New personal award schemes launched through Health and Care Research Wales Faculty
8 June
A new range of personal award schemes is being launched through the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty to promote research across sectors and boost the number of emerging independent researchers in Wales.
The schemes are structured across two main areas - the Researcher Development Award Scheme (with a range of award pathways aligned to our vision of more developmental opportunities for Welsh researchers), and the Doctoral, Next steps and Advanced Fellowship Schemes. Award holders will be able to access personal and researcher development opportunities through Faculty membership for the duration of their award.
The schemes will be available to all health and social care researchers, with high quality applications accepted irrespective of where they work (with the exception of the Research Training and Emerging Researcher awards, which are only open to those working in NHS or social care settings).
While specific details of how each award will work in practice are still in development, processes will be in place to ensure equal access to schemes, including calls and highlight notices that target under-represented groups and disciplines / specialisms.
Stroke Association/Health and Care Research Wales Partnership Award
The Stroke Association is partnering with Health and Care Research Wales to fund vital research to improve the lives of people affected by stroke across the UK.
The funding call is looking for multidisciplinary projects that address priorities in stroke research as set out in the Priority Setting Partnership with the James Lind Alliance. All applications from Wales are encouraged and will be assessed on their own merits.
The award aims to fund at least one project grant application from Wales for research that has a clear pathway to impact and focus on benefits to people affected by stroke for up to three years in duration.
Project grant applications will be adjudicated in two stages.
Deadline for applications
Stage 1: now open for applications until 21 August 2023
Stage 2: 8 December 2023
Find out more information about remit, eligibility and how to apply on the project grant website
Top tips for winning research funding
PRIME Associate Director, Professor Helen Snooks has produced this helpful reference guide for researchers: 'Top tips for winning research funding' and is available to view in PDF.
Welsh Government & Health and Care Research Wales
Research training award - Closed
The first round of the Health and Care Research Wales Research Training Award is now closed.
This scheme provides an opportunity to receive funding to cover tuition fees required to undertake a Masters in Research degree or equivalent M-level research training course in applied health and/or social care research commencing in the 2023/24 academic year.
The opportunity is open to staff based in NHS Wales, Local Authorities - adult or children's social care services, or in independent health and social care provision such as primary care, community pharmacy, adult or children’s residential care, or domiciliary care. It is aimed at those in the early stages of their research career (not necessarily early clinical or practice career stage) to support them to develop applied research skills and take the first steps on their research journey in health and social care.
Closing date: 13 April 2023
PhD social care studentship award - Closed
The Wales School for Social Care Research (WSSCR) is offering PhD Studentship Awards for social care research. The Wales School for Social Care Research is funded by Welsh Government to build strength in excellent social care research with real-world application and positive impact on the well-being of people in Wales. The School is a part of the wider Health and Care Research Wales infrastructure, with the School Hub in the College of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University and staff located at Bangor University and Cardiff University.
Closing date: 5 March 2021
Social care research fellowship award - Closed
Applications are invited from individuals working across any sector or scientific discipline to under-take research which will benefit patients, public, service users and/or carers in Wales.
Closing date: 13:00 on 20 October 2022
Health research grants - Closed
These grants support capacity-building in health research by funding high-quality research projects that demonstrate a clear benefit to patients, service users and carers or the organisation and delivery of effective healthcare service in Wales. Grants are worth up to £250,000 over a period of 24 months.
Health and Care Research Wales are inviting applications addressing the following themes:
- Improving value based health care
- Improving healthcare systems safety
Closing date: 27 October 2020 (stage 1)
Research for patient and public benefit scheme (RfPPB) - Closed
This scheme supports research directed at achieving benefit for users of the NHS or the public health of the people in Wales. Grants are worth up to £230,000 over a period of 24 months.
Closing date: 13:00 on 20 October 2022
NHS research time awards - Closed
These awards provide NHS staff with the opportunity to apply for protected time to engage in research activity and to develop their research skills. Applicants are expected to apply for research time of one or two sessions a week for a maximum period of three years.
