Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) and Health Research Board (HRB) call for proposals
Published: Tuesday, January 04, 2011
The Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) is a collective of charities, which seeks to further medical research in Ireland. Sightsavers International forms part of the MRCG, and as such has lobbied successfully for the Health Research Board (HRB) to co-fund relevant research projects.
To date, 56 such projects have been jointly funded by the HRB and members of the MRCG, and Sightsavers now invites proposals for the 2011 MRCG/HRB funding scheme. A successful proposal will be funded with up to €100,000 per annum for 36 months, and must build upon Sightsavers' existing work, ultimately resulting in novel contributions to knowledge, which our beneficiaries will profit from.
We encourage researchers to submit proposals, which address either of the following topics and potential research questions:
1. Health management and information systems
- Are health management and information systems adequate in collating accurate data regarding people with disabilities, especially visual impairment - both for Sightsavers programme countries and for Ireland?
- What impact does this have on patient care, health service delivery, etc.?
- How can health management and information systems be strengthened?
- Which lessons can be learnt across countries?
OR
2. Social inclusion
- What barriers do visually impaired people face in accessing health and educational services, both in Sightsavers programme countries and in Ireland?
- How are these barriers exacerbated by gender, age, class, or other cross-cutting social or economic category?
- What innovative methods can be used to overcome such barriers?
- What are the linkages between reproductive health and access to health/educational services for disabled women?
- What impact do traditional health practices have in terms of these linkages?
The timeline for the proposal submission and selection is as follows:
- 20th February 2011: Proposal submission deadline & subsequent peer review
- 30th March 2011: Submission to HRB for selection
- June/July 2011: HRB board approval & contracts issued
- October 2011: Project start
Further details, including an application form, can be accessed at www.sightsavers.ie