How to create good quality research proposals?

A few years ago, the NIH had a big colloquium on ME/CFS and there were big hopes around it. People were disappointed at the lack of follow-through, but clearly the format exists and could be done better.

 

I think that any working group needs to look at all the things that need to be done to get us where we need to go - improving the MRC's reviewer pool, coming up with a list of key projects, drawing in key people - everything. And then do what we can and, if necessary, try to get other entities (e.g. charities) involved if individual projects are outside our own scope.

But we're unhampered by the politics that affect the charities and may be able to do things that they can't do.

 

I'm interested.

 

I understand that the US has funded various studies at LSHTM with Prof Nacul and Cliffe over quite a few years now. They have got another dollop which is such great news.

Why don't our government/ funding organisations add to this so that well defined cohorts and cross nation collaborations can steam ahead for replication studies on all those areas JE mentioned?

 

Interesting discussion.

Back in the world I was at one time responsible for a research programme looking at skills needs in the labour market. It was a first for the region but we could obviously draw on what had been done already in the rest of the UK and in other regions.

What we came up with was a large scale survey looking at current skills needs in companies and in parallel commissioned academics to project/model future skills needs in key industrial sectors.

While the current/future aspect has little relevance to the ME/CFS field it's likely that some sort of across the piste v specific areas of interest research strategy would be mutually reinforcing?

 

What? What???

 

All will be revealed - loose finger

 

Well,spit it out then

 

Is it a burlesque dancer from Belize?

 

I'm intrigued?

 

Oh well doing research will have to do. It sounds more useful for this discussion than my idea.

I did research a long time ago too ..mainly lab based biochemistry. My research studies were only published in the institute where I worked and weren’t particularly interesting ...I can review papers and get to the facts quite quickly (when not fogged). Not sure how much use this is though.

I like the idea of a S4ME research survey though and has my full support

 

I am a qualified, experienced veterinary surgeon, which does not seem particularly relevant but have (para)medical knowledge and am well used to reading and analysing research publications. I would be delighted to assist in any way I can but it might be limited by my fairly severe cognitive issues right now.

 

Can research groups from abroad apply for a grant from MRC?

 

A quick skim through the MRC website suggests that most grants will only be available to UK researchers, though I'm happy to be corrected by more knowledgeable folks.

 

I think this is a promising idea. I also think that it should be looked at older publications as well.

 

I just had a thought: What about some kind of meta-analysis of publications starting from 1930 to today and making a "ranking" (from high quality to lower quality, from interesting to less interesting) and thus identifying future research topics? Could also be a masters thesis or even a PhD (this I don't know; in Maths and (theoretical) Physics it wouldn't suffice).

 

I've been having trouble keeping up.

Really interesting discussion.

While I have no way of knowing what is or is not good research I'd like to offer a suggestion for a piece of research to replicate.

https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press...diagnose-people-with-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

Sorry it's just the press release I'm unable to find the research.