BSMS > Research > Support and governance

Support and governance

At BSMS, we offer a full range of support to help you develop your research.

2 students in white labcoats and blue goggles working together

Research funding

If you want to apply for a grant, please complete the BSMS grant application proforma at least Six weeks before the submission deadline.

The Research Development Office at the University of Sussex can advise and support BSMS researchers. Contact the Research Development Office at research_support@sussex.ac.uk.

View the BSMS grant application proforma here >

Technical support

If you require laboratory-based facilities, training will need to be discussed with Erika Cummings (Technical and Administrative Officer for the Medical Research Building) in the first instance. You can contact Erika at E.Cummings@bsms.ac.uk.

BSMS also has a statistician based in the Brighton National Institute for Health (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility, who mentors lead researchers in the use of statistics and provides training for staff to support grant development.

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The Brighton and Sussex Joint Clinical Research Office

The Brighton and Sussex Joint Clinical Research Office (JCRO) is an exciting new initiative bringing together two universities and two local NHS Trusts, to deliver an integrated and effective approach to clinical research management and support across all four partner organisations, The four partner organisations are the University of Sussex, the University of Brighton, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

more about our Joint Clinical Research Office >

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Brighton and Sussex Health Research Partnership

The Brighton and Sussex Health Research Partnership (HRP), established by Brighton and Sussex Medical School, is an exciting initiative bringing together academic and NHS partners across Sussex. Across the partnership we will develop opportunities for shared research infrastructure, capacity building and collaboration to ensure each partner organisation realises their research ambitions. The HRP will develop a shared, unique profile for health and care research, to deliver more, higher quality research with greater opportunities for our local population to participate in research which impacts directly on their care.

More about the Brighton and Sussex HRP >

Studies involving human tissue

For those researchers about to conduct a study using human tissue that will require processing and storage, guidance on how to proceed is available.

A researcher with a white beard and white lab coat selects a test tube

Research ethics

The Brighton and Sussex Medical School Research Governance and Ethics Committee (RGEC) hub has information on research ethics for staff, students, researchers and supervisors.

The Committee reviews a range of health-related research projects proposed by BSMS Staff and Postgraduate Research (PGR) students conducting studies with healthy participants. RGEC operates under the auspices of the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex and is underpinned by the Universities’ research ethics policies and guidelines, Codes of Practice for Research, insurance, travel, and fieldwork risk assessment processes as well as research misconduct procedures. The review process is designed to ensure that researchers are supported to develop excellent research and ethical research practice.

view the research ethics hub here >

Information services

BSMS has access to the library collections of both universities as well as a dedicated medical library at the Audrey Emerton Building at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Online reference materials including relevant journals are readily available through the library websites. Sussex Direct, the university's online intranet, supports you with the research process.

Support from our undergraduates

The undergraduate course is research-rich – lecturers are encouraged to update the course with their recent findings and students are encouraged to engage early with research activity.

Students are required to produce a research project in their fourth year. Many choose to prepare for this by supporting investigators on various projects early in their degree.

Some undergraduates have even been published or presented at conferences before graduating.