Closing date: 16:00 on 3 November 2022
Social care grants - Closed
This scheme aims to support capacity and capability building in social care research by funding high-quality research projects with clear relevance to social care service users, carers, practitioners and policy makers. Research funded under this scheme should provide robust evidence to support the efficient and effective organisation and delivery of social care services in Wales, and/or improved service user or carer wellbeing.
Closing date: 21st October 2021
Social care research capacity building grant award - Closed
The Wales School for Social Care Research is delighted to announce that the Social Care Research Capacity building grants are now open for applications. The maximum sum available for each award is £10,000. The School anticipates being able to fund up to ten projects in total. Read more and apply
Closing date: 8 January 2017
Health research fellowship award - Closed
Health and Care Research Wales is pleased to announce a new call for applications to the Health Research Fellowship scheme. The Fellowships aim to support individuals to become independent researchers and to undertake high quality studies. Applications are invited from across all sectors and scientific disciplines.
Closing date: 23rd November 2021
PhD Health studentship award - Closed
The scheme supports capacity building in health and care research by funding high-quality research projects providing robust evidence which addresses the health and care needs of service users, carers and the wider population, and/or the organisation and delivery of efficient and effective services in Wales.
Studentship calls may incorporate topical themes which align with Welsh Government policy priorities, which will be indicated in the call documentation. Where this applies, applicants can apply to the general scheme or specifically to the themed call.
https://healthandcareresearchwales.org/researchers/funding-schemes/health-phd-studentship-scheme
Closing date: 18 March 2022
Excess treatment costs
This scheme provides funding to cover the excess treatment costs of externally funded non-commercial research in secondary care carried out within NHS Wales.
Closing date: None
Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice
The Commonwealth Fund's Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice for 2022-23 provide a unique leadership development opportunity for mid-career research professionals who are committed to advancing healthcare policy and practice.
Co-funded in the UK by the NIHR and The Health Foundation, the Harkness Fellowships funds successful applicants to spend a year in the United States (US) conducting internationally comparative research with mentorship from leading US experts.
The Harkness Fellowships was first offered in 1925 and provides dedicated research funding to allow Fellows to:
- gain an in-depth understanding of the US healthcare system and policy landscape
- engage in a series of leadership development activities
- build a robust network for cross-national exchange and collaboration
Successful applicants will also become a member of the NIHR Academy - a community that provides access to events, networking, leadership development and online training.
Further information: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/harkness-fellowships-in-health-care-policy-and-practice/28020
MRC New Investigator Research Grant
The New Investigator Research Grant (NIRG) is aimed at researchers who are capable of becoming independent Principal Investigators and who are now ready to take the next step towards that goal. You can apply across all areas of the MRC’s remit.
Applicants are expected to combine time spent on the NIRG with a portfolio of other activities, such as time spent on other research grants or clinical duties, teaching, administration duties, or other time spent in faculty (this list is not exhaustive). As such, applicants are normally expected to request up to, but no more than, 50% of their contracted working time on the NIRG.
A NIRG is normally of three years duration and is not renewable. Exceptionally, applications for a longer period of time may be accepted if the case supporting the transition to independence and scientific rationale is sufficiently justified. NIRGs do not normally last for less than three years as it is unlikely a shorter period of time will fully enable the transition to independence to be achieved.
The scheme does not cover research involving trials of clinical treatments. If your proposed research will lead directly to a separately funded clinical trial, you must contact an MRC programme manager to discuss your eligibility.
Who can apply?
To be considered suitable for the scheme, applicants should be able to clearly demonstrate that their skills and experience at the time of their application match those of the transition to independence career stage, as set out in the Applicant skills and experience table. Eligible applicants also need to provide a clear rationale of why a NIRG will best support their long term career goals and chosen career route, see Supporting Key Career Stages.
Applicants who have already achieved independence, usually evidenced by substantial grant income as a Principal Investigator and / or having already established their own research group, are not eligible.
