NIHR funding stream directors

Funding for Applied Health and Social Care Research

Research Support Service provides support to those preparing research proposals for submission to national, open, peer-reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research.

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.

WebsiteRfPB
DeadlinesResearch for Patient Benefit 

Research Programme for Social Care

Research that generates evidence to improve, expand and strengthen the way social care is provided.

WebsiteRPSC
DeadlinesResearch Programme for Social Care 

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.

WebsiteHTA
DeadlinesHealth 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.

Invention for Innovation (i4i)

The technical and commercial development of new healthcare technologies that have potential for adoption in the NHS.

Websitei4i
DeadlinesInvention 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.

WebsiteEME
DeadlinesEfficacy and Mechanism Evaluation 

Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HSDR)

The evaluation of innovations in health and social care organisation and delivery to improve service quality, efficiency, experience and access.

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.

WebsitePHR
DeadlinesPublic 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.

WebsitePRP
DeadlinesPolicy Research Programme 

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.