Research Funding Opportunities
Please find below a selection of the latest calls:
Programme Development Grants
NIHR Programme Development Grants are awards of up to £100K to enable a research team to undertake preparatory work that will position them to submit a successful Programme Grant application in a subsequent funding competition. They will be awarded by open competition and assessed by the Programme Grants for Applied Research Selection Panel.
The following dates have been set as deadlines for submission of Programme Development Grant applications:
Competition 6Competition launch – 6 June 2011
Submission deadline – 10 October 2011, 5pm
Review of Applications – February 2012
Notification of outcome of Applications – Late March 2012
For more information please follow this link: Programme Development Grant
Programme Grants for Applied Research
Programme Grants for Applied Research are prestigious awards of up to £2m over a period of three to five years, directed towards leading researchers who can demonstrate an impressive track-record of achievement in applied health research. Each programme will fund a series of related projects which form a coherent theme in an area of priority or need for the NHS.
The selection criteria used by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research Selection Panel at stages 1 and 2 are:
- The track-record of the applicants in conducting high-quality applied health research, as judged by publication output and previous research funding;
- The relevance of the proposed research to the priorities and needs of the NHS;
- The likelihood of significant benefit to the NHS and patients within 3-5 years of the end of the funding period.
- The quality of the outline proposal.
- The value for money provided by the proposal.
Competition 11
Competition launch - 6 June 2011
Stage 1 Application submission deadline - 17 October 2011, 5:00pm
Notification of outcome of Stage 1 Application late November 2011
Stage 2 Full Application submission deadline - 12 March 2012, 5:00pm
Notification of outcome of Full Application - Late July 2012
Research for Patient Benefit
The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme funds regionally derived applied research projects in health services and social care. Its main purpose is to realise, through evidence, the huge potential for improving, expanding and strengthening the way that health care is delivered for patients, the public and the NHS.
The following dates have been set as deadlines for pre-registration and submission:
Competition 16
Submission deadline – 23 September 2011, 5pm
Declaration and signatures deadline – 30 September 2011, 5pm
Submission outcome – late March 2012
NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme
HTA application forms are available along with associated guidance notes and contains important information about completing your application form. Apply for the below topics
* Deadline for application - Thursday 6 October 2011 before 1pm *
Feasbility Studies
11/60 Family based interventions for young people who misuse alcohol and/or other substances
11/66 Return to work after acquired brain injury
Evidence Synthesis (full proposals)
11/70 Therapeutic writing for people with long-term conditions
NIHR HTA Clinical Evaluation and Trials
The HTA programme is funded by the NIHR, with contributions from the CSO in Scotland and NISCHR in Wales.
Proposals can be submitted on an ongoing basis. There are four cut-off deadlines a year and proposals received by the stated deadline will be considered in the next available assessment cycle.
26 October 2011 (1pm deadline)30 January 2012 (1pm deadline)
2 May 2012 (1pm deadline)
9 August 2012 (1pm deadline)
7 November 2012 (1pm deadline)
NIHR – Public Health Research Programme (PHR)
Researcher-led
Applicants can submit outline proposals to the researcher-led workstream at any time during the year, with three cut-off dates when applications will be considered by the Programme Advisory Board Please note that in 2011 researcher-led outline proposals will only be considered by the Programme Advisory Board (PAB) at two meetings in March and September 2011. This is due to a shift in the meeting dates of the PAB to create a more balanced calendar of meetings and ultimately a reduction in the time it takes for researcher-led proposals to receive consideration by the Boards. In 2012, the normal cycle of three assessment dates will resume.
Commissioned
The commissioned workstream operates in two modes:
Outline proposals are welcomed in response to specific research questions prioritised for their public health importance by the Programme Advisory Board. Find out more.
The themed call mode welcomes outlines proposals into broad thematic prioritised for their public health importance.
NIHR Health Services Research programme (HSR)
This programme funds research to improve the quality, effectiveness and accessibility of the NHS. The programme remit includes quality of services, access and equity in provision, relevance and appropriateness to the needs of individuals and communities, effectiveness and efficiency of health services, as well as how services are experienced. The NIHR HSR programme addresses the three dimensions of quality currently of central concern to the NHS: patient experience, effectiveness of care and patient safety.
The HSR programme will fund both primary research and evidence syntheses, depending on the availability of existing research and the most appropriate way of responding to important knowledge gaps. The aim is to fund research that will be of greatest benefit to the NHS and to patients.
