Through our Ramsay Research Grant Program, Solve M.E. invests in research studies into ME/CFS, Long Covid, and other post-infection diseases with a particular emphasis on engaging young investigators and propelling researcher interest in long-haul diseases — an area in which, historically, there has been a dearth of research funding opportunities.
Since 2016, Solve has funded 34 studies, creating a global network of nearly 100 investigators and research collaborators, and now we’re making some exciting changes to this funding program.
The changes this year are two-fold: more patient engagement earlier on in the application process and continued throughout the grant; and greater researcher engagement across all supported studies.
Now, submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis starting later this summer, allowing researchers to engage with Solve and apply for funding throughout the year. We are also beginning to offer researchers feedback earlier on in the grant application process. By requiring a Letter of Intent (LOI), this preliminary step in the application process helps ensure that Solve and the researchers are aligned before the work of writing and reviewing full proposals begins.
If the LOI is accepted, Solve will connect the researcher with a patient advocate from our Lived Experience Taskforce (LET) or Long Covid Patient Leader Advancement Network (LC-PLAN) for input into their application and to ensure patient engagement throughout the project.
Bringing patients into the process at the early stages of study design is better for researchers and the communities who stand to benefit from the discoveries they make. Studies are more easily adjusted in their formative stages, and those patient-informed changes will increase the scope for impact.
These new processes are designed to create research-savvy patient advocates AND stronger studies that are more likely to receive financial backing – either from Solve or other funding sources — and to also have a meaningful benefit to the communities served.
Solve is committed to helping researchers be more successful so that they will have opportunities to receive more follow-on funding, and we’re partnering with patient experts to make that happen.
Solve has invested over $1.5 million in research grants, which in turn helped researchers receive over $11 million in additional research funding — that’s a 10X return on the investment! With our expanded submission period and patient-informed process, we’re expecting to make an even greater impact!
This year, Solve is accepting applications for Lab-based Research Grants, supporting studies that will process and analyze biological samples. These grants range from $35,000 to $55,000 for a 1-year period, with the possibility of renewal for projects yielding promising results. Collaborative proposals (involving two or more research groups) and studies that examine the similarities and differences between ME/CFS and Long Covid will be prioritized for funding.
Stay tuned for more information about when our application period opens later this summer and what we’ll be looking for.
If you’re a researcher with questions about Solve’s research grant program, please contact research@solvecfs.org.
