Research and Innovation Grant

1. The purpose of the grant is to support high-quality, original, ethical research and innovation in laboratory medicine.
2. A fee-paying member of the Association can apply.
3. Grants will most likely be awarded to projects with the greatest potential for positive impact on patient outcomes.
4. The committee also wishes to recognise and support projects where there is a high likelihood that there will be high-quality publication or publications to underpin the generalisability of results and make the benefits of the research available to a wider population of patients.
5. The committee will also look favourably on research that encourages collaboration between the public and the private sector. Collaboration between the aforementioned disciplines is particularly encouraged.
6. Applications should align with Association’s values of innovation, inclusion, care for people and care for the planet.

1. Eligibility is restricted to those in the fee-paying member category of the Association for Laboratory Medicine
2. Non-members of the Association may not apply.
3. Applications from members with unpaid membership fees will be rejected without further consideration.
4. Successful awardees must remain fully paid-up members of the Association for at least the full duration of their project.

1. It is anticipated that 3 to 5 projects will receive a grant, with a top limit of £8,000 that can be awarded per application. The final number of projects supported is dependent on the amount of support requested and is the responsibility of the Scientific Affairs & Clinical Practice Committee.
2. Grants must be claimed within 12 calendar months of the date on the letter from the LabMed team confirming the award offer. Failure to request the funds within this timescale may result in forfeiture.
3. The decision of the Scientific Affairs & Clinical Practice Committee is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

1. Support may be used for necessary equipment, services, reagents, calibrators, controls and consumables.
2. Support is not available for salaries or staffing or labour costs.
3. Support is not available for travel, accommodation or subsistence costs. However, a separate application to the C P Stewart Memorial Fund would be considered for this purpose, if required to aid the project.
4. Support is not available for kit/ test validation or verification. The scope of this grant is original research.

Applications will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Project vision (Weighting 25%)
2. Technical approach to the project (Weighting 50%)
3. Resources requested (Weighting 15%)
4. Ethical and responsible research and innovation considerations? (Weighting 10%)

1. Applications open in September and close at noon on Monday 2 November 2026. Applications are anonymised and sent to the members of the Scientific Affairs & Clinical Practice Committee for consideration at the December 2026 meeting.
2. We will let you know the decision about your application by 23 December 2026.
3. The expected date of completion of project will be based on what the applicant includes in their original project proposal. Any requests to extend beyond this date must be submitted well in advance of the expected date of completion and are subject to the approval of the Scientific Affairs & Clinical Practice Committee. Extensions cannot be granted retrospectively.

1. Successful applicants are required to acknowledge Association funding in any spoken or written presentation and may be invited to present their data at National Meetings. Specifically, any publications should contain the following statement: “This work was supported by the Association for Laboratory Medicine Research and Innovation Grants, under grant number xxxxx."
2. Applicants are required to inform the Scientific Affairs & Clinical Practice Committee on progress of the work, with a formal update at 6 months and at completion.
3. Applicants should be prepared to work with the Association on the promotion and publication of findings. At a minimum, a short report should be written for publication in LabMed News; applicants will be invited to provide this within 6 months of project completion.