Our Priority Programme Award funding scheme is currently on hold
A goal of our 2019-24 Research Strategy is to support research that will achieve the greatest impact for everyone with stroke and to improve life after stroke. Together with healthcare professionals, researchers and people affected by stroke, we continue to set priorities for research in areas where there is a lack of research evidence and gaps in care.
We are also leading a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in Stroke. This will produce a definitive and robust set of research priorities across the stroke pathway. Once we have the results of the JLA PSP, we will seek to address the priority areas with highlight funding notices and new partnerships.
Under our previous (2014-19) Research strategy, we consulted with healthcare professionals and researchers, as well as stroke survivors and their families, to launch our Priority Programme Awards. These awards aimed to increase funding available for research in priority areas where there were, and still are, critical gaps in research evidence.
- In 2015, we launched Priority Programmes in haemorrhagic stroke and the psychological consequences of stroke.
- In 2016, in collaboration with Alzheimer's Society and the British Heart Foundation, we launched our Priority Programme in vascular dementia.
- In 2017, we held a second call for applications into haemorrhagic stroke.
- In 2018, we held a second call for applications into psychological consequences of stroke.
For each of the priority areas, we held a workshop with healthcare professionals, researchers and people affected by stroke to set the priorities for research within this area. Ahead of the workshop, experts in each of these areas helped us to develop a 'state of play review', which highlighted the main research gaps and questions in the field. These reviews supported the people at the workshops to have discussions to finalise the priorities for each area of research.
You can read the state of play reviews, priority documents, and a report from each of the workshops by following the links below.
Psychological Consequences of stroke (2015 and 2018)
Follow the links below to find out how our priorities for research into the psychological consequences of stroke were shaped:
- Psychological Consequences of Stroke State of Play Review
- Psychological Consequences of Stroke Priority Setting Workshop
- Psychological Consequences of Stroke Priority Document
Find out more about the projects we've funded through this Priority Programme:
- How do emotion, thinking and memory change following a stroke?
- Understanding the importance of apathy, and improving its care in patients with stroke.
- Adjustment post-stroke and aphasia: supporting well-being through peer befriending (SUPERB).
- Helping people affected by stroke to self-manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Understanding the nature and impact of long term psychological changes (thinking, mood and fatigue) after stroke.
Professor Katerina Hilari, City, University of London said "Myself and my team were extremely excited to receive this funding for our feasibility randomised control trial of peer befriending for prevention of depression in stroke survivors with aphasia (SUPERB). There are severely limited funds in stroke research, particularly in psychological adjustment, and this dedicated funding shows the Stroke Association are at the fore of improving this important area of stroke care".
Haemorrhagic Stroke (2015 and 2017)
Follow the links below to find out how our priorities for research into haemorrhagic stroke were shaped:
- Haemorrhagic Stroke State of Play Review.
- Haemorrhagic Stroke Priority Setting Workshop.
- Haemorrhagic Stroke Priority Document.
Find out more about the projects we've funded through this Priority Programme:
- Protecting the brain after a haemorrhage by improving blood pressure control using home monitoring (PROHIBIT-ICH).
- What causes swelling around strokes due to bleeding in the brain?
Vascular Dementia (2016)
Follow the links below to find out how our priorities for research into vascular dementia were shaped:
- Discussing Vascular Dementia and Stroke - a report on our research round-table meeting.
- Vascular Dementia: A state of play summary report and priorities for future research.
- Lay Summary: The state of play in vascular dementia research.
- Advancing Care and Treatment of Vascular Dementia (ACT-VaD) Call for clinical or preclinical proposals.
Find out more about the projects we've funded through this Priority Programme:
- Failure of drainage of fluid from the brain along the walls of blood vessels in vascular dementia.
- Developing new models to better understand and allow testing of new therapies for small vessel disease and vascular dementia.
- A national, collaborative study to improve our understanding of longer-term memory and thinking problems after stroke in 2000 people who will develop memory and thinking problems and why?
Joint Stroke Association and MRC award into haemorrhagic stroke and vascular dementia (2017)
We also jointly funded one research project with the MRC. This project addresses both our haemorrhagic stroke and vascular dementia priorities.
Success rates for Priority Programme Awards 2018
Details on the number of applications received and the number funded for this stream: