserve the right to amend and/or add to programme details as they consider appropriate, at any future date.
The process
The three grant programmes: research, multi-country and Philip Poole-Wilson seed corn grants, will be competitively assessed for their scientific quality and value for money through a transparent selection process.
Stage 1 - short form summary
The initial summary (one side of A4) will be assessed by the Foundation's college of experts who will assist the Chairman in deciding which proposals can proceed to the full application stage. The summary must indicate the objectives of the study and how these will be achieved. The Foundation will be looking for proposals that demonstrate originality, meet the criteria detailed in the relevant Foundation objectives, are feasible and likely to deliver the desired outcomes. As with all Bupa Foundation applications, the Chairman's decision is final.
Stage 2 - full application
The full application will be sent for expert peer review. Applications will be considered by the Board of Governors of The Bupa Foundation. The Board will decide on the projects to be funded, informed by peer review reports, applicants responses,and other relevant evidence, as appropriate.
The prizes will be judged by panels of experts with skills related to the first objective on sustained behaviour changes. Bupa Foundation governors with appropriate skills will represent the Board on each panel.
Disseminating Foundation-funded research
The Bupa Foundation believes that the results of its research funding should be made openly and widely available to medical communities and the public, including patients. We actively encourage and further the dissemination of Foundation funded research findings. Our Annual Review is published annually in November, providing details of grants and awards over the past year.
We ask that Grant Holders ensure that the Foundation is informed, if possible in advance, of any publications arising from their research projects as well as presentations at any conferences so that we can assist in raising awareness of study results. The Board is happy for researchers to publish in open access journals.
In accepting Foundation grants, researchers also agree to assist our efforts to inform the public about results from Foundation funded clinical and health research. We arrange periodic seminars, often in conjunction with the relevant professional bodies, to disseminate the results of Foundation funded research. We are happy to consider suggestions about additional modes of dissemination from relevant experts and others.
Encouraging the application of Foundation-funded research
The Board has always circulated its annual reviews widely and forwarded details of nationally significant Foundation-funded/Award projects to interested parties including NHS Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities, Medical Directors of Hospitals, professional bodies etc. as appropriate. From 2011 The Bupa Foundation will be giving even greater focus to translational aspects of its funding and will consider whether additional measures are appropriate.
Strategy review
Bupa Foundation strategy is monitored annually by Governors at the September Board meeting. A full review is carried out every five years, after appropriate outcomes and impact studies. To allow time for completion of the first set of projects under the 2011 strategic model, the next outcomes and impacts survey is expected in 2014, followed by a further strategy review in 2015.
