Applied Research on Longer-Term Effects of COVID-19 Infection

6th October 2020

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) are launching a call for applied research proposals designed to improve understanding of the longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection on physical and mental health and wellbeing in Scotland, and/or research with the aim of developing effective clinical interventions to support recovery and rehabilitation from COVID-19 infection.

Remit

Studies within remit would include: the epidemiology of, or clinical evaluation of diagnostic, prognostic and precision medicine approaches to long COVID-19 (defined as not recovering for several weeks or months following the start of symptoms); development and evaluation of treatment and rehabilitation strategies; research to increase the knowledge base around lived experience of long term COVID-19 infection sequalae.

This call is not to support: hypothesis-generating basic research on the molecular, cellular and/or physiological mechanisms underlying long COVID; nor is it to support wider research relating to COVID-19 such as into the impacts of social distancing/lockdown measures on health and wellbeing.

Funding Available

The funding available for individual projects is up to £300,000 at 80% full economic cost. Projects should be up to 24 months duration, although, exceptionally, longer projects will be considered if clinically/scientifically justified. CSO expects to be in a position to fund around 6 such projects through this call. CSO standard terms and conditions of grant and applicant eligibility criteria apply.

Other Details

Cross-disciplinary collaborative proposals are welcomed as are studies that build on or extend existing studies in Scotland. Funded applications will need to start within 3 months of award. Applications should be submitted along with a letter of support from the host institution confirming that the research can be conducted within this timeframe and, where support of the NHS for use of resources is required, the research can be supported by the territorial Health Board(s) or special Health Board(s) involved. Applications that are within remit of this current call are not eligible for consideration by the CSO response mode committees’ January 2021 application round. These committees will accept other COVID-19 related research applications that are within their individual remits, but out with the scope of the current call.

Applications should take into account other research currently underway on the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection and CSO will liaise with other funders to ensure duplication of effort is avoided.

How to apply

It is essential that applicants submit an intention to submit email to csograntapplications@gov.scot by 5pm on Friday 23rd October.

This should provide details of the PI, the working title of the study and a brief summary of the proposed work. If the work involves the use of any NHS resource applicants must discuss this with the relevant NHS R&D lead before submitting this email. Please note that CSO will not consider applications that have not sent through an intention to submit email by the above deadline. Details of NHS R&D contacts by territorial board are available here.

CSO is not operating a two-stage application process for this call; there will no outline application stage. Applications to this call should be made using the full application form.

Application Form
Guidance for Application
Conditions of Grant

Furthermore, applications submitted to this call will be peer-reviewed by a bespoke independent expert panel to be convened by CSO. Applicants should therefore ensure that applications can be well understood and evaluated by scientific and medical researchers who may not be specialists in the particular area of the application.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on Monday 9th November to csograntapplications@gov.scot.

Any questions about the call can be directed to Alan McNair or Tom Barlow.

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