We are delighted to announce that we will be funding three projects led by early career researchers in the alcohol field through the new IAS Small Grants Scheme.
The call was announced at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. We were impressed to receive 24 applications, highlighting the resilience of the alcohol research community and the need for funding opportunities such as this one.
Proposals were considered in a two-stage process and reviewed externally. This was a highly competitive round and the standard of applications overall was extremely high. Feedback was provided to all applicants.
We will be funding the following projects in the coming months:
- Dr Elena Dimova, Glasgow Caledonian University: Exploring men’s alcohol consumption in the context of becoming a father: A scoping review
- Jessica Muirhead, Wrexham Glyndŵr University: Effective online age gating using MCC codes
- Dr Emily Nicholls, University of Portsmouth: Rewriting the rules or playing the game? An investigation into the ways in which social norms around gender & drinking are challenged &/or reinforced through the promotion, marketing & consumption of Alcohol-Free drinks
Dr Sadie Boniface, head of research at IAS, said:
This is a brand-new scheme for IAS, and it was brilliant to see the diversity of ideas and research designs. The projects we are funding through the Small Grants Scheme address important gaps in the evidence base and, we hope, will provide a springboard for the early career researchers we are supporting.
Dr Gillian Shorter, chair of the IAS Small Grants Scheme Research Review Committee and Lecturer in clinical psychology at Queens University Belfast, said:
The reviewers and I were impressed by the quality and breadth of proposals, all of which had the potential to influence alcohol policy. I am delighted with our three award holders. Their strong applications had clear plans to impact on availability, marketing, and social and environmental impacts of alcohol and I look forward to their findings in due course.