How to Apply for an AERC Grant
The Council awards four types of grant:
Copies of application forms and the relevant guidelines are contained in the relevant section.
Further information can be also obtained by contacting the Council Secretariat here. The guidelines describe the procedures that the Council and its Committee apply in considering applications.
Applications should be submitted electronically as an email attachment to Andrea Tilouche along with a posted signed copy. Both electronic and postal addresses are on the form itself.
The following PDF documents should be consulted before applying:
If you are employed by a university then the following policy statement will be helpful:
Peer reviewing
All research applications are assessed by at least two peer reviewers. They usually have published in the field under review and are often international rather than just UK based. If two reviewers provide conflicting assessments a third review is requested.
Why are applications rejected?
The AERC has decided that it would be helpful to spell out the most common reasons for not supporting an application. There are two types of application:
- Research Grant applications focus upon developing the evidence base.
- Develpoment Grant applications are intended to develop people and organisations.
One main reason for rejecting both Research Grant applications and Development Grant applications is the lack of a convincing case. There must be clear and persuasive reasons for carrying out a particular piece of work. Usually the case will be based upon previous work and literature. Solid evidence needs to be presented in support of a project before the Council is able to release significant amounts of public money. A second consideration that applies to both types of grant is value for money. The Council is unlikely to fund if our referees indicate that applicants costs are unrealistic and are not giving us value for money.
Development Grant applications tend to be rejected for two other reasons. Firstly that details of materials to be produced are not specified and a clear dissemination strategy is lacking. To state that a video will be produced is not sufficient. We need the rationale for the production of a video, details of the content and how and with whom it will be used for best effect. Secondly, a robust evaluation is often lacking. The mission of the AERC is to develop the evidence base. Every project must therefore be evaluated.
For Research applications there are also two other main reasons for rejection. For some proposals there are methodological flaws that will make the results difficult to interpret. For others the project is too ambitious and cannot be carried out rigorously with the available funds. A simple design that is methodologically sound is more likely to be funded than a complex design with many confounding factors.
We hope you will find these points useful when preparing future applications.
Timetable
- The closing dates for Research Grants and Development Grants is September 5th.
- The deadline for Studentships is given in the studentship section.
- Applications for Small Grants can be made at any time.
Studentship Awards
Applicants should have been accepted or provisionally accepted for a taught course, normally accredited by a university, leading to a diploma or similar qualification in alcohol-related studies. The applicant should normally be working in the alcohol field for a voluntary agency in a paid capacity. Applications will not be accepted from employees of the health service and other statutory agencies.
Small Grants
These may be made at any time. Small projects will be considered up to a maximum of £5,000.