A new panel date has been confirmed for the next round of AURORA funding after a successful first round earlier this year.
Addressing Underrepresentation through Outreach and Research Access (AURORA) is a rolling funding scheme from the National Cardiovascular Research Network that supports projects bringing cardiovascular research closer to communities.
The scheme funds community activities and outreach programmes that help ensure heart and circulation research reflects the diversity of the people it is meant to benefit. By supporting work with groups who are often underrepresented in research, AURORA helps break down barriers, build understanding and create opportunities for more people to get involved.
As it’s a rolling funding scheme, there are no hard deadlines, and applications can be submitted at any time. But we aim to hold three to four panel reviews a year to look over applications.
The deadline for the next round of applications will be 28th May.
This follows a successful first round of AURORA, awarded earlier this year, and a Women’s Wellness Event funded by the scheme.
The wellness event, held at the Grangetown Pavilion in March, was open to women of all ages to take part in a gentle yoga session, engage with talks from researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University and be screened for blood pressure and atrial fibrillation.
It was a great example of the impact AURORA funding can have, with many attendees feeding back how informative the session was and how much they valued having dedicated time to check their cardiovascular health.
Two other projects have also been awarded funding through AURORA:
‘Pump it Up/Pwmpiwch Fe!’ by Jamie MacDonald and Guto Wyn Hughes. A bilingual, intergenerational project designed to introduce children and families to the importance of blood pressure.
‘Life After the Shock’ by Henry Gilbert. A support group for survivors of cardiac arrest that helps them share their experience and improve care for survivors everywhere.
If you have any questions about AURORA, how to make an application or just where to start, email the team at admin@ncrn.uk, and we can help get the ball rolling.