Where to find funding
Where to find funding
NIHR is the nation’s largest funder of health and care research, spending £1 billion from the Department of Health and Social Care on research every year. However, a wide range of bodies fund health and social care research, including charities i.e. Alzheimer’s Society and the Medical Research Council, or industry, some fund projects jointly. Most have specific areas of interest and many are disease specific. Sources of further information include (note this is not an exhaustive list):
- Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is the national membership organisation for medical and health research charities. AMRC members support over one-third of all UK publicly-funded medical research in the UK, with members investing over £1.2 billion in health research in the UK in 2012.
- Medical Research Council (MRC) funds research through a range of grants, calls, highlight notices, studentships and fellowships.
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of programmes addressing a broad range of health priorities. Funding is based on the quality and relevance of the research to personal social services, public health and the NHS.
- NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) is part of the NIHR, manages a number of research programmes, including: Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation; Health Services and Delivery Research; Health Technology Assessment; Public Health Research; and Systematic Reviews.
- UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) many different organisations fund health research in the UK. The UKCRC has developed a coherent approach to health research funding by providing a forum to coordinate the activities of funding bodies and by developing an evidence base to inform strategic planning.
- UK Research Office (UKRO) is the European office of the UK Research Councils. Activities include providing details on European Commission funding opportunities.
There is support available to you when preparing a grant application.
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme is considering this topic for future commissioned research.
Research Questions:
(a) Is it feasible to conduct a study to examine the effectiveness of higher-calorie refeeding compared with lower-calorie refeeding in malnourished adults with anorexia nervosa?
(b) If feasibility is established, what is the clinical and cost-effectiveness of higher-calorie refeeding compared with lower-calorie refeeding in malnourished adults with anorexia nervosa?
The research specification will provide more details about the opportunity and will be published when the funding opportunity opens for applications.
Funding: The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme is considering this topic for future commissioned research.
Deadline: 02/04/2025, 1pm
Generic Calls
Better Methods, Better Research (BMBR) funds the development of generalisable methods that underpin research. This includes biomedical, health and social care research.
Criteria: These methods must be applicable beyond a single case study or research question. They need to be applicable as they are, without significant modification. Methodology research should also be developed with end-user engagement.
Amount: Project proposals can be up to a budget of £625,000 (100% full economic cost (FEC)). MRC and NIHR will usually fund up to 80% of your project’s FEC.
Deadline: 04/12/2024, 1pm
A webinar was held for potential applicants on Monday 7 October 2024. To request a copy of the slides please contact BMBR@nihr.ac.uk.
The Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme funds ambitious studies evaluating interventions with potential to make a step-change in the promotion of health, treatment of disease and improvement of rehabilitation or long-term care.
NIHR NICE Rolling Call: The programme is interested in receiving applications to meet recommendations in research identified in NICE guidance that has been published or updated in the last 5 years.
NIHR James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships rolling Call: Applications addressing priorities within the JLA PSP for digital technology in mental health care which was established in 2018 to identify research priorities and opportunities for integrating digital technology for people with mental health conditions.
Amount: The NIHR funds 3 reseacher-led projects per year.
Deadline: 10/12/2024, 1pm (Stage 1)
The Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is looking to fund high quality studies on brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Studies should aim to generate robust evidence that can drive changes to enhance guidance and practice.
Criteria: Studies may focus on any type or grade of primary adult and/or paediatric brain tumour. This includes low-grade or ‘benign’ tumours and high-grade tumours that are cancerous, primary brain tumours that have metastasised, recurrent or relapsed disease, and studies on patients in remission or living with brain cancer.
Studies focusing on the support network for patients with brain tumours (family, carers, healthcare workforce) are also within scope.
Funding: 3 researcher-led per year
Deadline: 01/01/2025, 1pm
Funding for high quality applied health and social care research to increase and improve the evidence base about mental health nursing and the mental health nursing workforce.
The Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is accepting Stage 1 applications to this funding opportunity.
Criteria: Research proposals must fall within the remit of the Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme which aims to produce rigorous and relevant evidence to improve the quality, accessibility and organisation of health and social care services.
Funding: 3 researcher-led per year
Deadline: 08/01/2025, 1pm.
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme funds evidence synthesis as well as primary research, into the clinical and cost-effectiveness, and broader impact of healthcare treatments, tests, and other interventions.
The programme is interested in receiving applications to meet recommendations in research identified in NICE guidance that has been published or updated in the last 5 years.
Funding: 3 researcher-led per year
Deadline: 08/01/2025, 1pm.
The NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme is inviting stage 1 applications for research proposals that are concerned with the day-to-day practice of health service staff, and that have the potential to have an impact on the health or wellbeing of patients and users of the NHS.
As a researcher-led programme, RfPB does not specify topics for research but instead encourages proposals for projects that address a wide range of health service issues and challenges.
The programme aims to fund high quality quantitative and qualitative research with a clear trajectory to patient benefit. It particularly encourages applications that have a strong element of interaction with patients and the public and that have been conceived in association with a relevant group of service users.
