General Guidelines for Applicants

Transcription

1 General Guidelines for Applicants Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 General guidelines for the Stimulus Award The purpose of the Irish Cancer Society Stimulus Award is to provide early- to mid-stage cancer researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals with an opportunity to drive forward an existing research project which, if given an extra injection of funding, has the potential to be both highly competitive and impactful. Ultimately it is expected that this award will act as a launch pad for the applicant and expedite their career development within the Irish cancer community. There are two Stimulus awards calls: the Biomedical Sciences Stimulus Award and the Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award. Applicants can only apply for one type of Stimulus award*. Applications to the Biomedical Science Stimulus Award and the Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award are accessible through the Irish Cancer Society Gateway Grant Tracker online system. Please ensure that you are using the correct application that is relevant to the specific field of your research proposal **. Please note a webinar will be held to give further guidance on completing the application. It is strongly recommended that you attend this webinar. Please grants@irishcancer.ie if you are interested in attending the webinar. * Applicants that submit applications to both awards will be rejected. If you are unsure of which award category is applicable to your project, please contact grants@irishcancer.ie and we can advise. ** Applicants that apply using the incorrect application procedure for their specific field of research will be rejected. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 1 of 23

2 Guidelines for Social Science, Nursing, and Allied Health Applicants Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Table of Contents 1. General: (Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award) Eligibility Criteria Application Procedure The Application Form Submission of the Application Assessment Procedure Application Checklist Contact Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 2 of 23

3 Guidelines for Social Science, Nursing, and Allied Health Applicants Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award General: (Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award) 1.1. Introduction The purpose of the Irish Cancer Society Stimulus Award is to provide early- to mid-stage cancer researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals with an opportunity to drive forward an existing research project which, if given an extra injection of funding, has the potential to be both highly competitive and impactful. Ultimately it is expected that this award will act as a launch pad for the applicant and expedite their career development within the Irish cancer community. The aims of the Stimulus Award are to: support activities necessary to evolve an existing research project to a point where it can be considered competitive for leveraging large-scale extramural funding build capacity in underexplored areas support the career development of the researcher, nurse, or allied health professional foster national and international collaborations to promote innovation help develop key policies which aim to improve cancer outcomes help find a strategic output that will be impactful to the cancer community further the cancer research knowledge base Successful proposals will advance a) research capability, and/or b) inform social, economic, and political policy, and/or c) cancer service provision at local and national levels, both during and beyond the lifetime of the proposed project. As such, the outputs from this grant should stimulate research development, changes in policy, or changes in service provision. It is expected that within 12 months of the completion of the stimulus funding period: Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 3 of 23

4 a competitive proposal for a sizable research project will be submitted to an external funding organisation OR a policy document likely to significantly impact cancer care, services, relevant laws, or strategic government policy will be completed. OR a cancer service evaluation technical report/monograph will be completed with guidance on service improvement and its operationalisation locally and nationally Applications are sought from academic researchers, nurses, or allied health professionals in their chosen area of social or allied health sciences cancer research*. This award is therefore intended to fund research in the social and allied health sciences. Applicants wishing to apply for funding for projects within the areas of basic or translational science should apply to the Biomedical Science Stimulus Award**. *Please note you cannot apply for both Biomedical and Social and Allied Health Science Stimulus award grant calls. You must apply for the Biomedical Science research grant or the Social and Allied Health Sciences research grant, not both. Please ensure you are using the relevant application on the Irish Cancer Society Gateway Grant Tracker online system before proceeding. Applicants that apply for both awards will be disqualified. **If you are unsure of which award category is applicable to your project, please contact grants@irishcancer.ie and we can advise Funding The maximum funding granted for the Stimulus Award is 30,000 over 12 months. Funding for one award is available Timeframe Wednesday 19th September pm Wednesday 24th October 2018 November 2018 January 2019 February 2019 Applications open Full Application Deadline Detailed review of full application by The Scientific Review Panel Detailed review of the lay pitches by the Patient Panel Awardee selected Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 4 of 23

