How Grants are Approved
BRACE will fund a research project only after the proposal has been subjected to a rigorous review process:
Grant Application Submission
All research grant applications must be submitted within the deadline specified on the official BRACE website. Applicants are advised to regularly check the website for updates and ensure that their submissions meet all requirements before the published deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.
Internal Check
All grant applications are reviewed based on adherence to the required application format, the eligibility of applicants, and alignment with BRACE’s remit.
Triage
All grant applications are initially reviewed by members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Studies receiving the highest proportion of positive responses will proceed to external review.
External Review
Successful applications are forwarded to five external expert reviewers provided by the applicants. Applicants may be contacted if their choice of reviewers are conflicted.
If BRACE does not receive at least 2 reviews from these reviewers, BRACE will then seek further reviews from its own external reviewer contacts. Reviewers will be matched on area and expertise.Â
If appropriate external reviews cannot be obtained by BRACE the applicant will be informed and the application will be deferred to the next BRACE application round.
SAC Meeting
Applications with two external reviewers are then considered on scientific merit by the independent Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and projects are then recommended to the BRACE Board. The Committee members are listed below.
Board Meeting
BRACE Board members meet to consider the recommendations from the SAC and approve project grants based on the availability of funds.
Note: Independent Decision-Making in the Grants Process - BRACE staff do not participate in decision-making at any stage of the grants process. All funding decisions are made by the BRACE Board. Grant applications undergo rigorous review by external experts, with recommendations provided by an autonomous Scientific Advisory Committee. Final funding decisions are made by the BRACE Board, ensuring a transparent and impartial process.
The charity has its own Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which works independently to assess each application on scientific merit alone. Final decisions about grants are taken by the BRACE Board, who will also consider the availability of funds.
The SAC currently has the following members:
Director(s) of BRACE Trustee Limited (Corporate Trustee)
- Dr John Pounsford (Chair)
External Members
- Professor Kei Cho - Professor of Neuroscience, King's College, London
- Dr Lorenzo More - Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience, University of Central Lancashire
- Professor Payam Barnaghi - Chair in Machine Intelligence Applied to Medicine, Imperial College London
- Professor Maeve Caldwell - Professor in Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin
- Dr Charlie Arber - Senior Research Fellow, University College London
- Dr Sam Creavin -Â NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Practice, University of Bristol
- Professor Nancy Zook - Associate Professor of Psychology, University of the West of England
- Professor Zafar Bashir -Â Professor of cellular Neuroscience, University of Bristol
All members of the SAC will be consulted about every application unless they have a conflict of interest. Non-trustee members of the SAC are eligible to apply for grants but will be excluded from all stages of the approval process of their own application.
For more information on the SAC Conflict of Interest Policy
BRACE (the Charity) is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC)
Page last updated October 2024
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