The BGCS had previously advertised a funding round for prizes, travel fellowships and grants for 2020.  In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the officers have decided to withdraw the option of travel fellowships for this year.  We hope that this option will return in the 2021 funding round.  We invite submissions of medical student and trainee projects that might include clinical audits, service transformation or small research projects.  In addition we invite applications for national/regional audits, benchmarking and research projects.

Information on the next round of prizes and awards will be available on this page in due course.  Details of how to submit an application can be found below.

The British Gynaecological Cancer Society offers a range of prizes, bursaries and grants to both our members (multi-disciplinary medical, nursing and allied health professionals) and non-members including students, trainees and colleagues from the ‘third sector’. This section of the website provides information about

• Awards and prizes
• Grants for audit, benchmarking and research projects

Awards are for BGCS members only unless indicated.

The prizes, bursaries and grants have been designed to advance the charitable objectives of the BGCS of ‘advancing the science and art of gynaecological oncology for the benefit of the public’.  Recipients of the awards will be expected to share their experience and learning with the wider BGCS membership through a written report and/or presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting or other BGCS Meetings.

Closing date: TBA

Application forms:

BGCS Holistic Care Practitioner Bursary Application Form

BGCS Trainees/Students Project Prize Application form

• Gynaecological Oncology Nurse Travelling Fellowship
  This fellowship is awarded to an established Gynaecological Oncology Nurse or Allied Health Practitioner in NHS practice to increase their knowledge and experience in the management of the late effects of cancer treatment.
  value of award: £1000
  number of awards per year: 5

• Surgical Overseas Travelling Fellowship
  This fellowship is awarded to an established Gynaecological Oncology Consultant in NHS practice to increase and/or reinforce their surgical skills and knowledge in the management of gynaecological cancers. It is recognised that funding for overseas travel may be limited in existing study leave budgets.
  value of award: £1000
  number of awards per year: 3

• Non-surgical Overseas Travelling Fellowship
  This fellowship is awarded to an established Consultant in NHS practice who is a core member of the gynaecology multi-disciplinary team of to increase and/or reinforce their skills and knowledge in the management of gynaecological cancers. It is recognised that funding for overseas travel may be limited in existing study leave budgets.
  value of award: £1000
  number of awards per year: 2

• BGCS Subspecialty Trainee Travelling Fellowship
  This fellowship is awarded to registered RCOG Gynaecological Oncology Subspecialty trainee to increase and/or reinforce their clinical skills and knowledge in the management of gynaecological cancers.
  value of award: £1000
  number of awards per year: 3

• Trainees Project Prize*
  This prize recognises the contribution of doctors in training in the completion of clinical audit, service transformation and small research projects in the field of gynaecological oncology. The application should be supported by a supervisor who is a BGCS member.   If you are no longer a trainee, yet the project/audit work was undertaken whilst you were a trainee, you are still eligible to apply for this award.
  value of prize: £250 (and 1 year BGCS membership)
  number of awards per year: 3

• Medical Student Project Prize*
  This prize recognises the contribution of medical students in the completion of clinical audit, service transformation and small research projects in the field of gynaecological oncology. The application should be supported by a supervisor who is a BGCS member
  value of prize: £100
  number of awards per year: 7

• Holistic Care Practitioners Travelling Fellowship*
  This fellowship recognises the significant role of non-clinical practitioners who provide support and therapies for gynaecological cancer patients living with and beyond their cancer diagnosis. The award is intended to support additional training to increase their knowledge, skills and experience in their care of gynaecological oncology patients.
  value of award: £400
  number of awards per year :2

*these awards/prizes are available to individuals who are not members of the BGCS

Grants

• Audit, Benchmarking and Research Projects
  These grants are aimed at supporting:
  • the development of research proposals (‘pump priming’)
  • the completion of national audits (eg activity of The Audit and Research In Gynaecological Oncology Collaborative, NCRAS Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot)
  • Undertaking national/regional benchmarking exercises
  • Collaborative projects with 3^rd sector partners

Proposal of projects
The proposer should present his/her plan to an officer of the society who after discussion with the other officers can decide whether or not to present it to council.

The information required before consideration of a proposal should include details on the following:

• Title of project
• Name of project lead
• Name of sponsoring BGCS officer
• Name of collaborators who will be involved in the project and whose names will be considered for authorship in the event of a publication.
• Abstract of no more than 400 words to include;
  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Discussion
• Finances of the project to include;
  • Expected costs
  • Detailed breakdown of expected costs

The project lead may be required to present their proposal to the BGCS trustees and/or council by webinar.

Total value of awards: To be determined annually based on BGCS reserves with a maximum of £15,000/grant
number of awards per year: variable

Submitting your application

Eligibility
The majority of awards are for members of the BGCS only. Some specific awards are open to non-members.  You must satisfy the criteria of the award at the time of application, not at the time of the award being given.

Entering more than one application
You are permitted to submit only one application for each award. However, you are welcome to submit different pieces of work for more than one award but never the same piece of work for more than one award (eg a trainee and medical student who collaborated together to complete a project could not both submit the same piece of work for a prize).

Feedback
A redacted version of successful applications will appear on the BGCS website as examples of the quality of application expected to receive an award.  Unsuccessful applicants will receive brief written feedback about their application. More detailed feedback by telephone will be provided on request.

Joint submissions
Applicants may not submit joint applications for an award.  Applications for grants for benchmarking/audit/research projects should have a sponsoring BGCS officer and a lead applicant but also list co-workers.

Published material
Any research submitted for a medical student or trainee award must be unpublished material.

Travel awards
We don’t accept retrospective applications.

Award/Prize/Grant report
Award winners will be expected to submit a formal report to the BGCS council and agree to its publication on the BGCS website.

Word limit
Please keep to the specified word limit for the award you are applying for. All characters are included in the word limit; this includes graphs, tables and the title of the application and excludes references. Applications that go above the word limit will be marked down.

Payment of award
Cheques/bank transfers will only be made to the awardee.

Contact us
If you have any questions, please email the Awards Administrator.