5 2. Eligibility Criteria Please read the following eligibility criteria carefully. If you are uncertain of your eligibility or for further information on the eligibility criteria, please contact before applying. The Stimulus award is open to: academic researchers in the social or allied health sciences nurses and allied health professionals working with those affected by cancer Academic researchers must: have a doctoral research degree have a strong commitment to progressing their career in cancer research have a minimum of two years research experience following their doctoral degree (time since date of thesis submission) Nurses and allied health professionals must: be a qualified nurse registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) OR be an allied health professional from any background relevant to cancer research or care (including but not limited to clinical psychology, occupational therapy, social work, dietetics, or physiotherapy, etc.) who meets the requirements for associated professional accreditation (as relevant) have a proven track record in research, culminating in three or more first author publications in peer-reviewed academic journals (alternative research outputs may be considered eligible e.g., monographs. In such instances, candidates should contact grants@irishcancer.ie before applying) 3. Application Procedure 3.1. How to Apply Applications must be completed and submitted through the Irish Cancer Society Grant Tracker online system. In order to submit an online application you are required to register at the following address*: When registering please fill out all the fields on the registration form. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 5 of 23

6 * Applications are different for the Biomedical Science and Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Awards, you must choose the correct application for your specific research proposal Overview of the Application Process When you enter your login details you will be directed to the Portal Home page. From here you can: Update your basic information (please make sure all fields are completed) Make a new grant application Access previous grant applications 3.3. Making an application When you have ensured that all your basic details are entered, then you can proceed to apply for a new grant application. This can be done by returning to the Portal Home page and clicking to apply for funding from one of our grant streams. Or alternatively through the My Applications tab on the left hand side of the page, and clicking the New Application button. You will then be asked what Grant Type you would like to apply for. Click Apply for the Grant Type detailed as Stimulus Award 2018 Social and Allied Health Sciences. 4. The Application Form There are 12 sections outlined on the left hand side of the page: 1. Introduction 2. Project Outline 3. Applicant Curriculum Vitae 4. Mentor and Statement of Mentor Suitability 5. Mentor Curriculum Vitae 6. Project Summary 7. Sustainability Plan 8. Career Development Plan 9. Lay Research Pitch 10. Declarations of Support 11. Budget 12. Validation Summary Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 6 of 23

7 These sections are to be viewed and completed. It is recommended that you save the information as you complete each section. This can be done by clicking Save as you go along. Alternatively the information will be saved when you click Save and Close. By clicking Previous you will be brought to the previous section and by clicking Next you will be brought to the next section. As you proceed through the sections you will see a small blue question mark icon next to some of the sections. By clicking on this icon you will get more information on the section to be completed. Sections that are required to be filled out have a red circle icon next to them. You will not be able to proceed with the application if these sections are not completed. 1. Introduction This section gives the overview information of the Stimulus Award. 2. Project Outline Details of your application are entered into this section. Input and save the information as required under the following headings: a) Proposed Project Title b) Proposed Start Date (Cannot be before March 2019) c) Duration (no more than 12 months) d) Proposed Host Institute e) Additional Research Site f) Cancer Type g) Keywords h) Research Type i) Discipline 3. Applicant Curriculum Vitae Please upload your CV - completed using the relevant template provided (the templates are downloadable in this section of the online system or on the website). There are two CV templates: 1) for post-doctoral social, nursing or allied health science researchers, and 2) for nurses and allied health professionals. Please complete the CV template most appropriate to your background. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 7 of 23

