BDA General and Education Trust Application Process

Introduction

The Trustees of the BDA General and Education Trust Fund approved the following application process to encourage applications and to streamline the process for applying for grants. This should ensure greater clarity for applicants, assist the decision making process and ensure greater access to the Trust. The following points provide a summary of the process and, coupled with the application form and flowchart, assist applicants to understand how the Trustees work and how decisions are made.

Advertising

• Information about the funding opportunities available from the British Dietetic Association General and Educational Trust (BDA GET) will be advertised in Dietetics Today and on the BDA and RD info* websites (www.bda.uk.com & www.rdinfo.org.uk). 
• The application form will be available for download from the BDA website in a write-able format (not read-only PDF)
• Grant applications will be assessed and referred to the following Trustees meeting – usually May and November – for a decision.  Please contact the BDA office t confirm the exact meeting date.
• In exceptional circumstances, where an external deadline is imminent, applications requiring a quick decision may be dealt with by Chair's action.
• Applicants will be kept informed of their application at each stage and will hear the outcome of any decision within 2 weeks.

*RD info is funded by the Department of Health and Research Capacity Development.  Other comparable sites in all four home countries will also be utilised where possible.

Review process

• Applications received will be circulated to two professional reviewers to make recommendations as to whether the grant should be awarded. 
• The professional reviewers will include the BDA Awards Co-ordinator and an independent expert with relevant expertise.
• The independent expert will be identified from a pool of experienced dietitians and other healthcare professionals drawn up by the BDA.  The essential requirement for the selected reviewer is that they have expertise in the specific field under investigation and some experience in evaluating proposals.
• The reviewers will maintain confidentiality about all aspects of the applications received.  This is particularly with regards to the applicant's name, department and the proposed project. Any reviewer who identifies a conflict of interest will declare this immediately to the Secretary to the Trustees.
• The names of the dietitians and other healthcare professionals participating in the pool of reviewers will not be disclosed beyond the Trustees and the associated secretariat.
• The recommendations of the two reviewers will be returned to the Secretary to the Chair of the Trustees. If the two recommendations are compatible the application will be referred to the following meeting of the Trustees unless an urgent decision requires Chair’s action.
• If the reviewers require clarification or seek additional information, they will inform the Secretary to the Chair of the Trustees who will seek this on their behalf. Direct contact between reviewers and applicant is not allowed.
• If the two reviewers’ recommendations conflict, the application will be referred to a third reviewer to consider the application and make a recommendation to the Trustees or considered by the Trustees at their next meeting.
• The Trustees will consider the recommendations of the reviewers but their decision is independent and binding.
• All recommendations will be reported to the following BDA Council meeting for information.

Dissemination of outcome

• When a decision has been made, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission within 2 weeks of the meeting of the Trustees. 
• The names of successful applicants, the title of their proposed project and the sum awarded will be published in Dietetics Today and on the BDA website.
• Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief progress report to the Trustees every six months and a full report on completion of the project.

Unsuccessful applicants

• Applicants who are unsuccessful will be notified of the outcome within 2 weeks of the meeting of the Trustees. 
• Constructive feedback from the two reviewers, if requested, will be provided to unsuccessful applicants within 6 weeks of the notification of the outcome.  This will not automatically provide an opportunity for resubmission but in some cases will facilitate this.
• Where dialogue, rather than simple feedback, is required by the applicant, this will be facilitated within reason by the Secretary to the Trustees.

Review

• This application procedure will be reviewed routinely and updated where necessary.

Grant Administrative Procedures

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updated 19.01.11 .