Call to apply for £20,000 mental health research grant

Call to apply for £20,000 mental health research grant

The MMI Sarah Brown Research Grant has opened up its applications for 2022’s funding.

Awarded once a year since 2019, the £20,000 grant has already funded four projects that carried out innovative research into a range of mental health areas including neurodiversity, wellbeing amongst isolated farm vets, the impact of racism on mental health, and how moral injury can impact wellbeing.

The grant was set up in memory of vet, RCVS Council member and mental health campaigner Sarah Brown and is an opportunity for mental health researchers at any stage of their career to apply for research funding. Applications on any area of veterinary mental health are welcome. However, particular interest will be shown to research projects that cover the MMI’s key areas of focus for their 2022 – 2027 strategy which include:

  • Students and new graduates
  • The veterinary nursing profession
  • Equality, diversity, inclusion, civility
  • Beyond mental health awareness
  • Leadership

Lisa Quigley, Mind Matters Initiative Manager said: “I would encourage anyone with a mental health research idea, including students and those who are just starting out in their research careers to apply for the funding, as we will be judging applications based on their quality, originality and relevance to the profession rather than how much research experience the applicants have. Applications will be anonymised, so the judging panel won’t be able to see the applicant’s affiliations, prior publications or professional seniority.”

Anyone who would like to apply for the 2022 Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant will need to send a research proposal of no more than two pages to Lisa Quigley on l.quigley@rcvs.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 20 May 2022. There is more information about the Sarah Brown Research Grant, how to apply and support with putting together an application on the MMI website.

The winning application will be announced the week commencing 13 June and formally awarded at the RCVS Honours & Awards ceremony on Friday 8 July.