Share this

Latest News

Funding Call for Research on Long-Term Health Outcomes for Those Accessing Gender Identity Healthcare

Funding Call for Research on Long-Term Health Outcomes for Those Accessing Gender Identity Healthcare

5th August 2022

Bids are invited from Scottish Universities to host a call for Scottish Government funded research on long-term health outcomes for those accessing gender identity healthcare

Following the Bute House Agreement and 21/22 Programme for Government commitments, the Scottish Government published the NHS gender identity services: strategic action framework 2022 – 2024 on 20 December 2021.

This framework sets out a series of commitments which Scottish Government will progress to improve access to, and delivery of, gender identity services.

The framework includes a commitment to make funding available for research on long-term health outcomes for those accessing gender identity healthcare.

The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government are now inviting bids from Scottish Universities to host a call for research on long-term health outcomes for those accessing gender identity healthcare.

The call will aim to fund a number of Scottish-led research projects, focussing on gender identity healthcare experiences of people accessing primarily NHS Scotland services. The host institution will advertise the call, with any Scottish University able to submit one or more proposals for consideration.

Potential areas of research focus include:

  • the experiences of healthcare provision among trans people who last accessed gender identity services some time ago e.g. after 10 years, or for older trans people
  • older individuals’ experiences of accessing gender reassignment treatments for the first time, including cross-sex hormones and/or referral for surgery; research into healthcare professional’s attitudes to the efficacy of different treatment options at different life stages
  • non-linear use of gender identity healthcare pathways: for example, what range of reasons do people give for stopping accessing treatments through gender identity clinics?
  • young people’s experiences from before and after accessing gender identity services: what are their experiences of wellbeing and development, including emotional, social, physical and intellectual/vocational? Perspectives from parents and carers, and from different relevant professionals, such as healthcare professionals or teachers, could also be included
  • why may some trans people who need to access gender identity healthcare choose not to access NHS gender identity services? This may include exploration of barriers to access and intersections with protected characteristics

The host institution will provide the administration for the call. This will include working with the Chief Scientist Office to advertise the call; setting up a panel to review applications; make funding awards based on the panel recommendations; oversee the progress of the research; provide a report collating the outputs of the individual research projects.

Individual projects funded through the call are expected to be in the range of £20-30,000, and 6-12 month duration.

The host institution will be provided with funding for a Ph.D. studentship in the area of gender identity healthcare. This funding will be based on the standard UK Research and Innovation Ph.D. funding model.

Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • value for money; the overall budget for the call is limited and bids will be expected to keep administration costs to a minimum
  • ensuring that members of the trans healthcare research community are represented on the panel assessing research proposals
  • process for reviewing applications, including mechanisms to ensure that applications follow guidance on embedding public involvement in health and social care research
  • procedures for post award monitoring, including provision of a collated report of the individual project outcomes in a timely manner to the Scottish Government
  • recruitment process and research area of the Ph.D. project
  • supervisory and wider support to be offered to the Ph.D. student

Applications must address the above points and include any other relevant information.

They should be submitted via a PDF file to csograntapplications@gov.scot and not exceed 3 pages in length in Arial 12 point. Please note that applications are invited from institutions rather than individual researchers, and should be submitted via the relevant Research Finance Office.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 30th September 2022

For further information please contact CSO via the grant applications mailbox.

Go back to News