8 Information on Post-Doctoral Researcher CV template: Name Contact Details Third Level Education address Undergraduate (Bachelors or equivalent) Please state your: Institution of study Start and end date Qualification Grade awarded Title and Subject area of research projects undertaken during your undergraduate degree. Postgraduate Qualification(s) For each postgraduate qualification, please use a separate box. For each qualification, please state: Title of Qualification The date which this was awarded Institution of study Department or school Start and end dates Name of Supervisor Title and subject area of Thesis Additional Professional or Academic Training If you have completed any further formal training relevant to this applications, please state: Title of award Date of award Institution of study Start and end dates Department or school Brief description of qualification/training relevance (50 words max) Research Career Number of years research experience Please state the number of months and years research experience since the completion of your Doctoral degree. Please state the date of thesis submission. Present Post Please provide details of the following: Institute including department/school in which you work. Principal investigator or group leader within the research group. Start and end date with this group. A brief description of the projects in which you are involved and the duties assigned to you for the completion of these projects (500 words max) Previous Posts Please provide details of the following: Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 8 of 23

9 Institute including department/school in which you worked. Principal investigator or group leader within the research group. Start and end date with this group. A brief description of the projects in which you were involved and the duties assigned to you for the completion of these projects (500 words max) Membership of Boards or Professional Bodies Please list any memberships you hold on boards or professional bodies (scientific or other) Publications Please detail any peer-reviewed publications you have. Please include: Publication title List of authors Date of publication Name of the publication/journal, type of publication DOI reference URL link if available Please start with the most recent publication. Other significant contributions Please include any other significant contributions (e.g., books, chapters, technical reports/monographs, policy documents, book chapters, etc.) and any invited presentations/ academic or public lectures/ other outreach. Distinctions and awards Research grant History Please include details of distinctions and awards to date. Please detail any grants you have received. Please include: Title of grant Awarding body Value of award Time frame of grant Other employment Please detail any relevant employment not already listed. Please include start and end date, job title and where you were employed. Please start with the most recent. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 9 of 23

10 Information on Nurses and Allied Health Professionals CV template: Name Contact Details Third Level Education address Undergraduate (Bachelors or Equivalent) Please state your: Institution of study Start and end date Qualification Grade awarded Title and subject area of research projects undertaken during your undergraduate degree. Postgraduate Qualification(s) If you have undertaken postgraduate training, please state (use a separate box for each qualification): Title of qualification The date which this was awarded Institution of study Department or school Start and end dates Name of Supervisor Title and subject area of thesis Additional Professional or Academic Training If you have been awarded any further qualifications relevant to this applications, please state: Title of award Date of award Institution of study Start and end dates Department or school Brief description of qualification/training relevance (50 words max) Employment History Present Post Please provide details of the following: Job title. Institute including department/school in which you work. Start and end date. Brief description of duties. Previous Posts Please provide details of the following: Job title. Institute including department/school in which you work. Start and end date. Brief description of duties. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 10 of 23

11 Membership of Boards or Professional Bodies Please list any memberships you hold on boards or professional bodies (scientific or other) Research Experience Please describe your research experience to date. For each project/role, please provide the following information (500 words max): Institute including department/school in which you worked. Principal investigator or group leader within the research group. Start and end date with this group. A brief description of the projects in which you are involved and the duties assigned to you for the completion of these projects Publications Please detail any publications you have. Please include: Publication title List of authors Date of publication Name of the publication/journal, type of publication DOI reference URL link if available Please start with the most recent publication. Other significant contributions Please include any other significant contributions (e.g., books, chapters, technical reports/monographs, policy documents, book chapters, etc.) and any invited presentations/ academic or public lectures/ other outreach. Distinctions and awards Research grant history Please include details of distinctions and awards to date. Please detail any grants you have received. Please include: Title of grant Awarding body Value of award Time frame of grant Other employment Please detail any relevant employment not already listed. Please include start and end date, job title and where you were employed. Please start with the most recent. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 11 of 23

