Global Health Research Development Awards

Scope

The GHR Development Awards provide funding to researchers based in ODA-eligible organisations who are looking to:

• strengthen institutional and individual research capacity and preparedness for applying for and managing applied global health research funding
• create or develop sustainable and equitable research partnerships between award holders and their collaborators, which foster mutual learning, knowledge exchange and ongoing collaboration on high-quality applied global health research projects
• increase understanding of the health research needs of ODA-eligible countries, and health research questions relevant to ODA-eligible countries
• develop community engagement and involvement practices and processes to refine research priorities and ensure research proposals are suited to the local context and are policy and practice-relevant

Funding and duration

GHR Development Awards provide funding up to £100,000 for projects with a duration of 12 months. Funding awards can be led by a principal investigator (lead applicant) employed by a higher education institution (HEI) or a research institute based in an ODA-eligible country.

GHR Development Awards run one funding call a year in Spring. Please see our calls below for the latest opportunity.

How to apply

GHR Development Awards hold one-stage funding calls. An independent international funding committee considers all eligible applications.

Proposals should be submitted online through the Research Management System.

Read more about the application process.

What we fund

GHR Development Awards fund proposals from researchers based in higher education institutions and research institutes based in ODA-eligible countries on the DAC list. Applicants must demonstrate how their application meets ODA eligibility criteria.

Find out more about ODA eligibility

GHR Development Awards will support applications which:

• deliver preparatory work for the development of high-quality global health research applications to NIHR and other funders
• propose a comprehensive package of activities, demonstrating how they address the remit, eligibility and key funding criteria outlined in the GHR Development Award Guidance for Applicants
• include clear plans for assessing and strengthening institutional and individual capacity and capability for research - these plans may include developing a strategy for research collaborations, management delivery, uptake and dissemination as relevant
• develop new equitable partnerships in preparation for a research application, including activities to support the development of future collaboration agreements, project management and finance management of a larger-scale project. We particularly encourage new LMIC-LMIC partnerships
• build a community of relevant stakeholders ready to deliver against identified needs and priorities
• show a clear focus on identifying and prioritising the unmet needs of relevant communities and stakeholders in ODA-eligible countries
• include plans to define or refine research questions to address identified needs and priorities
• support the capacity and capability strengthening of multidisciplinary applied research teams who can identify the needs of ODA-eligible countries and shape research around these

GHR Development Awards will not support applications which:

• are clearly not relevant to developing future capabilities for applied health research of primary and direct benefit to people in ODA-eligible countries
• propose assessments of individual and institutional capacity and capability needs without plans for addressing or developing these aspects
• do not have as an output a fully developed research proposal
• include primary research activities which go beyond that described in the scope
• seek to establish new patient cohorts, biobanks or bio-sample collections, or data collection studies (samples or data from existing cohorts may be used)
• include basic laboratory research or research involving animal models
• do not include clear plans for both developing equitable partnerships and for developing institutional and individual research capacity and capability
• are based on established existing partnerships, in particular with affiliated organisations in non-ODA-eligible countries
• do not have a clear focus on building new partnerships

The selection criteria used by the GHR Development Awards Funding Committee are:

• relevance of the proposed programme of activities to the project requirements outlined in the guidance for applicants
• equitable and sustainable partnerships
• capacity strengthening
• community engagement and involvement
• value for money provided by the application
• preparation for research impact and sustainability
• research quality (where applicable)

Our people

The GHR Development Award is a one-stage competition. All eligible applications will be considered by an independent international funding committee which will make recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Care on which applications should be supported.

Members of NIHR committees are required to declare any interests which conflict, or may be considered to conflict, with NIHR business, or may be perceived as influencing decisions made in the course of their work within NIHR programmes. All members are asked to complete the register of interest form annually, which is intended to capture long-term predictable interests that could be perceived to lead to conflicts of interest. These and other interests are judged on a case-by-case basis at individual meetings.

NIHR registry of interests

Committee Chairs and members

View the full membership of funding committees for individual calls:

Call 1 Funding Committee

Meeting minutes

Calls

Call 1 launched on 3 April 2024. The first GHR Development Awards call will provide funding to increase the competitiveness of global health research applications led by researchers based in ODA-eligible countries (on the DAC list). 

This funding opportunity is open to Lead applicants from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or research institutes based in ODA-eligible countries (on the DAC list). 

• Call 1 - Guidance for Applicants
• Call 1 - Application Form Guidance 
• Call 1 - Finance Guidance for Applicants 
• Call 1 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 
• Call 1 - Template Application Form 

Contact us

We offer a wide variety of assistance during all stages of the research process. If in doubt, please get in touch.

Tel: 020 8843 8286
Email: ghrdevelopmentawards@nihr.ac.uk

Our operating hours are 9 am to 5 pm.