Application process

Letter of intent
Applicants considering submission of a proposal are invited to send a short "scientific letter of intent", accompanied by a "lay (non-scientific language for the general public) summary letter of intent" for review by patients. 
Letter of intent should not only include information on the study question and its novelty, but also the agreement of the participating centres to collaborate in data analyses or to provide aggregated or raw data in line with national regulations and their governing boards.

Letters of intent will be assessed by the members of the FOREUM Scientific Committee. Applications deemed meritorious of full application will  be selected on a competitive basis. The lay summary is a critical part of the evaluation as the views of people with RMDs are central in the decision making process.

Full project proposal
Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, again accompanied by a "lay summary". 

Participation of patient research partners
Participation of patient research partners is strongly recommended for clinical research projects and should be considered for all other research projects to provide experiential knowledge, with the aim of improving the relevance, quality and validity of the research process. For more information, please read the material here. 

Research consultation service
For assistance with your project proposal, please refer to the  EULAR Research Consultation Service. This service is provided by the EULAR Research Centre and matches investigators with experienced research experts in a range of areas to help them develop, improve, and execute high-quality research focused on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Supported research domains include basic/ translational research, clinical research, epidemiology and public health, health services research and implementation science.

Evaluation and decision
The proposals will be independently peer-reviewed to evaluate their feasibility, novelty, design, relevance, and potential impact relative to the subject matter of the call. In addition, the involvement of patient-related research partners will be evaluated.
Based on this peer review, the FOREUM Scientific Committee makes a funding recommendation to the FOREUM Executive Committee, which makes final funding decisions.

Ethical aspects
FOREUM expects a high standard in the conduct of research it funds. For researchers this includes scientific integrity and adherence to the principles of good research practice. Patients subjected to investigation shall be included with due adherence to the declaration of Helsinki.