Research strategy

Action Medical Research has nearly 60 years of history in funding medical research with many notable successes. With roots in research into the polio vaccine, the charity now focuses on child health. We are clear we are working in an area where there are very real unmet needs and not enough research funding.

We select the very best projects and Research Training Fellows through peer review. Our research funding programme over the three years 2010-2012 will aim to:

• Attract and select the best research most likely to deliver by using peer review to fund Research Training Fellowships and project grants each year.
• Identify the impact of research by each year analysing the potential clinical impact of recently completed grants as scored by peers and carrying out selected retrospective impact reports.
• Support the work of Clinical Studies Groups in the areas of neonatology and preterm birth.
• Consider collaborations with other organisations where this moves forward key research.

The research we support focuses on child health including problems affecting pregnancy, childbirth, babies, children and young people. While we have current projects from our previous wider remit that have several years to run, all new applications for research funding must focus on child health.

Within child health, we support a broad spectrum of research with the objective of preventing disease and disability and of alleviating physical disability.

Our emphasis is on clinical research or research at the interface between clinical and basic science. We pride ourselves that our research is innovative and of a high standard as judged by rigorous peer review.

Within these criteria, we also support research and development of equipment and techniques to improve diagnosis, therapy and assistive technology (including orthoses, prostheses and aids to daily living) and encourage applications in the field of medical engineering.