The HSR programme will fund both primary research and evidence syntheses, depending on the availability of existing research and the most appropriate way of responding to important knowledge gaps. The aim is to fund research that will be of greatest benefit to the NHS and to patients.
CURRENT RESEARCHER-LED WORKSTREAM: The HSR programme aims to develop a balanced portfolio of projects. At present, we are particularly interested in funding large scale studies of national importance. This means primary research which: Address an issue of major strategic importance to the NHS, with the cost in line with the significance of the problem to be investigated; lead to changes in practice, fill an evidence gap, findings to be applied to other conditions/situations will be carried out across more than one research site.
CUT OFF DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF OUTLINE PROPOSALS: 18 OCTOBER 2011 at 1pm
Suggest a research topic: Health Services Research Suggestions Form
You may submit as many research questions as you wish. Please use a new form for each research question. Click here to access form.
Alzheimer's Society
25 July 2011 - no current calls.
For more information, please visit the website.
The Leverhulme Trust
THIS IS AN OPEN CALL: The aim of these awards is to provide financial support for innovative and original research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). The grants provide support for the salaries of research staff engaged on the project, plus associated costs directly related to the research proposed.
Stage 1 - Outline Application
Stage 2 - Detailed Application
Up to £250K: duration 2 to 3 years
Research Projects Grants
The aim of these awards is to provide financial support for innovative and original research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Prinicipal Investigator). The grants provide support for the salaries of research staff engaged on the project, plus associated costs directly related to the research proposed.
Proposals are favoured which:
i) reflect the personal vision of the applicant;
ii) demonstrate compelling competence in the research design;
iii) surmount traditional disciplinary academic boundaries;
iv) involve a degree of challenge and evidence of the applicant's ability to assess risk
Value and Duration
The great majority of awards involve a spend of up to £250,000 over a duration of two to three years. If compelling evidence is provided, awards may be made for sums between £250,000 and £500,00 for research over a period of up to five years. The assessment procedures for these large grants are especially stringent, and can involve site visits and discussions with applicants.
Topics
Applications for research on any topic within the entired array of academic disciplines are eligible for support. However, an exception is made for areas of research supported by specialist funding agencies and, in particular, for medicine. In such cases, applicants should consider an application to these alternative funding bodies as being more appropriate. Specific attention is paid to the reasons given by applicants in justifying their choice of the Trust as the most appropriate agency for the support of their project.
Please read the following before submitting an application:
European Research Council (ERC)
The European Research Council (ERC) is an important pillar of the Seventh Framework Programme, giving primacy to scientific excellence in researcher-initiated proposals. The ERC's aims are to enhance the "dynamism, creativity and excellence" of European research at the frontier of knowledge in all scientific and technological fields.
The ERC has an overall budget of about €7.5 billion over seven years, building up from a relatively low level in the first year.
The ERC will support projects carried out by individual teams headed by a Principal Investigator. These may be individual researchers, and projects may be national or transnational. Selection of proposals for funding will be by one of 24 expert panels, supported by specialist peer review. "Excellence" will be the sole criterion of evaluation.
PRINCIPAL FUNDING SCHEMES:
• Starting Grant - for early stage researchers with between two and ten years' experience following PhD;
• Advanced Grants - for established research leaders.
For further information see the ERC's website.
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust Society awards are for ambitious and creative projects that engage people with developments in biomedical science on a regional and national scale.
CURRENT THEME: "How do you know"
We are looking for exciting, innovative and ambitious projects in public engagement that show how science works. This includes questioning accepted knowledge, dissecting evidence-based methods, experimentation, building and testing hypotheses, creating logic and reasoning, deconstructing the peer review process, delving into risk and uncertainty, and so on - all using examples from within our biomedical remit. This includes (but is not limited to) the following themes: medicine, physiology, psychology, nutrition, genetics, evolution, culture, sociology, economics, history, ethics and public health. Funding: £30,000 for up to three years.
Deadline: 30 September 2011
Medical Research Council
The MRC, through the MRC-NIHR Methodology Research Programme (MRP), wishes to develop a portfolio of research aimed at improving the methodology underpinning the application and evaluation of PROMs in health research and health care decision making.
CALL OPEN: NEUROSCIENCES AND MENTAL HEALTH Link to call deadlines.Medical Research Foundation's mental health clinical research training fellowship programme
The Medical Research Foundation is launching a new £2.2 million call to support one flagship fellowship trianing programme to provide innovative training in key areas of mental health research.
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