Bullying and harassment in the research environment Expand Bullying and harassment has no place in medical and health research. It can directly affect the quality of the research and have a destructive effect on the research environment. Although our paper is not mandatory for AMRC members we hope that many of our charities will choose to implement policies that discourage bullying and harassment in the research activities they fund. This guidance provides suggested wording for grant terms and conditions to tackle bullying and harassment, as well as an internal guide for charities wishing to implement their own bullying and harassment policy.
Commissioning research Expand Some funders direct researchers to a very specific question and provide a clear description of the work that they would like carried out. This is called commissioning research. The researcher is required to demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and that their institution has the infrastructure to carry out the research as the funder requests. Read about best practice in commissioning research in our briefing found on this page.
Covering indirect and direct research costs Expand If you are an AMRC member charity and award funding via open competition… Your 'indirect' costs of research in universities can be covered by the Charity Research Support Fund (CRSF). Your ‘direct’ costs of clinical research in the NHS can be covered by NIHR Clinical Research Networks under the Attributing the costs of health and social care Research and Development (AcoRD) agreement.
Taking advantage of intellectual property Expand When a member of the public donates to a charity, they trust the charity to spend their money in a responsible way and to consider how to make the best possible impact for patients. This can often involve protecting research discoveries and taking advantage of intellectual property (IP), which stops others from copying their designs or processes without consent or payment. IP protection falls into four categories: Copyright protects written, dramatic and artistic works, software, films, sounds and broadcasts. Patents protect technical inventions like novel products or processes. Trademarks distinguish the goods and services of one organisation from another. Design rights protect the visual appearance of products. Patents and trademarks need to be registered, copyrights and design rights do not. This guidance provides a framework for charities developing their own policies and processes to help them protect their right to IP and to income generated, so that they can use it to fund further vital research. This best practice manual expands on and supports the guidance.