Criteria: Competition 56 sees the launch of two highlight notices for the RfPB Programme. The first of these is the initial instalment in a series of highlight notices that aim to solicit applications that address the specific health challenges facing the regions and communities of each funding committee. This is being launched initially for applications from the East of England and South West regions, before being rolled out in the other regions across subsequent competitions.
The second highlight notice has been launched as part of a cross-NIHR initiative that invites proposals that address the outcomes set out in the first of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) areas of research interest, which is ‘Early action to prevent poor health outcomes’. Applications are requested that focus on tackling inequality in prevention/early detection or intervention/management for people at risk of poor health.
Amount: 3 researcher-led opportunities per year
Deadline: 05/03/2025, 1pm
A webinar is being held on Monday 11 November 2024 on Zoom. Register your attendance, submit questions in advance and gain access to joining details through the Zoom registration form.
The RfPB programme funds a broad range of research from intervention development through to definitive trials. The programme provides frontline professionals with the opportunity to identify and respond to the research needs of the future. It encourages career development by enabling all levels of HCPs to embed regional and national research priorities into their day-to-day practice.
In a recent review of the RfPB programme’s funded portfolio, it was found that the majority of applicants funded by RfPB, both in lead and co-applicant roles, were medically qualified professionals. An analysis of 3,660 applicants showed that 42% of the funded applicants are medically qualified followed by methodologists (36%). Other registered health and care professionals constitute 9%, nurses and midwives 8% and allied health professionals 5%.
Lack of opportunity to demonstrate independent research leadership may limit access to career progression for those who are not medically qualified. To address this, RfPB is running a series of strategic funding calls aimed at strengthening the careers of under-represented disciplines and specialisms. It is expected that this will enrich the breadth of the RfPB portfolio with projects conceptualised from the diverse perspective these professions will bring.
Criteria: All applications to this highlight notice must be led by a registered HCP, including clinical scientists, healthcare scientists, non-medical public health practitioners, optometrists, pharmacists and practitioner psychologists. To support capacity building, all applications to this call must be led by an HCP at an early stage of their career, supported by a mentor and an experienced, strong and multi-disciplinary team.
Amount: Calls for proposals up to £500,000 for a period of up to three years
Deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest: 05/03/2025, 5pm
A virtual webinar with a live Q and A session will be hosted on Tuesday 10 December 2024 at 2 pm. Register for the webinar by completing the webinar sign-up form.
The NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme funds research to produce evidence to impact on the quality, accessibility and organisation of health and social care services. This includes evaluations of how the NHS and social care might improve delivery of services. The audience for this research is the public, service users, clinicians, professionals and managers.
The NIHR are particularly keen to see large scale studies of national importance. This means primary research projects which:
- Address an issue of major strategic importance to the NHS or Social Care, with the cost in line with the significance of the problem to be investigated
- Are likely to lead to changes in practice that will have a significant impact on a large number of patients or clients across the UK
- Aim to fill a clear 'evidence gap', and are likely to generate new knowledge of direct relevance to the NHS or Social Care
- Have the potential for findings to be applied to other conditions or situations outside the immediate area of research
- Bring together a team with strong expertise and track record across the full range of relevant disciplines
- Will be carried out across more than one research site.
Deadline: 18/03/2025, 1pm.
NIHR is looking to fund research into decarbonising the health and social care system. As part of its climate health and sustainability commitments to help reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero, this cross-programme funding opportunity will run annually for the next 5 years. There will be £25 million total funding available across the 5 years, with a new application process opening each year.
This is a two-stage, commissioned funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an Outline Application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a Full Application. It is expected that NIHR will commission projects which range in size and scope, with a guideline minimum of £200,000. As part of its drive to develop capacity, this opportunity also encourages capacity building and training.
Amount: Guideline minimum of £200,000
Deadline: 26/03/2025, 1pm
This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing.
Criteria: You can apply for a Wellcome Discovery Award if you are a researcher who wants to pursue bold and creative research ideas. You must aim to make a major contribution to your research field by generating significant shifts in understanding and/or developing methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.
An award can be held by an established researcher or a team of researchers led by an established researcher.
Research is funded in the following areas:
- fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
- complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
- burden of disease and its determinants, where this brings new and transformational knowledge
- development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
- needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities, and
- social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.
Amount: A Wellcome Discovery Award provides funding for research expenses. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science. The award may be held on a part-time basis. When applying, you should cost the application at 1.0 (100%) full-time equivalent. We will then extend the duration of the award to reflect this. You should ask for a level and duration of funding that’s appropriate for your proposed research. You will need to justify these costs in your grant application.
Deadline: 03/12/2024, 5pm, /03/2025, 08/04/2025, 5pm (upcoming round)
This award will fund projects to advance our understanding of the biological, psychological and/or social mechanisms through which heat affects anxiety, depression and psychosis in the most impacted groups globally.
