Procedures for research funding for intermediate and small grants

1. Research funded by RIGT

Funds are available from the research budget:
• £25,000 per project for intermediate projects (including VAT)
• £5,000 for small projects (including VAT)

Intermediate projects must be research; small projects can include applications to attend conferences and workshops where the benefits of doing so can be shown to relate to RIGT’s mission and priority activities.

Wherever possible, all research projects should include an advisory group consisting of key stakeholders, RIGT (usually the Research Panel) and academics. The advisory group exists to support the research and make suggestions, although final decision lies with the researchers. All communication within the advisory group must be open and may be made available to the public.

The Research Panel does not pay overheads. In very exceptional circumstances, overheads of no more than 20% of the total can be agreed.

2. Short project outline

The first step is to send in a brief outline of the proposed project. This outline should include a justification with reference to the Trust’s aims, a brief description of the methodology, proposed outcomes, and stakeholder involvement/dissemination.

The Research Panel will decide on this basis whether the project is in principle fundable, i.e. whether it is within the Trust’s aims and objectives. If so, the researcher will be informed to put forward a full application. If not, the researcher will be informed whether and what amendments may justify sending a redrafted outline.

No judgement will be made as to the usefulness of the methodology or other details, although feedback may be provided.

3. Application

Full applications should include the following:
• A title

• An introduction
 - This should introduce the general context of the study, in the field of gambling or problem gambling research, explain the rationale, and provide a summary of the proposal. The summary must be understandable by a lay audience

• Background
 - understanding of the literature and current state of knowledge
 - acknowledgement of the relevant social context in which the study takes place (e.g. the changing gambling regulation)
 - why the area of study is important and what is to be gained from researching it
 - why the research should be important for the Trust, considering its objectives

• Aim

• Method
 - This needs to be sufficient on theoretical grounds (adequate sample size, methodology that can achieve the anticipated outcomes)
 - But it also needs to be sufficient on practical grounds (the sample must be obtainable, and there needs to be a strategy to obtain it, e.g. there must be a strategy to gain access to industry)

• Stakeholder involvement (e.g. advisory group)

• Anticipated outcomes

• Relevance for practice / beneficiaries

• Schedule
 - clearly outlined with deadlines

• Ethical considerations

• Dissemination
 - Including to key stakeholders – these should be identified

• Research training that may be part of the project

• Supervision arrangements, if applicable

• Funding justification

Further useful advice on how to write an application may be found on the US Social Science Research Council’s website: http://fellowships.ssrc.org/art_of_writing_proposals/.

The Research Panel will send the application to two types of anonymous referee for peer review. One of these will be an academic with relevant qualifications, the other one a user or someone who can assess the application from a user perspective (‘user’ may be service provider, industry, etc.).

The comments from the peer review will be sent back to the applicant to allow a revised application taking the comments into account.

The original application, the peer reviews, and the revised application are then assessed by the Research Panel, which will make a decision as to whether, and under what further conditions, the project will be funded.

4. Management

Investigators will be required to submit regular updates on progress, and grant payment will be offered at intervals subject to adequate progress. Payment of a final part of the grant, and agreement to name RIGT as funder, will be subject to a peer review of the final report.

5. Publication

All research projects undergo peer review before publication and final payment. Peer reviewers include at least one academic and one user. Peer reviewers differ from those at the initial stages of the project. Comments from the peer review will, again, be fed back to the researchers. The pre-review final report, peer reviews and the amended final report will be presented to the Panel, which will make a final decision on publication and payment.
Once the Panel has approved publication, the final report will be made available on the RIGT website.