If you are unsure whether or not this scheme is suitable for you, please contact Dr Karen Kerr for assistance.

At present the Population and Behavioural Sciences Committee considers applications for Small Grant funding once a year.

Subjects covered
The Population and Behavioural Sciences Committee considers project grant applications in any area of population and behavioural sciences, including:

• genetic, molecular, clinical and public health epidemiology (excluding primary and secondary prevention studies involving medical interventions, e.g. vaccines and chemoprevention)
• educational, behavioural, supportive and palliative care
• psychosocial research

The Committee will also consider applications for funding for the following:

• Sample collections which are associated with a specific research proposal and not dependent on the primary outcome of a clinical trial;
• Proposals considering clinical trials methodologies or statistics.

Other points
Applicants submitting applications for clinical trials are advised to liaise with a Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) when preparing their proposal, as it will strengthen their application. Information about National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI)-accredited CTUs and contact details for other Trials Units in the UK can be found on the web.

In addition, a number of NCRI Clinical Studies and Clinical Studies Development Groups (CSG/CSDG) relevant to the Committee's remit (in Psychosocial Oncology, Palliative Care, Primary Care, Complementary Therapies and Teenagers and Young Adults) exist and applicants are advised to contact the Chair of the relevant Group(s), or the Chair of the appropriate site-specific NCRI CSG(s), as early as possible in the development process for their application for guidance.

Further details of the various Groups' activities are available from the NCRI Clinical Studies Group website or from the Group's Senior Executive, Dr Eileen Loucaides (tel: 020 7061 8582; email: ncricsg@cancer.org.uk).

Applicants are advised that abstracts of all applications to the Population and Behavioural Sciences Committee are sent to the relevant CSGs and CSDGs in advance of a funding decision, for comment on how the proposed study or trial would fit within the Group's portfolio of research (if appropriate) and whether it complements, overlaps or conflicts with any current studies in the portfolio. If supported by the Committee, appropriate studies will be added to the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) portfolio, and will be expected to access NCRN resources where possible and appropriate.

Finally, the Population and Behavioural Sciences Committee will only accept applications for additional arms to, or sub-studies for, existing trials, if the parent trial has been funded or endorsed by a Cancer Research UK Funding Committee or adopted by the NCRN.

Eligibility
Applications will be accepted from scientists, clinicians or health care workers in UK universities, medical schools, hospitals and some research institutions. For additional information on eligibility, please refer to the Terms and Conditions.

Cancer Research UK welcomes applications proposing joint support for research with other funding bodies. All such proposals must be discussed with the office before submission.

Individuals applying for funding from BBSRC or MRC Units please note that any application must be discussed in advance with BBSRC or MRC Head Office as well as with Cancer Research UK.

Individuals who hold Programme Grant funding from Cancer Research UK, or who are senior researchers in Groups, Units or Centres supported by Cancer Research UK Programme Grant funding, are not eligible to apply for Small Grant Funding. Instead they are advised to encourage junior investigators in their research team to apply. In such situations, a clear justification of how the proposed research differs from that supported by the Programme Grant funding, and why it cannot be conducted within the confines of that funding, must be provided within the application.

Applications for longer periods of funding may be more suitable to be considered as a Project Grant by the PBS Committee.

Value
Small Grant applications should not exceed £40,000 in total.

Number offered
The PBS Committee has set aside a budget for approximately 6 small grants per annum which will be awarded on a competitive basis.

Application Deadlines
The application deadline is Friday 7 November 2008 for the March 2009 PBS committee meeting.

Please note that these deadlines are final and that we cannot accept applications after midnight on these days.

Due to the popularity of Small Grant funding in the previous round of applications, the Committee has set a maximum quota, and applications will be processed in the order they are received, up to this maximum. If the pre-set maximum quota is reached before midnight on the deadline date, the applications will be treated on a first come, first served basis. Only submissions via our Application Management System (AMS) will be accepted.

Applications that are received over the quota will be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee that considers Small Grant applications.

How to apply
All PBS Small Grant applications must be made online using the Application Management System (AMS).

Cancer Research UK also provides funding for therapeutic, diagnostic and some prevention clinical trials through its Clinical Trials Awards and Advisory Committee (CTAAC) and Feasibility Study Committee (FSC). For more information on these funding schemes or the committee, see Clinical Trials Funding.

PhD studentships and a number of Fellowships in the areas of Population and Behavioural research are also available and offered by the Training and Career Development Board (TCDB). For further information on this type of funding support, see Personal Funding.