About BHRI Research Access Grant

BHRI RAG

Removing financial barriers to ethical, high-quality health research

The BHRI Research Access Grant (BHRI RAG) is a monthly institutional support program established by the Bangladesh Health Research & Implementation Initiative to help researchers who have credible research ideas but face genuine financial barriers to accessing essential research support and ethical review.

Through BHRI RAG, BHRI allocates up to BDT 200,000 each month from its own institutional resources to provide full or partial administrative-fee assistance to eligible researchers.

BHRI RAG is a non-cash research-access grant. No money is paid directly to recipients. Approved support is applied toward eligible BHRI Research Support & Capacity Building administrative fees or BHRI Ethics Review Committee administrative fees.

Monthly Grant Allocation

Up to BDT 200,000 every month

The monthly allocation may be distributed among one or more eligible applicants according to:

✔ Genuine financial need

✔ The type and value of support required

✔ The quality and feasibility of the proposed research activity

✔ The number of eligible applications received

✔ The decision of the BHRI Research Access Fund Committee

An applicant may receive either full or partial fee assistance.

The monthly allocation is a competitive funding pool and is not necessarily awarded to a single applicant.

BHRI may award less than the total monthly allocation where there are insufficient eligible applications or where applications do not meet the required standards.

What BHRI RAG Supports

BHRI RAG currently provides support under two categories.

1. BHRI Research Support & Capacity Building Fee Assistance

Eligible researchers may receive full or partial administrative-fee assistance for approved services under the BHRI Research Support & Capacity Building Program.

Support may include:

✔ Research-question development

✔ Study-design and methodology support

✔ Protocol-development guidance

✔ Sample-size and statistical planning

✔ Data-management guidance

✔ Statistical-analysis support

✔ Scientific-writing support

✔ Manuscript-development support

✔ Publication guidance

✔ Research consultation

✔ Structured research mentorship

✔ Other approved research-support or capacity-building activities

Approval of fee assistance does not guarantee that BHRI will accept every proposed project or provide services outside its available expertise and operational capacity.

2. BHRI ERC Ethics Review Fee Assistance

Eligible investigators may receive full or partial assistance with the administrative fee applicable to protocol review by the BHRI Ethics Review Committee.

The grant may cover:

✔ The full BHRI ERC administrative fee; or

✔ Part of the administrative fee, with the applicant paying the remaining amount.

BHRI RAG covers only the approved administrative-fee assistance. It does not influence the scientific or ethical determination of the protocol.

Monthly Application Cycle

BHRI RAG operates through a predictable monthly application cycle.

Applications open 1st day of every month

Application deadline 7th day of every month

Administrative screening and Committee review 8th-13th day

Results communicated by the 14th day of every month

Acceptance and support activation Following completion of the required formalities

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Bangladesh Standard Time on the 7th day of the month.

Applications received after the deadline may be considered during the following monthly cycle.

BHRI may adjust a particular cycle when required because of public holidays, exceptional circumstances, or operational limitations. Any change will be announced publicly.

Who May Apply?

BHRI RAG is open to eligible health researchers, including:

✔ Medical doctors;

✔ Public-health professionals;

✔ Nurses and allied health professionals;

✔ Academics and faculty members;

✔ Students and trainees;

✔ Early-career researchers;

✔ Independent researchers;

✔ Epidemiologists;

✔ Health-sector professionals;

✔ Research teams; and

✔ Other individuals engaged in legitimate health-related research.

Applicants do not need to hold a formal institutional position unless the proposed research itself requires institutional authorization.

