Covid-19 Research Grant

In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, Medical Research Scotland is making funds available to facilitate research into any health-related aspect of the pandemic. The Trustees have increased the funding and we hope to support at least 15 projects.

Projects must have a clear route toward an impact in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic including, but not restricted to, the development of approaches to diagnosis, testing and treatment; the creation of resources for medical use in hospitals, care homes or by the public; social science studies that will be useful for professional practice, standards or policy. If creating a new device there must be scope to meet regulatory standards.

These grants can be used for new research projects, for pilot studies, or to supplement existing research programmes, whether funded by other grants or not. What is important to MRS is offering the most useful support for work designed to understand and combat Covid-19.

You can contact us at applications@medicalresearchscotland.org before making application. It will be necessary to confirm that the facilities needed are operational and that access will be granted.

We will support direct costs and consumables, not salary. Our expectation is that grants will not exceed 20,000 and we will fund about ten projects at this level and potentially more if smaller requests are made. If there are extraordinary requests outwith this guidance, please talk to us. Awards will be made on the basis that applicants can purchase any necessary materials and invoice MRS to recover the costs. A short report on each project, including evidence of any impact the research had, will be required before final invoices are paid. The report must be submitted within 3 months after the planned date of outcome of the project.

Awards are made for immediate use. MRS is looking for practical impact from these projects. There is no expectation that research data will be generated but any that is must be made publicly available through open access routes.

Following our current regulations, applications should come from within a Scottish University or research institute. Collaborations with external partners are welcomed.

Permissions: if ethical approval is required for the proposed project, please check with your local Ethics Committee that your project can be reviewed and considered quickly.

Authorisation: any relevant authorisation for research work, including animal research, must be obtained before any research requiring authorisations is conducted.

Applications must be made on the forms provided, which can be downloaded at the right hand side of this page, and submitted as PDF documents, with signatures. The process is designed to enable rapid response. We will not collect applications and review them all together on a given date. Because MRS wants to offer immediate help, applications will be reviewed as they arrive and outcomes reported back as quickly as possible.