There are no eligibility rules based on years of post-doctoral experience. The minimum formal qualification required is a graduate degree. Most applicants are also expected to have a PhD or an MD. Applicants can hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship, or be in another research staff position. Applicants who hold, or have held early career training fellowships, such as MRC skills development fellowships, are eligible to apply. If you are unsure whether your current funding or position makes you ineligible, please contact the subject-relevant MRC programme manager.
Application deadline dates
Research board application deadlines are usually around January, May and September; Methodology Research Programme deadlines are usually around June and November. These may vary and it is the applicants’ responsibility to identify the correct deadline for their submission. All proposals are assessed by external experts before they are considered by the relevant MRC research board/panel at their meeting.
Your proposal must be submitted through the MRC Je-S system by 4pm on the relevant research board/panel deadline date.
Further information: https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/how-we-fund-research/new-investigator-research-grant/
Royal College of General Practitioners
RCGP support for researchers
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is supporting researchers to implement academic primary care findings into practice for GPs.
The Research programme includes:
- Scientific Foundation Board grants
- RCGP Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Fellowship
- RCGP Research Ready®
- RCGP Impact from Research
- Influencing research
- Research awards
The new Impact from Research programme offers to partner on research projects and support impact and dissemination through a range of activities.
Further information: www.rcgp.org.uk/research
ESRC New Investigator Grants
New Investigator Grants scheme is specifically aimed at supporting early career researchers looking to make the transition to an independent researcher through managing their first major research project.
The Economic and Social Research Council invites proposals for its new investigator grants. These support early-career researchers in making the transition to become independent researchers through gaining experience of managing and leading research projects and teams. Proposals may be for standard research projects, surveys and other infrastructure projects and methodological developments.
Proposals are welcomed across the full disciplinary range of the social science at at the interface with the wider sciences, however social sciences must represent at least 50 per cent of the research focus and effort. Interdisciplinary proposals are welcomed. Proposals must include a programme of research and broader skills development to ensure the applicant’s continued progression towards being an independent researcher.
Grants are worth £100,000 to £300,000 at full economic cost. ESRC’s contribution for UK applicants is 80 per cent of FEC. Around 30 to 35 grants are anticipated to be available per year.
Closing Date: No deadline. Proposals can be submitted at any time.
Further information: https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/new-investigator-grants/
Clinical Innovation Hub - Accelerate projects
The Clinical Innovation Hub is a partnership between Cardiff University and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The Clinical Innovation Hub is a partner of the Accelerate project, Clinical Innovation Accelerator (CIA). Accelerate is a consortium £24M programme led by the Life Sciences Hub Wales in collaboration with Cardiff University, Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
It is funded by the Wales European Funding Office (WEFO) and will utilise EU Structural Funds to identify innovation projects that meet an unmet clinical need.
The awards are open to academia, industry, students and healthcare professionals. Innovations could take the form of new technologies, products, processes or services to deliver economically viable solutions for adoption into routine health and social care delivery, for patient benefit, health economic benefit and to stimulate economic growth with attendant socio-economic benefits in Wales.
Support that Accelerate can offer:
- Funding for “Pilot” (6-12 months and <£20K) and “Platform” (12-18 months and < £150K) projects
- Access to future funding opportunities/initiatives
- Clinical input - Buy out and attract in kind NHS staff R&D time
- Human resource - Clinical Innovation fellows, project management, business management, cost benefit analytics and research technologist assistance
- Collaborations - Industry/Academic/Clinical partner
- Advice & Guidance - A Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) of Clinical Innovation experts, including devices and intellectual property experts
- Access to leading Welsh University, University Health Boards and Trusts - patients, facilities and personnel
- Funding /deadlines: Support and awards operate on an always open basis with funding anticipated until 2021 so you can apply at any time. If you would like further information on submitting a proposal or have an innovative idea that you think would benefit from the advice or support for Cardiff University applicants, please contact Barbara Coles: colesb2@cf.ac.uk
Further information:
