29 June 2011
The Medical Research Council (MRC) expects to announce any awards it decides to make, following the recent call for research into the causes of CFS/M.E., towards the end of the year, according to David Willetts, Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Hansard’s report of written questions/answers, 27 June, included the following:
“Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department funds on the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.”
“Mr Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
“The MRC supports research into all aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/M.E.), and welcomes high-quality research applications in this area. The selection of projects for funding is determined through peer review.
“The MRC provided £109,000 to projects researching CFS/M.E. in 2009-10; details of the projects supported can be found at:
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/ResearchInitiatives/CFSME/index.htm
“The MRC recently launched a call for proposals to support high quality, innovative research to increase the current knowledge base of CFS/ME and draw in expertise and resource from related fields.
“Applications were required to address the mechanisms underlying chronic changes related to CFS/ME particularly focusing on one or more of the following areas: autonomic dysfunction, cognitive symptoms, fatigue, immune dysregulation, pain and sleep disorders.
“The application deadline was 7 June and up to £1.5 million will be made available to support research proposals; the MRC expects to announce any awards towards the end of the year.”
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