Funding

If you're applying for funding to conduct research at Sussex Partnership we'll need to review and cost your application before it is submitted to the funder.

All applications need to be appropriately costed prior to submission.

The costs for health and social care research can be divided into three categories, according to the Accord guidelines and each category will need to be represented in your application.

1. Research Costs - the cost of activities that answer the research question and are met by the grant funding
2. NHS Support Costs - the additional patient care costs associated with the research. Funding for support costs is provided through the NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks (LCRNs)
3. NHS Treatment costs - the care costs that would continue to be incurred if the patient care service in question continued to be provided following the end of the research study. (These costs must be funded via the normal NHS commissioning process).

To determine the research costs of the proposed application, a member of the Research Governance team will meet with you to cost the study.  

If your study involves staff or services from another organisation a cost must be provided for these by the Research Office or Finance department of that organisation. 

The Research Governance team or the Joint Clinical Research Office (JCRO) if they are involved, will liaise with other organisations to obtain these costs. 

Once all costs are obtained, you will be provided with a spreadsheet detailing the budget.

To determine the treatment and support costs for your project, a Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Template (SOECAT) must be completed. The Research Governance Team will meet with you, often in collaboration with the JCRO and LCRN to complete the SOECAT.

Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Template (SOECAT)

SoECAT is a tool for use with non-commercial research studies. It functions as a cost attribution template but it's not intended primarily as a study costing tool. It provides the Excess Treatment Cost (ETC) per participant value, which is used in the NHS E/I and NIHR CRN processes for recognising and recompensing ETCs.

Trust Internal review and sign off

The R&D leadership team will review your application and consider:

• Research costs
• Requests for co-funding
• ETC arrangements
• Feasibility of the proposed project

Once any concerns are satisfied, the R&D leadership team will confirm sign off. Letters of support can be provided on request.

Once you have submitted your application, please send us a copy of the application and keep us updated of any outcome.

Internal grants approval pathways

All grant applications require a host organisation. This is typically the employer of the lead applicant. The host organisation acts as the contractor/administrative lead for the project if funded. The pathway for applications is slightly different depending on who the host organisation is.

When Sussex Partnership is the host organisation

Where an application includes University of Sussex or University of Brighton, Sussex Partnership will collaborate with the Brighton and Sussex Joint Clinical Research Office to support the application.

1. R&D receive draft application
2. R&D support development of budget
3. R&D support completion of SOECAT
4. R&D leadership team review full application including SOECAT and give internal sign off

When Sussex Partnership isn't the host organisation

1. R&D receive draft application
2. R&D provide costings requested
3. R&D leadership team review full application including SOECAT and give internal sign off.