EPSRC does not fund clinical trials, that is, studies that involve large numbers of animals or patients. However, costs may be requested for Proof of Concept (PoC) studies, that is, where initial data from a small number of tests is being gathered to validate and inform the continual development of the technology developed as part of the project.
Such studies are expected to be at the end of an EPSRC proposal and act as an initial validation of feasibility before further funding is sought elsewhere.
The following costs are associated with PoC studies that may be requested from EPSRC and should be fully justified:
- medical imaging
- equipment and consumables
- associated technician time
- patient transport
- patient incentive.
For equipment and consumables costs, please refer to additional guidance on equipment and animals (purchasing, housing, maintenance). These must be included in the separate animal costs field of the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system form – see the Animal Costs section in the Standard Proposals guidance in the Je-S Handbook.
Find out more guidance for applicants on the use of animals.
Costs can be requested for the use of animals for PoC studies. Please refer to the EPSRC policy on use of animals in research for more details.
EPSRC reserves the right to seek expert opinions on the animal trials design if significant concerns are raised about the viability of your experiments.
If you have any queries about this aspect of your proposal please speak to a member of the Healthcare Technologies Theme before submission.