Deadline extends for £20k mental health research grant submissions

The deadline for applications to secure a £20,000 funding package for veterinary mental health research has been extended.

Researchers now have until mid-June to make their submissions for the Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant, while there is now less than a month to go before the deadline for submissions for a major conference on the topic later this year.

The grant – established in 2019 in memory of vet, RCVS council member and mental health campaigner Sarah Brown – is open to researchers at all career stages and applications covering all aspects of veterinary mental health.

Applications

Officials from the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) say applications can now be submitted until 5pm on 15 June, instead of the original 31 May deadline. Further information is available online.

MMI manager Lisa Quigley said: “Since our inception, we have seen substantial growth in the number of veterinary mental health research projects coming to fruition and are proud to be supporting researchers in any way we can.

“Our Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant is now entering its fifth year and it has been really rewarding to see the impact that these projects have had, both in theory and practice.

“Past topics have included neurodiversity, moral injury and racism, to name a few, and we look forward to funding more important research this coming year.”

Grant winner

The winner of the grant will receive the award at the biennial Mind Matters Mental Health Research Symposium in Manchester in October, for which presentation or poster proposals can be submitted until 1 June. Further information about the event is available online.

Ms Quigley said: “The symposium offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase all the vital work currently taking place in the veterinary mental health research field, and we strongly encourage anybody working on a relevant project to get involved.”