Marie Curie Research Programme calls for research proposals

Marie Curie is calling for research applications to its £1m palliative care research fund to improve end of life care for those with cancer and/or other life-limiting illnesses.

The third call, announced at the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Liverpool today (7 November), invites proposals across three new themes:

• Interfaces between specialist palliative care and other forms of care at the end of life
• Prognostication - predicting how long a patient is likely to survive after diagnosis
• End of life care and younger adults

Dr Teresa Tate, Medical Advisor to Marie Curie Cancer Care, said: “This latest call for proposals focuses on research relevant to the last year of life. These themes reflect some of the main challenges we face in the delivery of best evidence-based care.

"The programme aims to address a funding and knowledge gap in palliative care research and provide the evidence to inform better end of life care for patients, carers and families.”

Proposals will be accepted from academic institutions across the UK and funding is provided for grants for up to a maximum of three years.

Applications can be made online at  www.cancerresearchuk.org/marie-curie-research-programme and must be submitted in full by March 30, 2012, with funding decisions expected by October 2012.

The independent Marie Curie Research Programme Funding Committee has given feedback on how to avoid common mistakes in proposals based on their experience from the first two research calls. Read more.

Marie Curie launched the £3 million programme in 2010, committing up to £1 million of academic research funding per year for three years. The process for application and review is being administered by Cancer Research UK.

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