The Society For Free Radical Research

Charity Number: 288112

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £185,781
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 2-4 months (varies by award type)
  • Grant Range: €400 - €10,000
  • Geographic Focus: Europe (primarily), with some international awards

Contact Details

Website: www.sfrr-europe.org

Phone: 1517949069

Charity Number: 288112

President: Giuseppe Valacchi (University of Ferrara)

Secretary General: Clare L. Hawkins

Treasurer: Irundika Dias

Applications: Applications submitted via member login at https://intranet.sfrr-europe.org

Overview

The Society for Free Radical Research (SFRR Europe), registered as UK charity 288112 since 1983, advances education in free radical processes with focus on biomedical science and industrial applications. With an annual income of £185,781 (2024), the charity provides a forum for scientific discussion, supports young scientists, and promotes research in redox biology. SFRR Europe operates as the European regional branch of the international SFRR organization, hosting biennial meetings and offering multiple funding streams exclusively for early career researchers in the free radical and redox biology fields. In January 2022, the charity established an Early Career Researcher (ECR) subcommittee to strengthen support for emerging scientists in the field.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

ECR Fellowships (€10,000)

  • Research or seed-funding for new projects in redox research
  • Must be completed within 12 months
  • Cannot cover salary costs or overlap with existing funding
  • Application deadline: January (annually)

Visiting Fellowships (up to €2,000)

  • Travel and accommodation for minimum 3-week research stay in another European laboratory
  • Must be completed before June of award year
  • Application deadline: May (annually)

Travel Awards for European Researchers (€400)

  • For PhD students and postdocs (less than 5 years post-PhD)
  • To attend SFRR-E annual conferences
  • Deadline: January (varies by conference)

Travel Awards for Non-European Researchers (€900)

  • For PhD students and postdocs requiring long-distance travel
  • To attend SFRR-E conferences
  • Deadline: January (varies by conference)

Young Investigator Awards (€800)

  • For PhD/MSc students or postdocs with less than 3 years post-PhD experience
  • Under 35 years old
  • Must make independent contribution and present work
  • Covers conference registration, travel, and accommodation

Honorary Lecture Awards (no monetary value specified)

  • Catherine Pasquier Award: For early career scientists beyond formal training but not yet fully established
  • Leopold Flohé Award: For scientists under 45 years leading independent research groups

Priority Areas

  • Free radical research in biomedical sciences
  • Redox biology and redox processes
  • Industrial applications of free radical research
  • Early career researcher development
  • International collaboration and knowledge exchange
  • Clinical and epidemiological free radical research

What They Don't Fund

  • Researchers over age limits (varies by award: 35-45 years)
  • Scientists in permanent university positions (for visiting fellowships)
  • Salary costs
  • Projects overlapping with existing funding
  • Non-members (membership required for all awards)
  • Previous awardees of the same award type
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Governance and Leadership

Executive Committee (2025-2027)

President: Giuseppe Valacchi (University of Ferrara)

On taking office, Valacchi stated: “It is with great pride and high responsibility, that I take the role of President of the SFRR-E for the biannual term 2025-2027; and I thank all the SFRR-E members for the trust and the support. It will not be an easy task considering the fantastic accomplishments of the previous Presidents, but I will try to continue and echo the success that SFRR-E has had in the last few years.”

President Elect: João Laranjinha

Secretary General: Clare L. Hawkins

Treasurer: Irundika Dias

Past President: Juan Sastre

Past Treasurer: Aphrodite Vasilaki

Meeting Officers:

  • Niki Chondrogianni
  • Brigitte Winklhofer-Roob

Scientific Advisors:

  • Giovanni E. Mann
  • Enrique Cadenas
  • Michael Davies

ECR Subcommittee

Founded January 2022 to promote and support Early Career Researchers in redox biology. The subcommittee's main priority is to strengthen support mechanisms for early career scientists in the field.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Membership Requirement: All applicants must be current financial members of SFRR-E before applying.

