Application for First Grants Opens

01/03/2021 12:00

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equine Welfare Research Foundation is delighted to announce that the first ever call for applications for research funding opened on 1st March 2021! 

The Foundation has already published a list of topics that it considers warrant priority research attention and we look forward to applications in these areas. Injuries to the musculoskeletal system feature prominently and we particularly hope to receive proposals into studies that might lead to strategies that prevent injuries or orthopaedic diseases associated with training. We also encourage projects that provide evidence for changes in horse husbandry that may lead to further improvements in the quality of life of racehorses. We recognise that providing objective, scientific evidence to indicate the well-being of a horse can be challenging, and we will be excited to see proposals that tackle this issue. Our focus extends beyond racing and we very much hope to receive applications for studies that will benefit the lives of racehorses that have retired and taken on different lifestyles. Evidence to indicate the most effective strategies and rehabilitation protocols to help horses to overcome certain common conditions when they retire from racing will also be valuable. The Foundation recognises the potential threat to the welfare of horses and to the Thoroughbred breed itself posed by new technologies developed to manipulate natural genotypes, which could be used illicitly in an attempt to enhance a horse’s performance. Therefore we are encouraging studies that tackle this important issue.  However, our interest is not restricted to these fields and we will be happy to consider any project that can demonstrate potential to make a positive contribution to horse welfare. 

A critical consideration when determining which applications to fund will be the scientific quality of each proposal. We hope that our application forms will help applicants to clearly illustrate how they will undertake their investigations and the methodology they will use to enable our review teams to perform thorough and fair assessments. We ask to see a clear hypothesis that the researchers wish to test, and careful explanation of how they will test it, which must include details of the types of analysis that they intend to apply. We expect applicants to have a vision for their work and to be able to demonstrate how findings from their studies may lead to positive outcomes for horses. We also require that applicants show how they will apply a structured approach to their project and that they can document, within the limitations of scientific variability, a reasonable timeframe for reaching specific milestones. 

Anyone considering making an application is welcome to contact the Foundation directly to discuss questions that they may have about their application or technical issues associated with the submission process. Please send an email to grants@hkjcequinewelfare.org.hk and June or Chris will get back to you as soon as possible.

Our core Foundation Team: Chris Riggs, Director and June Lee, Grant Manager. Here to serve the research community for the betterment of the horse.
Our core Foundation Team: Chris Riggs, Director and June Lee, Grant Manager. Here to serve the research community for the betterment of the horse.