Countdown to Research as contracts awarded

Area:

UK-wide

Programme:

Research

Release date:

10 1 2007

The programme will open in Spring 2007 to fund high quality medical and social research projects across the United Kingdom.

Charities and voluntary sector organisations will be able to apply for grants for up to five years from the programme, which will be administered by Momenta and supported by Third Sector First.

Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive Stephen Dunmore said: “I welcome the appointment of Momenta and Third Sector First to run and support the programme. It will bring BIG a step nearer to funding sound, research-based knowledge that reflects the voluntary sector’s priorities, will influence local and national policy and develop better services for people.”

Momenta works for the public sector to turn policy into practice by offering a range of programme management services, including research management, knowledge transfer, best practice, fund management and behaviour change programmes. Its programmes reach businesses, public sector organisations, the third sector, stakeholders and the general public.

Andy Gilchrist, Business Development Director for Momenta and Project Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with BIG on the Research Programme and look forward to working with the third sector to both deliver a portfolio of exciting projects and to facilitate the use of research results to deliver improvements in people's lives.”

Third Sector First is a collaboration of specialists in research and social policy, working primarily in the public and ‘third’ sectors.  It is linked through past or current membership to several of the UK’s leading university research centres and has conducted project evaluations in many subject areas, including health, social care, community safety, childcare and addictions.

Michael Nugent, Director of Third Sector First, said: “We are delighted that the Big Lottery Fund has chosen us to provide support to research grants applicants.  We are looking forward to working with voluntary and community organisations throughout the UK.”

Further Information:

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
• On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.
• The aim of the Research Programme is to fund high quality medical and social research in the areas of health and social well being.
• The Research Programme will make grants directly to charities and voluntary sector organisations. Because many of these organisations are not able to carry out research by themselves, the Big Lottery Fund wants to promote partnerships between the voluntary sector and the research community.
• Third Sector First will be supporting the programme in collaboration with Dr Julia Spragg, and with Professor Helen Snooks and Dr Myfanwy Davies, both colleagues in the All Wales Alliance for Research and Development (AWARD) at Swansea University and Cardiff University.

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