IPOPI Research Grant Programme – Application Guidelines

 Thank you for your interest in applying for the IPOPI Research Grant Programme.  

Please carefully review the following guidelines before submitting your grant application.

Application Process

You can easily apply through our online platform. Just click “next” to move through the pages, and your progress will be saved automatically. Remember to gather all your info before starting. Here’s what we will need from you: 

General Contact Information

• Include CVs for the project leader, team members, and external partners. 

Project overview – Brief Summary of the Research Project (max 500 words) 

Patient-centredness of project (max 300 words) 

The perspective of patients is crucial for any health research as a principle. But the way the perspectives are gathered can be done in multiple ways: 

• Practical engagement of patients/National Member Organisation (NMO) representatives in discussing the project scope 
• Discussion to assess if it is meeting a(n unmet) need from the patient perspective 
• Involvement of patients in the research project design from the get-go 
• Patient interviews in the project 
• Seeking advice for patients or involvement of patients/NMO in project coordination team 

Detailed project outline (max 10 A4 pages, font Arial 12, line distance 1)

– Rationale and positioning with regard to state-of-the-art

• Elaborate the scientific motivation for the project proposal based on scientific knowledge gaps, and the issues and/or problems that you want to solve with this project.
• Concisely describe the related international state of the art, with reference to scientific literature. Position your project in relation to ongoing national and international research.

– Scientific research objectives 

• Describe explicitly the scientific objective(s) and the research hypothesis. Explain whether and how the research is specifically challenging and inventive, also with reference to the innovative aspects of the envisaged results.  
• Discuss in detail the results (or partial results) that you aim to achieve, such as specific knowledge and academic breakthroughs.  

– Research methodology and work plan 

• Elaborate the different envisaged steps (experiments/activities) in your research and motivate your strategic choices with the aim of reaching the objectives. Describe the set-up and cohesion of the work packages including intermediate goals (milestones) and deliverables. 
• Discuss where the proposed methodology (research approach) is according to the state of the art and where it is novel. 
• Discuss risks that might endanger reaching project objectives and the contingency plans to be put in place should this risk occur. 
• Use a table or graphic representation of the planned course of activities (timing work packages, milestones, critical path) over the grant period of maximum 2 years. 
• Describe the collaboration/coordination/work distribution between the different participating research groups as well as the role/complementarity of the different research groups/(co-)supervisors. 

– References 

• Give an overview of the bibliographical references that are relevant for your research proposal. 

Budget and financial milestones

• Outline realistic milestones and deliverables to be reached within a timeline of up to 2 years. 

• Provide a detailed budget breakdown with justification for each expense, aligning with the milestones. 

 Within the requested budget it is allowed to incorporate the researchers’ salaries as cost, provided that these are not yet covered by any other grant or external source of funding. 

Terms and Conditions

If you were to obtain the grant, the following terms and conditions apply. By submitting the application, you automatically agree to these:

 Requirements upon Approval:

• Provide a lay language summary of the project and its intended objectives.
• Agree to a multi-step funding system based on predetermined milestones.
• Agree to mid-term reporting after one year. 

Requirements upon Completion of the Project:

• Provide a comprehensive report detailing the outcomes of the project within three months of completion.
• Submit an additional lay language summary of the final outcomes of the project. 

Publication and Presentation:

• Beneficiaries may be asked to publish the outcomes of the project in the IPOPI QUID newsletter.
• Beneficiaries may be invited to present their findings during an IPOPI meeting or event, depending on the research team’s publication plan. 

Note: This will be done in a manner that does not compromise the novelty before publication in a scientific journal. 

Acknowledgment of IPOPI’s Contribution:

All communications of the project’s findings, both in written and oral form, must explicitly acknowledge that IPOPI has (co-)financed the underlying research.

Please Note:

The form is designed to save your progress automatically. However, for your convenience and to prevent any potential loss of data, we recommend completing it in one session.  

If you encounter any difficulties or have questions about specific sections, feel free to contact us at rafael@ipopi.org. 

To submit the form, click the ‘Begin the Form’ button to access SurveyMonkey.” 

We appreciate your dedication, and we look forward to receiving your application.