Our application and review process
All full applications and reviews are made through our online grants management system.
Use our online system to create or view an application:
Accessing the grant management system
Log-in:
Where you have previously held or currently hold a grant, the grant management system will recognise you. You will need to confirm and create a password.
Register: new users
A user guide on how to apply is available once you are logged into the grant management system.
Hard-copy paper application forms are not accepted for any grant types.
Tips and advice for making an application
Helpful application tips
- Applicants are reminded that Kidney Research UK's research remit is wide
- Clear and succinct preparation is likely to be helpful to our Research Grants Committee, whose members are drawn from a wide range of clinical and scientific backgrounds.
- Attention to patient input and avoiding excessive jargon language is important
- Your background description should make clear the extent of support for the feasibility of the planned approach and reference to published work, or provide pilot data. The security of these arguments should be commensurate with the scale of the planned work.
- We understand the need to develop new ideas where such support may be limited, and therefore we provide innovation grants to cover such possibilities.
- Read the regulations and conditions document for applicants and recipients.
Applying for a grant to fund clinical research?
- Read the guide to excess treatment costs and the schedule of events cost attribution template.
- Allow time to complete a SoECAT and have an AcoRD Specialist sign it so that you can upload and include it as part of your online application submission.
Information about the peer review process
Applications will be subject to peer review involving members of our Research Grants Committee (RGC) and Lay Advisory Group (LAG) and both scientific and lay external reviewers.
Reviewers will submit their reviews on the online grants management system.
Applicants are welcome to suggest potential reviewers, particularly individuals working outside the UK, though the charity can give no guarantee that any particular individual will be approached. Nominated reviewers should be unconnected with the applicant's future planned, current or recently completed research programmes and their resident institute.
Applicants will have the opportunity to respond to reviewers comments during our rebuttal stage which takes place in our process before any decisions are made on their application.
Conflicts of interest at both Committee and external reviews levels are managed very closely during our review process and any conflicted members of the Research Grants Committee (via institutional or individual conflict) are distanced from the review of those application(s) they are conflicted upon and leave the meeting during the discussion of these application(s).
Applications are assessed on scientific merit, and importance to patients, competitively in the light of comments from scientific and lay external reviewers and Research Grants Committee and Lay Advisory Group (LAG) members.
A funding recommendation will be generated following the completion of the review process.
All funding decisions are final. Where possible, we provide all applicants ‘ad verbum’ feedback from our review process regardless of outcome of the application.
All funding recommendations are endorsed by the charity’s Board of Trustees before any awards are notified to applicants.
The outcome from each grant round will be publicly available after each round has completed.
Got a question? Get in touch.
For advice and or any help please contact a member of our Research Operations Team: