For Researchers
BIRD funds research and supports the next generation of researchers into bone and joint diseases
Research Grants:
We focus on awarding pump prime funding for smaller projects undertaken in or from Bath for the benefit of patients worldwide. We fund research projects in rheumatic diseases which:
- Help to promote and advance medical knowledge
- Improve treatments for patients
- Encourage collaboration between clinicians and research scientists
Bursaries:
Each year BIRD offers bursaries to RNHRD and RUH hospital staff to help them attend rheumatology conferences. We aim to help to develop their knowledge and careers, enabling them to improve their patient care.
Other funding opportunities:
Occasionally BIRD will also offer funding for special projects, this could be for supporting PhD studentships or for other specific projects or expenses that would support rheumatology research in Bath.
Research Grants
BIRD welcomes applications for grants in support of research.
We focus on awarding pump prime funding for smaller projects undertaken in or from Bath for the benefit of patients worldwide. We fund research projects in rheumatic diseases which:
- help to promote and advance medical knowledge
- improve treatments for patients
- encourage collaboration between clinicians and research scientists
We look to award pump priming funding of small to medium-sized grants that would be ideally suited to pilot studies, preliminary research, tests of clinical effectiveness or would enable other grants to be made for the above research. Our guideline for grant amounts is £10,000 – £20,000 but we may consider greater amounts, please contact the Executive Director (ED) before submission. We encourage match funding where the applicant has secured funding from another source.
The Research Assessment Group meets twice a year to make awards totalling £80,000 – the application deadlines are 31st May and 30th November.
To apply for a research grant from BIRD, please review our grant awarding policy and complete our grant application form.
Bursaries
Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) is keen to encourage health professionals based in the RNHRD to attend BSR and EULAR each year, as part of encouraging all clinical staff to be research-active and the RNHRD’s reputation for research excellence.
Bursaries are usually available for registration fees and a contribution towards travel, accommodation and expenses to all those who are presenting an abstract, poster, chairing a session or actively engaging in some way.
Applications for 2025 conferences will open shortly, we will update this page with application criteria as soon as possible.
Other funding opportunities
Funding available for PhD Studentships – Deadline 4th October 2024
• The Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) are part-funding a three-year PhD studentship in the area of rheumatic disease. The studentship will be expected to align with the remit of BIRD.
• BIRD will award £15,000 per year towards a three-year studentship, in addition there will be access to a conference budget.
• BIRD’s funding would be offered in principle, with a deadline to the applicant secure to total funding, Friday 28th March 2025.
Deadline for applications: Friday 4th October 2024.
Each application should be emailed to BIRD, BIRD@birdbath.org.uk. Applicants will have the committee decision by Friday 18th October 2024.
Further details can be found on the application form. If you have questions or need any further information, please contact BIRD@birdbath.org.uk
Research projects funded by BIRD
Grants Awarded 2023 - 2024
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility of a novel imaging biomarker for the identification of excess cardiovascular risk in auto-immune rheumatic diseases | RUH Bath | £19,950.92 | Jessica Ellis | Research Grant | View Project Summary | Aug-24 |
| Promoting the regression of angiogenesis in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis | University of Bath | £19,953.00 | Amanda Mackenzie | Research Grant | View Project Summary | Feb-25 |
| Knowledge exchange of IP-MS method at KU Leuven | University of Bath | £2,720.00 | Fionnuala McMorrow | Research Grant | View Project Summary | Jul-24 |
| Assessing the Vascular Endothelium in Systemic sclerosis associated Pulmonary hypertension to improve Early and Rapid diagnosis (VESPER) | RUH Bath | £20,000.00 | Joseph Page | Research Grant | View Project Summary | Sep-25 |
| EULAR/BSR/Other bursaries | N/A | Max £10,000 | Various | Conference Bursary for BSR | To follow | Aug-24 |
| Other awards including RUH Database Team Laptop and £50 vouchers for external reviewers | Various | £1,028.00 | Various | Funding Request | N/A | Mar-24 |
Grants Awarded 2022 - 2023
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DATa Analytics for PAtient Scheduling (DATAPAS) | University of Bath | £19,998.00 | Özgür Şimşek | Research Grant | Project Summary | Mar-23 |
| Summer Studenstship | University of Bath | £3,120.00 | Louis Godtfredsen | Studentship | Project Summary | Aug-22 |
| How common is VEXAS syndrome in an adult rheumatology population? Multicentre study over 3 sites in South West England | University of Bath | £20,000.00 | Ben Mulhearn | Research Grant | Project Summary | Aug-24 |
| Nick Hall bursary awards | BIRD | £2,000.00 | Various | Bursary | Project Summary | Dec-22 |
| BSR/EULAR bursary’s | BIRD | £4,620.00 | Various | Bursary | Project Summary | Aug-23 |
Grants Awarded 2021 - 2022
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medication use during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes in women with chronic inflammatory disease | University of Bath | £14,695.00 | Anita McGrogan and Rachel Charlton | Research Grant | Project Summarye | Jan-23 |
| Identifying support needs for rheumatology patients following COVID-19 shielding | UWE/RNHRD/Uni | £19,766.00 | Dr William Tillett | Research Grant | Project Summary | Sep-22 |
| NIHR Clinical Lecturer post | University of Bath | £2000 (year 4 of 4) | Dr Sarah Tansley | NIHR Clinical Lecturer | As in previous years | Completed June 2021 |
| Conference Bursary for BSR | N/A | Max £300 | Jade Skeates | Conference Bursary for BSR | Project Summary | Completed May 2022 |
| Conference Bursary for BSR | N/A | Max £300 | Dr Ben Mulhearn | Conference Bursary for BSR | Project Summary | Completed May 2022 |
Grants Awarded 2020 - 2021
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Invasive Parameters of Pulmonary Hypertension in Scleroderma | RUH | £11,500.00 | Dr Jennifer Rossdale | Research Grant | Project Summary | Aug-22 |
| Building on experience during the COVID-19 pandemic to maximise virtual consultations in Rheumatology care | University of Bath | £20,000.00 | Dr Fiona Gillinson & Dr Paula Smith | Research Grant | Project Summary | Dec-21 |
| Extensions awarded to ongoing projects effected by Covid-19 | N/A | £23,216.50 | N/A | Cost extensions | N/A | N/A |
| PhD studentship focussing on autoantibody sensing for early diagnosis and subsequent monitoring of rheumatic diseases | University of Bath | £15,000.00 (year 4 of 4) | Dr Stefan Bagby | PhD Scholarship for CTI, University of Bath | As in previous years | Mar-22 |
| NIHR Clinical Lecturer post | University of Bath | £24,107.00 (year 3 of 4) | Dr Sarah Tansley | NIHR Clinical Lecturer | As in previous years | Completed June 2021 |
Grants Awarded 2019 - 2020
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Validation of the myositis specific antibody profiles in an Indian Cohort of patients with inflammatory myositis | University of Bath | £17,368.55 | Dr Latika Gupta | Research Grant | Project Summary | Jul-22 |
| The Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis Support Tool (POST) study | University of Bath | £11,865.00 | Dr Carly McKay | Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed July 2021 |
| Characterising autoantibodies in patients with Juvenile-onset scleroderma | University of Bath | £10,795.00 | Dr Sarah Tansley | Research Grant | Project Summary | Jan-23 |
| Validation of 3D ultrasonography for the analysis of spinal load in Axial Spondyloarthritis | University of Bath | £4,136.00 | Dr Dario Cazzola | Research Grant | Project Summary | March 2021 TBC |
| PhD studentship focussing on autoantibody sensing for early diagnosis and subsequent monitoring of rheumatic diseases | University of Bath | £15,000.00 (year 3 of 4) | Dr Stefan Bagby | PhD Scholarship for CTI, University of Bath | As in previous years | Mar-22 |
| NIHR Clinical Lecturer post | University of Bath | £24,107.00 (year 2 of 4) | Dr Sarah Tansley | NIHR Clinical Lecturer | As in previous years | Completed June 2021 |
Grants Awarded 2018 - 2019
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The impact that chronic inflammatory diseases and medication have on the health of mother and baby during pregnancy | University of Bath | £5,630.00 | Anita McGrogan | Research Grant | Project Summary | Project not started |
| Identifying novel pathogenic molecular pathways and therapeutic targets in systemic sclerosis | University of Bath | £9,900.00 | John Pauling | Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed September 2019 |
| Exploring educational challenges in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis | University of Bath | £25,597.00 | Abbie Jordan | Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed July 2021 |
| Follow on research on the characterisation of the immune cell populations in psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis using single cell RNA sequencing | University of Bath | £7,300.00 | Mark Lindsay | Extended Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed July 2021 |
| PhD studentship focussing on autoantibody sensing for early diagnosis and subsequent monitoring of rheumatic diseases | University of Bath | £15,000.00 (year 2 of 4) | Dr Stefan Bagby | PhD Scholarship for CTI, University of Bath | As in previous years | Mar-22 |
| NIHR Clinical Lecturer post | University of Bath | £24,107.00 (year 1 of 4) | Dr Sarah Tansley | NIHR Clinical Lecturer | Project Summary | Completed June 2021 |
Grants Awarded 2017 - 2018
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adherence to anti-TNF therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis | University of Bath | £2,000.00 | Kishwar Khanum | Summer Studentship | Project Summary | Completed September 2017 |
| Further comparison of the ease of use of inhaler devices in people with and without rheumatoid arthritis | University of Bath | £2,000.00 | Natasha Kilpatrick | Summer Studentship | Project Summary | Completed September 2017 |
| Development of ELISAs for the detection of novel myositis autoantibodies (TIF1 alpha, TIF beta and PUF60) in UKMyoNet patients | University of Bath | £24,887.38 | Neil McHugh/Danni Li | Research Grant | Project Summary | Jul-22 |
| Maximising the treatment benefits of physical activity for patients with ankylosing spondylitis: Tackling long-term adherence and maintenance | University of Bath | £33,815.00 | Peter Rouse | Research Grant | Project Summary | Mar-22 |
| BIRD Therapeutics PhD Scholarship for the Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath | University of Bath | £15,000.00 (year 1 of 4) | Dr Stefan Bagby | PhD Studentship | Project Summary | Mar-22 |
Grants Awarded 2016 - 2017
| Project Title | Organisation | Amount | Project Lead | Type | Project Summary | Expected Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAM Study: A qualitative interview study of complementary and alternative medicine therapy use by people with ankylosing spondylitis | University of Bath | £5,506.03 | Dr Abbie Jordan | Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed June 2021 |
| Ankylosing Spondylitis and Work project, a biomechanics approach to inform self-management programme | University of Bath | £30,000.00 | Dr Dario Cazzola | Research Grant | Project Summary | Jan-22 |
| An epidemiological study of systemic sclerosis and its association with cancer in the UK using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) | University of Bath | £30,000.00 | Dr John Pauling | Research Grant | Project Summary | Dec-21 |
| Characterisation of the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells populations in psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis using single cell sequencing | University of Bath | £9,895.00 | Prof Mark Lindsay | Research Grant | Project Summary | Completed July 2019 |