Road Safety Trust Launches With A Call For Funding Proposals

1 December 2015

The Road Safety Trust (RST) has today announced a call for applications for funding. Grants are available for research into or practical interventions aimed at supporting road safety. Full details of the grants policy and how to apply can be found here. The closing date for funding applications is the 15th January 2016.

The Trust is a registered charity (number 1156300) and a company limited by guarantee. It is chaired by Suzette Davenport, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire and the roads policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). It has 10 trustees taken from the worlds of local and national government, the private sector, research, and police and crime reduction policy. A full list can be found in the Notes for Editors and also on the RST website.

The Trust will receive funding through the work of its wholly owned trading subsidiary, UKROEd. UKROEd will oversee the management and administration of those attending courses offered by police forces as an educational alternative to fixed penalty notices – known as NDORS courses.  It will also ensure that the standards of the six courses, offered by 28 training providers under contract to 43 police forces, are consistent across the country. UKROEd will become wholly responsible for the courses from 1st April 2016. 

The work of the Trust will be undertaken by three part-time members of staff covering the roles of Chief Executive, Finance Director and Grants Manager. This will provide both the Trust and its trading subsidiary with adequate resource to undertake its work.

Speaking of the grants process, Suzette Davenport said “I am delighted that we are now able to offer new funding for road safety in this way. Good policy must always be informed by research evidence and sound practical interventions. The Trust looks forward to playing its part in supporting research projects and in helping organisations to develop practical ways, whether through education, engineering, enforcement or a combination of any or all of these, to reduce death and injury on our roads.

“The Trust will offer funding for projects twice a year. We hope to receive funding bids by January 15th and decide which to support in March 2016. The second call for applications will be made in the summer.

“Recent casualty figures show that there is still more to do to reduce the level of risk on our roads, especially for the more vulnerable road users. We look forward to receiving applications for projects that will tackle this issue. They can come from public sector bodies, other charities, professional groups, campaigning organisations or the private sector. Our key criteria are that any project must be properly evaluated, cannot be for commercial gain and must be publicly disseminated once completed. We will also be looking for projects that have the potential to be rolled out nationally.”

Rob Gifford CEO stated, “I am delighted to launch the announcement of grant funding by the Trust. This is new money invested in road safety interventions to save lives on our roads. Guided by an independent board of trustees, we now have an opportunity to look at the challenges facing road safety and how best to tackle them. I hope the Trust will act as a major support for the road safety community over the years to come.”