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RCEM Research Grants

Royal College of Emergency Medicine

RCEM provides research grants to support projects that align with the priorities of emergency medicine. Applications are invited from all College members and fellows.

Funding available: up to £15,000

Duration: Projects should normally be completed within two years.

Deadline: 1st November 2026 (00:00 am)

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct Importance to Emergency Medicine Practice

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

This is the most important feature of a competitive RCEM proposal.

RCEM explicitly states that research grants must be directly relevant to the practice of Emergency Medicine, and its application criteria give substantial importance to the research question's relevance to EM practice and James Lind Alliance priorities.

Strong projects should address problems such as:

Emergency department diagnosis and treatment.
Time-critical illness and injury.
Emergency care pathways.
ED overcrowding and flow.
Patient safety.
Acute care outcomes.
Emergency medicine workforce and service delivery.
Pre-hospital/facility-based emergency care.
Emergency care for vulnerable populations.
Improving access, quality or coordination of emergency care.

A proposal that is primarily relevant to another specialty, with only a superficial ED connection, is less well aligned with RCEM's stated funding purpose.

2. High-Quality Science and Rigorous Methodology

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

RCEM explicitly evaluates the quality of science and methodology.

A strong application should clearly establish:

Research question.
Study design.
Population/sample.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary and secondary outcomes.
Sample-size calculation where relevant.
Statistical analysis.
Data-management approach.
Potential biases and limitations.
Timeline.

For qualitative, service-improvement or secondary research, the methodological approach should be equally well justified.

3. Clear Potential to Improve Patient Care or Emergency-Care Delivery

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

RCEM's research portfolio is explicitly aimed at improving patient care and emergency medicine.

The proposal should make the practical pathway clear:

Research finding → change in emergency-care practice → improved patient/service outcome

Potential outcomes include:

Reduced mortality or complications.
Faster diagnosis.
Reduced time to treatment.
Improved patient experience.
Better symptom control.
Safer clinical pathways.
Reduced unnecessary admissions.
Improved ED flow.
Better use of healthcare resources.
Improved access or equity.

Recent RCEM–Marie Curie grants, for example, focus on generating practical insights or interventions that can improve patient experience, clinical outcomes or service delivery for people requiring palliative and end-of-life care in emergency departments.

4. Potential to Lead to Larger Future Funding

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

RCEM explicitly considers whether a proposal has the potential to lead to future funded projects.

This means a small RCEM grant should ideally function as a catalyst:

RCEM pilot → preliminary evidence → publication → larger NIHR/UKRI/charity grant → definitive study

A proposal becomes stronger when it explains:

What evidence will be generated.
What subsequent research it will enable.
Which larger funding mechanism could follow.
How the pilot will reduce uncertainty.
How the investigator/team will develop a sustainable research programme.

RCEM also notes that successful research grants may be eligible for inclusion on the NIHR Portfolio, potentially facilitating research-network support.

5. Strong and Appropriate Research Team

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

RCEM explicitly assesses the expertise of the research team and encourages a team-based approach with strong Emergency Medicine leadership.

A competitive team may include:

Emergency medicine clinician/researcher.
Statistician.
Methodologist.
Research nurse.
Health-services researcher.
Patient/public representatives.
Relevant specialty collaborator.
Data scientist where appropriate.
Health economist where required.

RCEM also welcomes appropriate commercial and non-commercial partnerships.

The important point is that every collaborator should have a clearly justified role.

6. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

PPI is an unusually important RCEM-specific predictor.

RCEM strongly encourages appropriate PPI, and its research-grant guidance states that applications without PPI are unlikely to be funded.

A strong proposal should explain how patients/public will contribute to:

Research-question development.
Study design.
Selection of outcomes.
Recruitment materials.
Interpretation of results.
Dissemination.
Implementation of findings.

PPI should be substantive rather than simply adding a statement that patients were consulted.

7. Feasibility and Deliverability Within the Grant Period

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

RCEM evaluates deliverability, and standard projects are normally expected to be completed within two years.

A strong project should therefore have:

Realistic recruitment.
Accessible data/patients.
Appropriate institutional support.
Available research expertise.
Clearly defined milestones.
Realistic workload.
Appropriate regulatory/ethics pathway.
A manageable scope.

The proposal should demonstrate that the requested RCEM funding is sufficient to deliver a meaningful component of the research.

8. Clear Novelty and Research Gap

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

RCEM considers the novelty of the proposal as part of its assessment.

The application should identify:

What is already known?

What remains unknown?

Why has the gap persisted?

What will this project do differently?

Innovation does not necessarily require a completely new technology. It can involve:

A new clinical pathway.
A novel intervention.
A new patient population.
A new analytical method.
A new implementation strategy.
A new use of existing data.
A new approach to a persistent emergency-care problem.

9. Strong Academic Training and Career Development Potential

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

RCEM explicitly considers the potential for academic training for the applicant/team. It also particularly welcomes applications from trainees, specialty doctors, consultants within five years of CCT, and consultants without an established research background who want to develop an academic portfolio.

A strong application can therefore demonstrate:

Development of research skills.
Mentorship.
Statistical/methodological training.
Publication opportunities.
Conference presentation.
Development toward independent funding.
Creation of a longer-term academic research programme.

This is particularly important for early-career applicants.

10. Strong Value for Money and Appropriate Budget

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

RCEM explicitly evaluates value for money.

The budget should clearly connect:

Expense → research activity → expected output

Examples may include:

Research-assistant time.
Data collection.
Participant-related costs.
Statistical support.
Research materials.
Appropriate project-specific software/resources.

RCEM's guidance states that ordinary facilities such as a computer, normal software, internet access and normal postage generally cannot be funded, and the College cannot ordinarily fund open-access publication costs or conference fees.

Specialties

Emergency Medicine

Eligibility Requirements

Open to all RCEM members and fellows in good standing. The Lead applicant must be an RCEM member or fellow.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Royal College of Emergency Medicine

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Octavia House, 54 Ayres Street, London, SE1 1EU.

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