Successful applications will identify relevant climate-resilient and/or mental health interventions with a realistic potential for real-world application.
Criteria: You can apply to this call if you are a team of researchers:
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from any discipline relevant to mental health science and climate science
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from an eligible organisation
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based anywhere in the world (apart from mainland China)
Applications are encouraged from:
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researchers at any stage of their career, including early career researchers and/or those who are new to the fields of either mental health science or climate science
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researchers from or based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Amount: £1-3 million per project
Scope Check Deadline: 18/12/2024
A webinar was held on 9 October 2024. Watch the recording here.
This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.
Criteria:
You can apply to this scheme if you are an early-career researcher and you are ready to design, plan and deliver your own innovative research project that aims to advance understanding in your field and/or develop methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.
You are not eligible to apply if:
- You have an existing tenured (salaried) post for the duration of the award (unless based in a low- or middle-income country).
- You can only relinquish an existing tenured (salaried) post to take up an Early-Career Award if your current post is not research-based.
- You have made an application to this scheme and you are waiting for a decision.
- You hold, have held, or have accepted an offer for an equivalent award at this career stage. An equivalent award does not include short-term funding.
Amount: Salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses
Deadline: 25/02/2025, 5pm
Watch the recorded webinar for early-career researchers here.
Fellowships / Studentships
The ARC Fellowship is aimed people working in health, care and voluntary service settings across the East of England. It is for those who would like to work at the interface of research and practice, develop an understanding of the research environment, and develop skills in research methodology, service redesign, change management and implementing evidence-based improvements into practice.
Criteria: If the Research or Impact project is NHS based, NIHR strongly encourage aligning your project focus to the Darzi review of the NHS. For Research or Impact projects in social care or other non-NHS settings, the applicant can prioritise their own research/impact questions.
Amount: £12,500
Deadline: 06/01/2025, 12 noon
More Information:
Research Fellowship (Focus on Measuring Health and Care / Mental Health / Social Care)
Impact Fellowship (Focus on Implementation / Knowledge Mobilisation)
Webinars: 7 and 25 November 2024
LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at its three partner institutions– King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College.
All LISS DTP studentships, Open and CASE Competition, are available either full or part-time (50%) in either 1+3.5 (1 year Masters degree followed by a 3.5-year PhD) or +3.5 (3.5-year PhD) format.
The goal is to recruit outstanding and diverse candidates from UK and international (including EU) students. Applications are encouraged from UK home students who identify of an ethnicity other than white, and/or those who are of mixed heritage who are currently under represented within the LISS DTP. 9 studentships are ringfenced for home students from under represented backgrounds, disabled students and students with caring responsibilities (sole or primary caregivers for a child or children under the age of 18 or primary caring responsibilities for an adult family member, including a spouse, sibling, or parent).
Studentships are informed by three interwoven core principles:
- Interdisciplinarity: students should engage with challenge-led doctoral research across topics and disciplinary boundaries, both within and beyond the social sciences. Awarded projects must fall substantially (>50%) within the broad social and behavioural science remit of the ESRC.
- Data-driven research: students are encouraged to engage with enhanced data analytics and digital competences to exploit increasingly large-scale and complex data for research purposes whether their foundation is quantitative or qualitative;
- Impact: students are encouraged to engage with non-academic collaborators, and co-design research and training with users, practitioners, and potential future employers.
Criteria: The research proposal originates with the student. The following are NOT eligible:
- Students who will have less than 50% of their study time (usually 3.5 years for a full-time PhD) remaining when they start their LISS-funded studentship. In practice, this means that students in their first year of doctoral study can apply for funding for the second and third years.
- Distance learning programmes.
- Applicants who have already been awarded a PhD or equivalent degree.
Amount: Full-time students receive a stipend of £21,237 per annum, and their fees are paid. (Fees for International students may not be paid in full.) Additional funding for research costs of around £940 per annum is also available.
Deadline: 24/01/2025, 5pm
The LISS DTP is holding an online briefing session for students preparing applications for the Open Competition for October 2025 Entry. The purpose of the briefing session is for interested applicants to find out more about the LISS DTP and to ask questions about the application process.
The next briefing is on Wednesday 4th December 2024 16:00-17:00, sigh up here or watch last years presentation here.
Do you have 3 years or less post-doctoral research experience and want to conduct innovative research of your own instigation?
Fellowships are held from 1 October in the year of award for a period of typically 3 years, and offers cannot be deferred to a later year.
Criteria:
- Intended for early career scientists and engineers of exceptional promise
- Open to candidates looking to conduct research in any of the physical or biological sciences, in mathematics, in applied science, or in any branch of engineering
- Candidates must have a recent PhD (or be completing one in year of application) and normally with no more than 3 years postdoctoral experience
Amount: Fellows can either be employed by institutuion or self-employed. Full payroll covered and expense allowance of £10,000pa.
Deadline: 06/01/2025
A range of schemes supporting Early Career Researchers, International fellowships, major research fellowships and Emeritus Fellows.