Funding for Applied Health and Social Care Research
Research Design Service (RDS) provides support to those preparing research proposals for submission to national, open, peer-reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research.
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – Research Council umbrella organisation
- Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC)
Overview of NIHR’s researcher-led funding programmes:
Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB)
Lower cost research studies (qualitative, quantitative and mixed) to assess whether new interventions provide benefit for people with health and social care needs.
Website: RfPB
Deadlines: Research for Patient Benefit
Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Large trials of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of new treatments and technologies compared with the best available care in real healthcare settings.
Website: HTA
Deadlines: Health Technology Assessment
Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR)
Programmes of inter-related studies to tackle recognised health and social care challenges, often by developing and evaluating complex interventions.
Website: PGfAR
Deadlines: Programme Grants for Applied Research
Invention for Innovation (i4i)
The technical and commercial development of new healthcare technologies that have potential for adoption in the NHS.
Website: i4i
Deadlines: Invention for Innovation
Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME)
Trials of the efficacy of treatments in controlled settings, sometimes using proxy or intermediate measures of health outcome.
Website: EME
Deadlines: Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation
Health Services and Delivery Research Programme (HS&DR)
The evaluation of innovations in health and social care organisation and delivery to improve service quality, efficiency, experience and access.
Website: HS&DR
Deadlines: Health Services and Delivery Research
Public Health Research (PHR)
The evaluation of interventions delivered outside the NHS (e.g. by local authorities, employers, schools, charities, community organisations) intended to improve population health or to reduce health disparities.
Website: PHR
Deadlines: Public Health Research
Policy Research Programme (PRP)
Research that can directly inform the decisions of ministers, the DHSC and other policy-makers involved in planning health and social care.
Website: PRP
Deadlines: Policy Research Programme
Global Health (GH)
Research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries.
Website: GF
Deadlines: Global Health Research
NIHR Training Programme
Fellowships are highly competitive personal awards and funding success depends on 6 areas: Person, Project, Place, Public involvement, Training and Supervision.
The aim of these awards it to train and support the best health and care researchers to tackle the complex challenges of the future.