Sanofi launches 2013 Patient Group Bursary Scheme

Sanofi has announced the launch of its 2013 Patient Group Bursary Scheme, a much valued initiative which awards a share of £50,000 to three successful patient groups that are able to demonstrate ambitious, but realistic campaigns capable of making a lasting difference to the lives of patients in their respective fields.

The application process for the scheme is now open and will run until Wednesday 1st May. Further information about the criteria for applications, the application form and the selection process can be found on the company website at http://www.sanofi.co.uk/.

Since its inaugural year in 2011, the scheme has proved to be a huge success – last year alone the initiative received a record 101 applications. “We’ve noticed a growing interest in the Patient Group Bursary Scheme since its launch in 2011. With the NHS in a state of transition and demands on time and resource ever increasing, at Sanofi we feel that it’s crucial that patient groups are given the support that they need to really make a difference to the lives of patients,” commented Steve Oldfield, Managing Director of Sanofi UK and Ireland.

In order to be successful, patient groups entering the 2013 Bursary Scheme will need to demonstrate that their programmes can deliver improvements in patient empowerment and information. Applications are welcomed from all not for profit patient groups, be they local, national, social enterprises or even professional associations, for which three successful applicants will receive a grant to the value of either £25,000, £15,000 or £10,000.

A panel of expert judges, chaired by Steve Oldfield and including Baroness Neuberger DBE, Senior Rabbi of West London Synagogue, Broadcaster and Author; Baroness Jolly, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Health and Social Care; Baroness Morris ofBolton OBE DL, Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Jordan, Kuwait and the Palestinian Territories and Chancellor of the University of Bolton, and Baroness Howarth of Breckland OBE, Vice President of the Local Government Association, will meet in May to assess applications and decide the winningprogrammes.

“The Bursary Scheme is a vital part of the broader CSR work that we undertake” commented Ian Weatherhead, Director of Communications: “For Sanofi, the scheme provides anopportunity to engage with the health and charitable sectors at large, as well as supporting some incredibly worthy projects. As part of our continued commitment, we seek regular updates from all winning projects which allows us to see not only the progress of these initiatives, but also to get a genuine sense of how the Bursary has touched the lives of patients across the country”.

Over the past two years the scheme has awarded Bursaries to a variety of Patient Groups operating across a broad spectrum of disease areas. For further information and for the latest update from both 2011 and 2012 Bursary recipients, please go to the Sanofi website at: http://www.sanofi.co.uk/