NIHR Research Professorships

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Summary

The NIHR Research Professorship is the flagship award for the NIHR. The scheme aims to fund research leaders of the future to promote effective translation of research.

This 5-year award allows outstanding academics to work at professorial level based at a higher education institution, in partnership with an NHS organisation or another provider of health, public health and/or care services.

We offer two types of Research Professorships:

NIHR Research Professorships - based in England only, with up to five awards offered per annual round
NIHR Global Research Professorships - based in all four UK nations and internationally (subject to eligibility), with up to four awards offered per annual round

All applications must be submitted through our NIHR Award Management System.

Further information

Email: academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk, and detail which programme you are enquiring about in the subject area.

Research Professorships

The NIHR Research Professorships scheme is open to all professions and all Higher Education Institutions (HEI), NHS organisations, or other providers of health, public health and/or care services based in England, to nominate health, public health and social care researchers and methodologists with an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health and care research and its effective translation for improved health and care.

The following rules apply for nominations for the NIHR Research Professorships:

Where two nominees are put forward for consideration for the NIHR Research Professorship, at least one of these must be female
Where only one nominee is put forward for consideration for the NIHR Research Professorship, this could be male or female

The NIHR is committed to actively and openly supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. As part of this commitment, from Round 12 of the NIHR Research Professorship scheme, we will allow host institutions to nominate up to three individuals to the programme provided at least one applicant is from an ethnic minority group. This will be in addition to the requirement of ensuring that at least one applicant is female if more than one nomination is made as described above.

Useful documents for potential applicants

Reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance

We have funded and supported leading expert Professor Alistair Hay to study antibiotic prescribing in primary care. His work on reducing antibiotic resistance has produced policy-changing results as he investigates the best ways to improve patient care. His research has contributed to a step change in GP prescribing of antibiotics in England, with a 15% reduction between 2017 and 2021.

Global Research Professorships

The NIHR Global Research Professorships scheme is open to researchers and methodologists from all professional backgrounds within health, public health and social care. Candidates must be able to demonstrate an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health, public health or care research. Their research must effectively translate to improving the health and welfare of people in low and middle income countries.

Candidates must be nominated by their host institution. The following HEIs or research institutes are eligible:

1. HEIs or research institutes in low and middle income countries which are already partners in:

NIHR Global Health Research funded units and groups
NIHR-funded Global Health Research Centres
NIHR funded Global Health Policy and Systems Research (GHPSR) programmes
NIHR funded Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) programmes
Previous or existing NIHR Global Research Professorships

2. HEIs across the UK, which may include relevant partner organisations in low and middle income countries in their application

The following conditions apply:

Institutions may put forward a maximum of two nominations
The nomination must be for a candidate undertaking research which aims to specifically and primarily benefit individuals in countries on the OECD DAC list (eligible for official development assistance)
Where institutions put forward two nominees for the NIHR Global Research Professorship, at least one must be female
Where institutions make one nominee for the NIHR Global Research Professorship, they could be male or female

Nominees are required to have existing strong links with partner institutions in countries on the OECD DAC list. The award should plan to strengthen the training development/mentorship with these partners.