Independent researchers and researchers without adequate institutional support are encouraged to apply.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

An applicant must:

✔ Be involved in a legitimate health, medical, public-health, epidemiological, implementation, or related research activity

✔ Request support for an eligible BHRI or BHRI ERC administrative fee

✔ Demonstrate genuine financial need

✔ Provide sufficient information about the proposed research or activity

✔ Disclose existing or expected funding relevant to the requested support

✔ Disclose any relationship or conflict of interest involving BHRI officials or Committee members

✔ Agree to comply with applicable research, ethical, and administrative requirements

✔ Certify that the information submitted is complete and accurate

Applicants may apply for:

✔ A proposed research project

✔ An ongoing research project

✔ Protocol-development support

✔ Research-methodology or statistical support

✔ Scientific-writing or publication support

✔ Research mentorship

✔ BHRI ERC administrative-fee assistance

✔ A justified combination of eligible support

Priority Applicants

Where eligible applications exceed the available monthly allocation, priority may be given to:

✔ Researchers with greater demonstrated financial need

✔ Early-career researchers

✔ Students and trainees

✔ Independent researchers

✔ Researchers without institutional funding

✔ Applicants from underserved or resource-limited settings

✔ Projects addressing important health or public-health problems

✔ Projects with realistic and clearly defined outputs

✔ Applicants who have not previously received BHRI RAG support

✔ Projects likely to achieve meaningful progress through limited assistance

Priority status does not guarantee selection.

How Applications Are Assessed

Applications for BHRI Research Support & Capacity Building fee assistance may be assessed based on:

✔ Financial need

✔ Clarity of the research question or proposed activity

✔ Scientific or educational merit

✔ Public-health or research relevance

✔ Feasibility

✔ Applicant readiness

✔ Expected benefit of the requested support

✔ Alignment with BHRI’s mission

✔ Availability of the monthly allocation

Applications for BHRI ERC fee assistance are assessed by the BHRI Research Access Fund Committee only for:

✔ Applicant eligibility

✔ Financial need

✔ Completeness of the request

✔ Applicable fee-support requirements

✔ Previous assistance or outstanding obligations

✔ Availability of the monthly allocation

The Fund Committee does not determine whether a protocol should receive ethical approval.

Possible Decisions

The BHRI Research Access Fund Committee may decide to:

✔ Approve full fee assistance

✔ Approve partial fee assistance

✔ Approve assistance with conditions

✔ Request clarification or additional documents

✔ Place an application on a waiting list

✔ Defer the application to a later cycle

✔ Decline the application

✔ Administratively close an incomplete or ineligible application

The amount requested by an applicant does not create an entitlement to that amount.

Applicants receiving partial assistance will be informed of the remaining fee they must contribute.

BHRI ERC Independence

The BHRI Ethics Review Committee operates independently from the BHRI Research Access Fund Committee.

Receiving BHRI RAG support for an ethics-review administrative fee does not:

✔ Guarantee ethical approval

✔ Guarantee expedited review

✔ Influence the reviewers or Committee members

✔ Reduce the scientific or ethical standards applied

✔ Prevent BHRI ERC from requesting revisions

✔ Prevent a protocol from being deferred or rejected

✔ Prevent suspension or withdrawal of an approval

✔ Create any entitlement to a favorable determination

Following approval of fee assistance, the protocol will proceed through the normal BHRI ERC submission and review process.

All ethical-review decisions are based solely on the scientific and ethical merits of the submitted protocol and the protection of research participants.

Non-Cash Nature of the Grant

BHRI RAG does not ordinarily provide cash payments, reimbursements, stipends, salaries, personal grants, or direct transfers to applicants.

Approved support is recorded and applied internally as:

✔ A full fee waiver

✔ A partial fee waiver

✔ An administrative-fee subsidy

✔ Approved in-kind research support provided by BHRI

The approved value represents the amount of institutional support provided to the recipient.

Recipients may not exchange, transfer, sell, or request cash in place of an approved fee waiver or subsidy.

Governance

BHRI RAG is administered through the BHRI Research Access Fund Committee, comprising:

Funding decisions require approval from at least two non-conflicted Committee members.

Any member with an actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest must disclose the conflict and recuse themselves from the relevant assessment and decision.

Where necessary, an independent reviewer may be appointed.

Confidentiality

Applications are handled confidentially.

BHRI will protect sensitive information, including:

✔ Personal financial circumstances

✔ Contact details

✔ Unpublished research ideas

✔ Research data

✔ Reviewer comments

✔ Conflict-of-interest disclosures

Information will be shared only with persons who have a legitimate role in screening, reviewing, administering, or monitoring the application.