What makes a good research idea?

What information or device would help you manage your disease and improve your lifestyle? It might be helpful to consider:

• Will this idea help improve quality of life for patients?
• Will this idea help doctors treat or diagnose diseases?
• Will the outcome be simple and affordable for people to use?

Please note, research ideas from individual patients or carers must have the backing of an established patient organisation or charity. We unfortunately cannot support proposals from small businesses, community organisations, or individual entrepreneurs.

What’s a feasibility assessment?

Our first step will be to assess your idea to see if it’s technically possible to turn into a study or clinical trial. We’ll consider:

• What is already known about the topic?
• How many participants will be required to run the study, and will we be able to recruit them? (this can sometimes be a problem in rare disease)
• Is the proposed treatment or device available?
• Will specialist clinicians support this research?
• Is the research ethical?
• Are there potential funding sources?