12 4. Mentor You must add your Mentor to the application. Your mentor will have to confirm participation in the application and also approve the application after you submit it and before it is finally submitted to the Society. To add your Mentor you can search for them by entering their surname. If the Mentor has already created an account then they will appear on the list. To add them as your Mentor click Select. Please note that on saving, the contact will be added to the Application as a Mentor and they will receive a notification of this via . If your Mentor does not already have an account you can click Add a New Contact and enter their name and address. Please note that on saving, the contact will be added to the Application as a Mentor. They will receive a notification of this via . Please note you must upload a CV from proposed mentor uploaded in Section 5 - Mentor CV. Mentor Suitability Please outline why your mentor of choice is a suitable mentor for you and for this award (max 300 words). 5. Mentor CV Please upload the CV of your proposed Mentor. The CV should be completed using the template provided (this template* is downloadable in this section on the online system or on the website). Please ensure that you first have the permission from your Mentor to upload their CV. *Please note this template is different to the Applicant CV Template. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 12 of 23

13 Information on the Mentor CV template: Name Contact Details Details of Current employment address Please state title of current employment, tenure of employment, end date if applicable (permanent, contract) and the employment address. Qualifications Please list your qualifications, dated most recent first. Please state where you obtained your qualifications. Employment history Please provide a history of employment including post held, location, start and end date, type of employment (permanent or contract). Membership of Boards or Professional Bodies Please list any memberships you hold on boards or professional bodies (scientific or other). Leadership and Management Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Other activities Distinctions and Awards Research Grant History Please detail all leadership activities and experience to date. Please state any invited presentations/ academic or public lectures/ other outreach. Please include date, title of event and hosting body if relevant. Can include PPI activities, committee membership and development of policy documentation. Please include details of any distinctions and awards to date. Please detail any grants you have received. Please include: Title of grant Awarding body Value of award Time frame of grant Publications Please detail any publications you have. Please include: Publication title List of authors Date of publication Name of the publication/journal, type of publication DOI reference URL link if available Please start with the most recent publication. Supervisor/Mentorship Activities Please complete the Record of Supervision/Mentorship in detail and as accurately as possible. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 13 of 23

14 6. Project Summary Please give details of the research project that will be supported by the Stimulus Award. It is important to detail the work that has already been completed on the project to date (including results) and detail how the Stimulus Award will further develop this project. 6a) Project summary to date Background to existing research Please clearly state the relevant background information for this research project (500 words max). Hypothesis and aims Please outline the hypothesis and the aims of the original research project (300 words max). Previous research results Please clearly outline the relevant research data previously carried out by the associated research team which forms the basis of your research proposal. You may upload up to five research images (in PDF format). Please ensure that figures are legible when uploading. Illegible figures may be difficult for the international peer review panel to assess and could detract from your application (1000 words max). 6b) Plans for the Stimulus Award Hypothesis, aims, and objectives for the Stimulus Award Please outline the hypothesis and the aims of your research proposal. In this section you need to set out a series of strategic and logical objectives that you hope to achieve in the 12 months of your award. The objectives should be precise and concise statements, with a projected date for completion. In some cases, you can enter alternatives in case a pitfall arises (500 words max). You may upload one Gantt chart in support of this strategic plan (in PDF format). Methodology Please describe the methods you will use to conduct your research during the 12 months of the Stimulus Award with specific reference to how these procedures will address your hypothesis, aims, and objectives. As appropriate, describe the different research groups stating the inclusion/exclusion Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 14 of 23

15 criteria and methods/feasibility for identifying and recruiting participants. Please describe your qualitative and/or quantitative statistical analysis plan including sample sizes and power calculations (1000 words max). All relevant documentation regarding ethical approval for this project must be uploaded (in PDF format). Ethics Where appropriate, describe ethical and informed consent procedures, with consideration of anonymisation and secure data management. Do the research activities described in your proposal require approval by an institutional review board (ethics committee) either through a new submission, or an amendment to a pre-approved submission? If ethical approval is required, please state (300 words max): o o o the nature of the submission (new submission or amendment) the details of the Research Ethics Committee concerned the date, or estimated date, when ethical approval will be granted Please note that applicants must ensure to follow data protection legislation in all respects including the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which came into effect on the 25th May Summary and conclusions Please outline the summary and conclusions of your research proposal (300 words max). 7. Sustainability plan This Stimulus Award will act as a stepping stone for an existing project to become more competitive or impactful, within research or the wider socio-political landscape. This fund will progress the project to a point that within 12 months of the completion of the stimulus funding period: 1) a competitive proposal for a sizable project will be submitted to an external funding organisation AND/OR 2) a policy report likely to significantly impact cancer care, services, relevant laws, or strategic government policy will be completed AND/OR Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 15 of 23

