Eric Reid Fund for Methodology

This fund is available to provide modest financial support for benchwork. The emphasis is on methodology, with a preference for cellular or bioanalytical work.

The Fund was endowed by a Trust (Guildford Academic Associates) co-founded by Dr Eric Reid, an Emeritus Member. Dr Eric Reid (1922-2010) was well known in the bioanalytical community as the founder of Reid Bioanalytical Forum.

We particularly encourage applications from newly appointed PIs, early career researchers seeking independence, and researchers returning from a career break.

Examples of awards

Developing and applying a new technique
Checking the application of a known technique in new circumstances
Method development by new staff before they apply to a major award-granting body

What this grant cannot fund

This grant is aimed at basic science and the development of analytical/biochemical methods. This fund is not intended for clinical therapeutics.

How much funding is available?

£4,000 (for consumables only)
£6,564.10 (to cover a maximum stipend of £2,564.10 to a summer vacation student working on a 6 week project (based on a 35-hour week at National Living Wage). Shorter projects are also welcomed.

Any additional funding sought for the proposed work from other sources should be mentioned in the application.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply:

Applicants must be a current Early Career, Full, or Emeritus member of the Biochemical Society at the application closing date. 
Funding will not be awarded in two consecutive years.
The purpose of the grant must be to set up or improve methodology, with appropriate validation. This allows trying out new ideas.
Where a short-term stipend is sought, the person must be engaged in benchwork rather than writing-up; this must be an Undergraduate student or someone that has just completed their undergraduate degree. The fund is not intended to provide or supplement students enrolled on MPhil/MRes/MSc/PhD programmes.
If the applicant is an Early Career member, a letter of support from a senior colleague or Head of Department should be provided.

Application guidelines

1. The application should include the following:

A short title to indicate what is planned.
A concise introduction to indicate existing knowledge and past work. This may usefully contain a few references.
The experimental approach planned. (This should be concise, but detailed enough so that reviewers can judge the approach. It may include remedies for difficulties that are already known.)
The sum of money requested and how it is to be spent.

2. The submission must cite any existing funding. The bid limit is £4,000 (for consumables only) or £6,564.10 (to cover a stipend to a summer vacation student). An applicant must cite any previous award from the Fund.

3. The Eric Reid Fund for Methodology aims to support individuals who have not been the recipient of a significant grant overlapping with the proposed project period with a consumables budget exceeding £20,000 per year. If your laboratory is currently receiving more than £20,000 in consumables funding, a justification of why you are requesting further funding from this scheme is required.

4. A short career sketch of the applicant is needed, with an indication of familiarity with the work area (a few citations for example).

5. Please include the reason for a career break (a career break is considered as any period of time where the nominee is out of work, for reasons including, but not limited to, redundancy, maternity/paternity or adoption leave, extended leave to perform a carer role, and/or as a consequence of relocation). The length of the career break is required.

6. The application should include a lay abstract of maximum 100 words outlining why the project is important and giving a brief background on their project. It is important applications are easy to understand and give the reader an understanding of what the applicant is trying to achieve.

Application deadlines

Applications open once a year, and are now being accepted until 20 March 2025.

Outcomes will be communicated to all applicants in May, therefore the start date of successful projects should not commence prior to 1 June 2025.

Successful Applicants

Please note that successful applicants are required to:

Guarantee clearances (e.g. ethical / animal experimentation / Genetic Modification / NHTA / radioisotope use / vacation assistance insurance if applicable), preferably from the Head of Department
Submit a report and photo to accompany the report (maximum 400 words) of how the award was spent and what has been achieved within 18 months of the project start date. This report and photo may be used on the Biochemical Society website, blog or Biochemist Magazine.
Acknowledge support from the Biochemical Society in any publication that results.

Hear from a Committee member

Members of our Reviewing Panels took part in a Biochemistry Focus webinar titled 'How to apply for Biochemical Society grants: Education, Research and Outreach'.

Hear from Dr Simon Moore, who discusses what to include in an Eric Reid Fund for Methodology application.

“

We proposed to develop and implement a new approach for labelling Fab fragments covalently and with a defined stoichiometry. We successfully generated indole-based probes and showed proof of principle super-resolution imaging experiments of b-tubulin, paving the way for validating the use of this labelling strategy in visualizing key cellular components with enhanced resolution. This fund also served as a great training platform for junior scientists as our summer student secured admission to a PhD program!
“

Daniel Nieves

Eric Reid Fund for Methodology recipient

Contact us

For further information please get in touch with the Grants department.

Eric Reid Fund for Methodology