ME Research UK:
Apart from being published 'soon' what do we know about contents of the Delivery Plan? Further details of what the Delivery Plan may contain have been made public by Ashley Dalton MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) in answer to queries by Sarah Gibson MP -
https://tinyurl.com/4474hxzn
In summary - the Department has acknowledged
1. ME/CFS research is an under-funded area. However, they state that this situation is directly related to the number and quality of applications received by MRC and NIHR.
This is the same line taken by the government for decades and despite ME/CFS being a priority area for MRC.
2. No 'ring-fenced' funds for ME/CFS research as all applications will be in open competition with all other funding applications for all other diseases.
3. "... we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS, and we will outline in the delivery plan further research actions and the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications."
4. "a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS"
NB - not just ME/CFS but for post-acute syndromes and associated conditions.
5. Planning "an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS and long COVID"
NB - not just ME/CFS but for post-acute syndromes and associated conditions.