IBMS research opportunities for members

Last updated: 1st April 2025

Professional Body support to further laboratory research

Do you have an idea for a research project, but are not sure how to apply for funding? Would you like to try a scientific investigation but you don’t know where to start?

The IBMS is offering members educational and financial support to fund, facilitate and share your research projects. Whether you need support with proposal writing, experimental design, funding or publication, the IBMS has a host of resources to support you.

IBMS Funding opportunities to support your research ideas

IBMS Research Grants

IBMS Research Grants provide financial support for a small-scale scientific research project. Members can apply for funding of between £500 and £5000.

Do you have an idea for quality improvement? Perhaps a change that will benefit patients, colleagues or the department?

Whether a laboratory process or patient experience, you can use the grant to help you explore this idea in your area of specialism.

Alternatively, you may have a project that you are required to do as part of an academic qualification. Even if your experiments are a defined piece of work linking into a wider research programme, the research grant funding can be used to buy equipment, consumables and/or software to support your study.

Please note
IBMS Research Grants cannot be used to support course fees, salaries, travel or attendance at conferences.

For more information visit IBMS Research Grants

IBMS Strategic Research Grant

The IBMS Strategic Research Grant has been designed to encourage members to undertake professionally focussed practice.

The IBMS aims to encourage evidence-based practice to inform wider service improvements. To achieve this, the IBMS would like to see an increase in research and publication of studies supporting career progression and the sharing of best practice.

So, if you don’t have much experience of research, but would like to investigate a workplace issue or service enhancement on a larger scale, then this is the grant for you.

Whilst the IBMS have allocated £100,000 with no set limit for each application, the suggested amount to apply for is £10,000. The objective of this grant is to support projects that are relevant to the IBMS Strategy 2022 2027.

In 2025, we are inviting applications under the following titles:

Opportunities and challenges in career progression as a Biomedical Scientist
Opportunities and challenges in becoming a consultant Biomedical Scientist
Implementation and evaluation of environmentally sustainable laboratory practice

Alternatively, if you have read the strategy document and have another idea, we would be happy to consider this under the broad title:

Open Research aligned with the Institute’s strategy

Supporting research in biomedical science

Our aim is to encourage members with creativity and energy but do not have the opportunity to take on ‘traditional’ scientific research to apply for any of these grants.

You may be a very experienced biomedical scientist but feel that you have limited experience of designing and implementing research projects – or applying for research grants.

On the other hand, you may be in an academic role with some good research-focussed skills but no access to colleagues in practice to share your ideas. We can support connectivity and collaboration by linking professionals, through the IBMS Mentoring scheme or branch-based communities.

IBMS Mentoring

When new mentors or mentees sign up for the scheme, they will be asked to select either “expertise I would like help with” (if they are a mentee) or “expertise I can help with” (if they are a mentor).

To be matched with a mentee who needs help, or offer your help as a mentor, select “research grant applications” from the drop-down menu.

Existing users can update their profile to accommodate this info.

Do you have further questions or want to hear more about IBMS research support or opportunities?

Executive Head of Education, Dr Sue Jones and the Deputy Chair of the IBMS Education and Professional Standards Committee, Tahmina Hussain are hosting a Support Hub session with Daniel Kearns from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

The session is on 9 April 12-1pm and is entitled “Research grants: Mastering the application process”.

To register visit : IBMS Support Hubs 2025

Could 2025 be the year that you will challenge yourself to develop your skills and knowledge through a scientific or practice focused research project?

If so, do consider applying for an IBMS research grant.