16 3) a cancer service evaluation technical report/monograph will be completed with guidance on service improvement and its operationalisation locally and nationally. Please complete the sustainability section most relevant to your proposal. If your project is likely to impact more than one output strand, please complete all relevant sections. 1) Research Sustainability (Please complete all sections): a) Please provide a thorough justification as to why this Stimulus Award is relevant, identify the programme(s) and research funding body/bodies to which a future proposal(s) will be submitted should your current application be successful (500 words max). b) Please detail the eligibility criteria (including applicant eligibility) for the research programme(s) to which a future proposal(s) will be submitted. How will the Stimulus Award make you eligible for your selected future proposal(s) (500 words max)? c) Please upload relevant documentation in PDF format as evidence of the eligibility to apply for said research programme(s) (5 documents max). d) How will the Stimulus Award make your future funding applications more competitive? Please address the following (500 words max): Time afforded to build on the existing results Research outputs Publications Building on/developing new collaborations Other 2) Policy Impact: (Sections marked with * are required. Please ensure you emphasise how the research findings will be translated into policy.) a) Please provide a thorough justification as to why this Stimulus Award is relevant, identify the policy/service and relevant public and private bodies which will be impacted should your current application be successful (500 words max).* b) Describe the steps for actioning/operationalising your policy document to the relevant public and private bodies to enact change (500 words max).* c) Where appropriate, please upload relevant policy documents to which your project aims to affect change (5 documents max) Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 16 of 23

17 d) Where appropriate, describe future research opportunities which can build upon your work (300 words max) e) Please describe any additional ways (not described above) in which your research will impact policy (300 words max). 3) Cancer Services: (Sections marked with * are required. Please ensure you emphasise how the research findings will be translated into service change.) a) Please provide a thorough justification as to why this Stimulus Award is relevant, identify the service(s) and relevant service providers (including any state bodies) which will be impacted should your current application be successful (500 words max).* b) Describe the steps for operationalising your evaluation to deliver actionable change to cancer services in Ireland (500 words max).* c) Where appropriate, describe future research opportunities which can build upon your work (300 words max). d) Please describe any additional ways (not described above) in which your research will impact cancer services (300 words max). 8. Career Development Please detail your immediate and long-term goals for your career and how you feel the Stimulus Award would contribute to these goals (400 words max). 9. Lay Research Pitch The full application form, in addition to the lay research pitch, will be reviewed by the Scientific Review Panel in the first instance. Following this review, the top applicants will be short-listed. The lay research pitch of the shortlisted applicants will be subsequently reviewed by an external Patient Panel. Ultimately, the Patient Panel will be have final decision in selected the successful application based on this lay research pitch (please see Section 6 for information on the assessment procedure). Please note a webinar will be held to give further guidance on completing this section. It is strongly recommended that you attend this webinar. Please grants@irishcancer.ie if you are interested in attending the webinar. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 17 of 23

18 Before completing this section we also strongly recommend consulting the Irish Cancer Society Guidelines on Public Patient Involvement (PPI) in research (Appendix 1). Please provide a structured, descriptive, and realistic lay research pitch. It is very important that the pitch is written in plain English and is understandable to a non-scientific audience (1000 words max). Please include the following: What is the specific problem, issue or question that you are asking in your research proposal and how are you addressing it? Why is that problem, issue or question important to patients? How does this project fit into the broader conversation within this cancer area and, importantly, what does it add to the conversation? What is your plan to publicise your research findings to the public? 10. Declarations of Support a) Mentor Please upload a Declaration of Support from your Mentor. The Declaration of Support Template is downloadable from this section on the online system or on the website. This must be completed on headed paper. b) Head of Department Please upload a Declaration of Support from the Head of Department at your host institution. The Declaration of Support Template is downloadable from this section on the online system or on the website. This must be completed on headed paper. The Declaration of Support required from the Head of Department is simply a standard letter stating that they are aware of and support the application. c) Employer For applicants who are currently employed as a nurse or allied health professional, it may be the case that the research proposed as part of this application will involve the applicant taking time away from their current role. Therefore, we request that all nurses and allied health professionals provide a Letter of Support from their current employer. This letter should outline the employers support for this application and give permission for the applicant to undertake time for research outside of their current role. This letter is in addition to the Declaration of Support from the Head of Department. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 18 of 23

19 11. Budget A full detailed breakdown of costs and justification for all costs must be provided in your application. All costs should directly contribute to the purpose of the Stimulus Award i.e., to advance a) research capability, and/or b) inform social, economic, and political policy, and/or c) cancer service provision at local and national levels, both during and beyond the lifetime of the proposed project. A maximum of 3,000 may be budgeted for travel/dissemination costs and must be justifiable within the remit of the Stimulus Award. Only small equipment crucial to the completion of the project may be budgeted. In general however, this award will not cover the costs of infrastructural equipment (e.g., computer equipment). Final approval of all budgeted costs is at the discretion of the Irish Cancer Society. 12. Validation Summary In this section any required fields in the application form that have not been completed will be detailed. You will not be able to submit the application until all required fields are completed. 5. Submission of the Application The application can be submitted for signatory approval on the system once: Your Mentor has confirmed their participation. o An will be sent to your mentor requesting their participation when they are added to the application. It has been verified that all required questions are answered in the correct manner on the application form. For final submission to the Society: The application submitted by the applicant must be approved by the signatory (Mentor). o The Mentor will be notified by once the applicant has submitted the application. The signatories will be able to see the full application in PDF format on their online portal. The signatory may approve or reject at this stage. o The applicant will be notified of both approval and rejection of the application. Rejected applications will be returned to the applicant. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 19 of 23

20 Applications that have been submitted by the lead applicant but not approved by the signatory before the deadline will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that each signatory approves the application before the deadline. 6. Assessment Procedure Incomplete and ineligible applications and those submitted after the deadline will not be assessed Conflicts of Interest We will endeavour to ensure that the international peer review panel chosen do not have any conflicts of interest regarding the applications they are assessing Assessment Procedure Please note the assessment procedure for this award is a two-step process (Figure 1). Stage One will consist of the scientific review and will be conducted by an international panel of peer reviewers (Scientific Panel). The Scientific Panel will review the full application, including the lay research pitch. The Scientific Panel will then shortlist the top applicants to progress to Stage Two. For stage two, a Patient Panel will review the lay research pitch of the shortlisted applicants, and based on these pitches, will select the recipient of the 2018 Social and Allied Health Science Stimulus Award. Please note, the Patient Panel will also review the lay research pitch comments and the scores provided from the Scientific Review Panel process, and take these into consideration when choosing the final recipient for this award. Stage One The following sections will be assessed by the international panel of reviewers (scientific review): Applicant CV Mentor CV and Statement of Mentor Suitability Project Summary Sustainability Plan Career Development Plan Lay Research Pitch The budget will be reviewed to ensure that it is feasible and that applications have adhered to maximum funding limits. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 20 of 23

21 Following scientific review the top applications will be chosen and will progress to Stage Two. All lay research pitches will initially be reviewed and scored by the Scientific Review Panel. Please note, pitches for which the impact is not adequately communicated or is overstated run the risk of being disqualified before reaching stage two. Stage Two The lay research pitch will be assessed by the Patient Panel of reviewers. The Patient Panel will additionally review the comments of the lay research pitch provided by the Scientific Panel, and take these into consideration when making the final decision. One recipient will be chosen. The Patient Panel will have the final decision in selecting the successful recipient. A webinar will be held to give further guidance on completing the PPI pitch. It is strongly recommended that you attend this webinar. Please grants@irishcancer.ie if you are interested in attending the webinar. Additional information is available from the Irish Cancer Society on Public Patient Involvement (PPI) in research (Appendix 1) Assessment outcome Applicants will be informed of the outcome of review by . Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 21 of 23

