At the request of the Scientific Committee, applicants applying for the BGS SRSUG during the period 1998 to 2000 were surveyed.

Of the 31 applicants, 26 responded to the survey, 23 of whom had been successful in securing the award.

It was found that most applicants had been in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th SpR year when applying for the grant. Only 1 had been in each of year 1 and year 5.

Of the 26 repondents, 7 are now consultants and 14 are senior geriatricians.

Having secured the grant, 15 respondents presented their research at a BGS meeting and 14 had their research published. Of the 3 respondents who had not been successful in their application for the start up grant, 2 secured alternative funding.

The BGS Specialist Registrar Start-up Grant is intended to provide immediate financial assistance to support research projects which may not yet be developed sufficiently to warrant support from research councils.

A limited number of grants of up to £2,500 are available (although the majority of awards will be in the region of £500 - £800). The scheme enables geriatricians to follow through ideas at relatively short notice and to provide short-term assistance to speculative and innovative research that may be at an early stage. The scheme is not intended to provide funding for undergraduate or post-graduate teaching, to provide rescue funding for the continuation of established projects, to supplement existing grants, or to support any activity not directly related to research.

The grants, which are available only to members of the British Geriatrics Society or to non-members who are sponsored by members of the Society, are administered by the Society’s
Scientific Committee and are intended for doctors holding substantive posts at Specialist Registrar or equivalent grade in the United Kingdom.

There are no fixed categories of grant, but the following examples provide some indication of the kinds of support that will be considered:
grants for equipment or consumables; and
grants for honoraria to secretaries or research assistants.

Grants will not be made for the organisation of conferences, for attendance at conferences or courses, for postgraduate students, for computer equipment, for the costs of publications or printing, for field trips or for principal investigators’ salaries.

How to Apply
The applications protocol is available from the BGS office or website. Applications are considered at any time of the year and decisions are usually made within five to six weeks. Enquiries should be directed to Ms Annette Guerda-Fischer at the BGS.