Application Portal: All applications submitted via member login at https://intranet.sfrr-europe.org

Application Materials (vary by award type):

For ECR Fellowships:

  • Application form from member area
  • Clear outline of how fellowship assists future career goals
  • Research project description relevant to redox research

For Visiting Fellowships:

  • Brief summary of research project (max 1 A4 page): duration, budget, rationale, expected outcomes
  • CV (max 2 A4 pages): date of birth, PhD date, current position, publications list
  • Abbreviated CVs of home and host supervisors (max 2 A4 pages each)
  • Letter from host institution agreeing to host and provide facilities

For Young Investigator Awards:

  • Full CV with publications list
  • Abstract submission (automatically considered when submitting conference abstract)

For Catherine Pasquier Award:

  • Full CV with up-to-date publications list
  • Nominator's letter of recommendation

For Leopold Flohé Award:

  • Single PDF file using template from call for nominations

Decision Timeline

ECR Fellowships: Applications reviewed January; results announced at General Assembly during annual meeting (typically June)

Visiting Fellowships: Applications reviewed May; results announced at General Assembly during annual meeting (typically June)

Travel Awards: Applications reviewed January; results announced before early-bird registration deadline for relevant conference

Young Investigator Awards: Applications reviewed after abstract submission deadline; results announced at annual meeting

Review Process: Each application assessed by 3 independent peer reviewers identified by SFRR-E. International Scientific Advisory Board evaluates all proposals, and SFRR-E Executive selects those with highest rankings.

Success Rates

Specific success rates not publicly disclosed. The charity states: “The number of grants awarded will depend on the quality of the applications/submitted proposals.” Applications not adhering to requirements will not be considered.

Reapplication Policy

Previous awardees of ECR or Visiting Fellowships are not eligible to apply for the same award type again. Previous Travel Grant awardees and Young Investigator Award recipients who have been supported to attend SFRR-E annual conference previously are not eligible to apply for Travel Awards.

Application Success Factors

Key Requirements from SFRR-E

Career Goals Alignment: SFRR-E explicitly requires that “applicants must clearly outline how the Fellowship will assist them in achieving their future career goals.”

Quality Over Quantity: The charity emphasizes that funding decisions are based on “the quality of the applications/submitted proposals,” not predetermined quotas.

Strict Adherence to Guidelines: “Applications which do not adhere to the requirements will not be considered” - ensure all formatting limits (page counts) and document requirements are met.

Membership and Supervisor Requirements: For Visiting Fellowships, “both the home and host supervisors must be members of SFRR-Europe” - verify supervisor memberships before applying.

Independence and Originality: For Young Investigator Awards, applicants “must have made an independent contribution to the submitted work” with focus on “work originality and impact.”

Examples of Recent Funded Projects

2025 ECR Fellowship Winners:

  • Vanesa Cepas Lopez (Candiolo Cancer Institute, Italy): “Exploiting redox dynamics as a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer”
  • Tim Baldensperger (University of Vienna, Austria): “Advancing Strategies to Combat Lipofuscin Toxicity”

2024 ECR Fellowship Winners:

  • Montserrat Vega (Pompeu Fabra University, Spain): “Uncovering the role of respiratory supercomplexes in aging”
  • Timoteo Marchini (University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany): “Heterocellular crosstalk in PM2.5-induced metabolic derangements”

2024 Young Investigator Award Winners:

  • Anne Sophie Scheller (Germany), Felix Schmidt (Germany), Karoline Scholzen (Sweden) - Spetses School
  • Irene Canovas-Cervera (Spain), Javier Marques (Spain), Ufuk Ersoy (UK), Atilla Altinpinar (UK), Konstantinos Papanikolaou (Greece), Lea Strohm (Germany) - Istanbul conference

What Selection Committees Look For

For Young Investigator Awards - Judged on:

  • Work originality and impact
  • Relevance to free radical research
  • Poster and presentation quality
  • Clear communication

For Leopold Flohé Award - Focus on:

  • “Outstanding novel findings in the field of biological redox processes”
  • Independent research leadership
  • High-quality publications

For Catherine Pasquier Award - Emphasis on:

  • Research excellence
  • Future research promise
  • Not intended for well-established investigators or single project recognition

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Membership is mandatory: Ensure SFRR-E membership is current before application deadlines; for Visiting Fellowships, both supervisors must also be members
  • Age and career stage restrictions are strictly enforced: Awards target specific career stages (under 35-45 depending on award) and exclude those in permanent positions - verify eligibility before investing application effort
  • Career development narrative is critical: Explicitly articulate how the award advances your future career goals, as this is a stated evaluation criterion
  • Previous winners cannot reapply: Winning one ECR/Visiting Fellowship means permanent ineligibility for that award type; plan funding strategy accordingly
  • Quality of proposal determines number of awards: No fixed quota - competition is against quality threshold, not other applicants
  • International collaboration is valued: Visiting Fellowships specifically support cross-border research stays, demonstrating the charity's commitment to European research networks
  • Presentation and communication skills matter: Young Investigator Awards require 10-minute oral presentations, with clear communication as an evaluation criterion

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