22 Figure 1. Stimulus Award assessment procedure. Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 22 of 23

23 Completed Application form submitted online. 7. Application Checklist Including the upload of: o Applicant CV o Mentor CV o Declaration of Support- Mentor o Declaration of Support- Head of Department The following must be completed ONLINE by 24 th October Contact If you require assistance with the online application system or have any queries about the application which are not currently addressed in the FAQ document, please contact Dr Christopher Crockford, Irish Cancer Society Social Sciences Research Coordinator: grants@irishcancer.ie Telephone: or Irish Cancer Society Social and Allied Health Sciences Stimulus Award 2018 Page 23 of 23

24 Appendix 1: Stimulus Award Lay Research Pitch Table of Contents 1. What is Public and Patient Involvement? Why is Public and Patient Involvement important? PPI and the research funding process What s included in the Lay Research Pitch? General notes for writing in plain English Impact Writing for people with cancer Resources References... 6 Page 1 of 7

25 Stimulus Award Lay Research Pitch 1. What is Public and Patient Involvement? The Irish Cancer Society is committed to putting patients, families, survivors, supporters and the public at the very heart of what we do. In keeping with this commitment, we are working to embed Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in all of our research processes. Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) can be contextualised in the many different ways people with cancer can interact with research, specifically by means of participation, engagement, and involvement 1. Participation A person with cancer may be recruited into, and take part in, a research study and provide data of some form. Engagement Engagement is when the researcher communicates and disseminates research information, for example, at science festivals, public talks, television programmes, or radio. Involvement Involvement is distinct from participation or engagement. Where participation and engagement are conducted to, about, and for people with cancer, involvement is conducted with or by people with cancer. People with cancer can be involved at any stage of the research process, from conceptualisation to dissemination. 2. Why is Public and Patient Involvement important? Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) is becoming increasingly common in research. The Irish Cancer Society is committed to expanding the involvement of those affected by cancer in its research funding Page 2 of 7

26 decisions. This commitment is reinforced by the Irish Governments National Cancer Strategy ( ) 2, which highlighted: Patient involvement in cancer research improves the relevance of research questions, the quality, acceptability and feasibility of research conduct and the likelihood of uptake of research outputs. PPI is more than a tokenistic gesture to comply with policy, but can provide a real and substantial benefit to all key stakeholders. While not without its challenges, PPI can: Promote a sense of empowerment and value among patients 3 Enhance patient trust in researchers 3 Improve researchers insight into their own research area 3 Help researchers identify barriers and come up with solutions to research 3 Increase trust and acceptability in the patient community of research findings 3 Inform the provision, access, and location of healthcare services 4 Improve the dialogue between healthcare professionals and patients 4 Specific to the cancer setting, PPI may be used by patients as a resource, to make sense of living with chronic condition 5. People with cancer report feeling enhanced knowledge and skills from taking part in PPI, as well as feeling they contributed to research by providing a lay perspective (i.e., practical knowledge about being a patient with cancer) 6. As such, PPI can be a valuable tool in the research process for both patients and researchers, and the Irish Cancer Society aims to expand its PPI work over the coming years. 3. PPI and the research funding process From a research funding perspective, PPI can occur at all stages of the funding process from initial the initial development an design of research funding calls, to the involvement in the review of funding applications. The Irish Cancer Society aims to embed PPI in its grant review process, and hopes to expand this to encompass other areas of the research funding process in the future. Page 3 of 7

