Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Research. Support. Education.
Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
10th July 2023 by Sarah Thomas
Research contracts are legally binding agreements between a research funder, the chief investigator and the research institution where the work is taking place. In today’s blog, Research Manager Dr Sarah Thomas shares what's involved in shaping a research contract that truly reflects the core values of Make 2nds Count.
What is a research contract?
A research contract is where we commit to fund a specific project and sets out the terms and conditions under which the research must be conducted. It is an agreement between the research funder, the researcher leading the project (also known as the chief investigator) and the research institution where the lead researcher operates.
A research contract covers:
Who is responsible?
The purpose of a research contract is to agree the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in a research project.
The chief investigator will bring a group of collaborators together to form a research team to work on the project. They ensure that good quality research is conducted that meets the objectives outlined in their application for funding and share their findings with the research and patient communities.
The research institution where the work is taking place employs members of the research team and manages the research grant. They are responsible for providing a good environment for research and positive working conditions for their staff.
At Make 2nds Count we have a responsibility to our community to ensure that the research we fund is impactful, beneficial and good value for money. People work extremely hard to fundraise to support our work: organising exciting events, taking on new challenges, with some even leaving a gift once they are gone. It’s important to us that this funding is spent responsibly.
Why is it so important to get this right?
Again it comes back to making sure our research funding is well spent. Research contracts are especially important for smaller charities. We only fund a small number of research projects each year and the research findings are desperately needed by our community. If anything in the research process goes wrong, this legally binding contract is how we will hold chief investigators and research institutions accountable. We also have to be quite strict about how our funds can be used: for example, sharing research findings is important to us so we will support costs associated with communicating research to the patient community; however some costs are the responsibility of the research institution that employs staff working on the project, such as sickness or parental leave.
Our core values at Make 2nds Count
Since joining the team in March 2023, I’ve learned a lot from the secondary breast cancer community and still have more to learn. We’re lucky to have a community that is so giving in terms of sharing experiences and keen to support others affected by secondary breast cancer, now and in the future.
When writing the terms and conditions of our research grants, I saw an opportunity to reflect the needs of our community. I wrote a section on safeguarding patients who participate in the research we fund:
“Grantholders must:
With these terms in place, all of the studies we fund in future will allow participants from across the UK to get involved in the research. Research teams must do work to increase the diversity of research participants and this is an area we need to work on at Make 2nds Count too. Finally, everyone who takes part in the research will have access to the results so they can see how their input will improve the lives of those affected by secondary breast cancer.
Read our Research Terms and Conditions in full. Share your feedback by email to research@make2ndscount.co.uk.
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