Venture and Innovation Awards

Venture and Innovation Awards (VIAs) support transformational and innovative research projects by providing financial support and bringing funding into the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) from external sources.

What is a Venture and Innovation Award (VIA)?

Our Venture and Innovation Awards are a competitive leverage funding programme. The grants allow short-term projects to take advantage of innovative opportunities. For every pound spent by Cystic Fibrosis Trust to fund a VIA, an additional five pounds has been leveraged from an external agency.

We have funded VIAs with leverage from a range of external agencies, such as industry bodies, research councils, the National Institute for Health Research and biomedical research charities.

Researchers must contact us to discuss their proposal and request access to an application form. 

Please read our frequently asked questions first to decide of you would like to apply.

  • How much can I apply for?

    This is budget dependent. Please contact the research team before applying. Funding must, at minimum, be matched by external funding.

  • What can the funds be used for?

    Funds can be used to support students and staff, for consumable or project costs. However, this can be application and leverage funder dependent. Please contact the research team before applying.

  • What can the funding cover?

    Can it cover a device? - This may be possible but it must be integral to the project and not able to be funded by other sources 

    Can it cover salary(ies)? Yes, but only for early career researchers

    Can it cover consumables? Yes

    Can it cover costs of international collaborators? Yes, you can use it for international collaborator costs

  • Can I apply for leverage funding for a grant I have already been awarded?

    No. You must apply for funding from this scheme first before seeking funds from another funder.

  • How long does the application process take?

    From receipt of an application, processing can take up to 4–5 weeks, depending on availability of reviewers. 

  • Are there any criteria for other funding partners?

    Yes. The VIA programme relies on the science being peer reviewed by the external funding body, thus we can only consider applications where this peer review will take place.

    Charity funding partners must be members of the AMRC or be able to demonstrate that they meet the AMRC peer review principles. 

    If you are from academia or industry, please contact the research team for further clarification . 

How do I apply?

Interested applicants should send an Expression of Interest (EoI) email to: [email protected]

Please include the following information:

  • Brief overview of what you are seeking funding for
  • The external body you are seeking to apply to for funding, please include if they are members of the AMRC or can demonstrate that they follow the AMRC peer review principles.
  • The amount funding you are seeking and what the matched contribution will be (please note this must be a minimum of 50%). 

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