27 4. What s included in the Lay Research Pitch? A lay pitch should provide a brief overview of the research proposal, written in a format appropriate to your audience (please see Section 5). The following need to be included in the lay research pitch: What is the specific problem, issue or question that you are asking in your research proposal and how are you addressing it? Why is that problem, issue, or question important to people with cancer? How does this project fit into the broader conversation within this cancer area and, importantly, what does it add to the conversation? What is your plan to publicise your research findings to the public? Remember, a lay research pitch should be written in a manner appropriate to your audience who will be patients who do not have a scientific background. Therefore, ensure it is written in plain English It is vital that you do not overstate the importance or impact of your findings. PPI summaries that are not written in plain English, or that over-state the research s potential impact run the risk of not being selected. 5. General notes for writing in plain English There are many online resources available to guide you in writing an effective plain English summary. Some of these resources are listed in Section 7 of this document. Here are some general notes on how to write in plain English: Avoid using technical language or scientific terminology. Use everyday words to communicate your point and explain the science. If you have to use scientific jargon, be sure to explain it thoroughly and be consistent in its use. Use short clear sentences. Use paragraphs Use an active voice, and place the person/group/thing doing the action at the beginning e.g., We ran an experiment, rather than, The experiment was ran. Don t use don t. You can write in plain English without becoming too casual/unprofessional. Use an appropriate tone. This is not a newspaper article, and its purpose is not to entertain. Make sure grammar, punctuation, and spelling are accurate. Bullet points (like these ones) can make it easy to digest a lot of information. Page 4 of 7

28 6. Impact Broadly speaking impact is the demonstrable contribution that research makes to society. For the Irish Cancer Society Stimulus Award, impact is defined as research being used to bring about a positive change to the lives of people affected by cancer. The impact research has is specific to each project and therefore, impact is varied and can occur over different timescales, from the short to long term. Some of the key areas of research impact include: academic impact health and health systems impact health-related and societal impact influence on policy making economic impact It is important to not overstate the impact of a research project but rather detail realistic goals and the potential that each project has for creating an impact. It is recognised that for some research there will be no direct impact on the lives of people affected by cancer in the short or medium term. However, the research will contribute to a wider conversation on cancer with the view to eventually directly impacting the lives of people affected by cancer. The inclusion of academic impact is also an important consideration when measuring research impact, as it demonstrates the contribution that a particular research project has made towards the advancement of science, and to the cancer research knowledgebase. These academic advances can be measured in terms of primary research related outputs and includes research publications, knowledge dissemination, capacity building, and collaborations. Please note, when communicating the impact of your research, it is also useful to identify and articulate the different routes to impact - which are the means by which you aim for your research to be impactful. Page 5 of 7

29 7. Writing for people with cancer When writing for people with cancer, it is important to remember the social and emotional impact of cancer. As such, please be thoughtful and respectful of your audience in how you write your pitch. 8. Resources General resources INVOLVE UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) initiative to support PPI. NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) Access to Understanding: Promoting public understanding of biomedical and health research Writing a Lay Summary Duke, M. (2012). How to write a lay summary pdf Communicating to patients NHS England. Language Matters: Language and Diabetes. Writing in plain English NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency). Writing and Design Tips _1.pdf 9. References 1) INVOLVE. (2018). What is public involvement in research? Retrieved from Accessed 2/08/2018. Page 6 of 7

30 2) Department of Health. (2017). National Cancer Strategy ( ). Retrieved from Accessed 28/08/ ) Brett, J., Staniszewska, S., Mockford, C., Herron-Marx, S., Hughes, J., Tysall, C., & Suleman, R. (2014a). A systematic review of the impact of patient and public involvement on service users, researchers and communities. The Patient-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 7(4), ) Mockford, C., Staniszewska, S., Griffiths, F., & Herron-Marx, S. (2011). The impact of patient and public involvement on UK NHS health care: a systematic review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 24(1), ) Thompson, J., Bissell, P., Cooper, C. L., Armitage, C. J., & Barber, R. (2014). Exploring the impact of patient and public involvement in a cancer research setting. Qualitative Health Research, 24(1), ) Froggatt, K., Preston, N., Turner, M., & Kerr, C. (2014). Patient and public involvement in research and the Cancer Experiences Collaborative: benefits and challenges. BMJ Supportive & P Care, 5, Page 7 of 7