Devolved Administrations Introduction to PGfAR - Webinar FAQs

Contact details and further information: 

• For additional information and resources, please visit the NIHR website.
• Email pgfar@nihr.ac.uk for more information and to request a link to the webinar recording.

Contracting Organisations:

Can you provide information on eligible contracting organisations for the Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) programme?

A: Typically, PGfAR awards are contracted with NHS bodies and other NHS service providers in all four nations of the UK. Proposals seeking to conduct research for the benefit of patients, carers and the wider public who typically seek care or obtain services from the NHS should be hosted by NHS bodies and other NHS service providers. 

From February 2024, we expanded the eligibility criteria moderately to reflect the fact that aspects of public health and health related social care are not delivered via NHS bodies. Therefore, awards with a strong focus on public health and social care research and outcomes may be hosted by a UK based higher educational institute (HEI). The HEI hosts will then form research collaborations with organisations delivering the relevant public health and social care services. 

Should an HEI erroneously be proposed as a host organisation for an application primarily addressing NHS relevant health care, we will direct the research team to identify an NHS host organisation that we will contract with. Please refer to the eligibility section of the PGfAR supporting information webpage for further details.

In certain regions of the UK, healthcare organisation structures may differ from those in England. Consequently, there might not be an NHS entity available to endorse or contract research applications centred on primary care. Seeking approval from an acute Trust in such cases may not be appropriate. Is it plausible for the Higher Education Institution (HEI) to assume the role of contracting organisation under these circumstances? 

A: We acknowledge this challenge within the programme and are actively collaborating with relevant governmental bodies to address structural issues affecting programme eligibility. For applications with a strong focus on public health and/or social care, HEIs can now take the role of contractor. For those applications focused on health matters managed through primary care services, we recommend that you identify an eligible NHS body with an interest in primary care research and improvement to be the host organisation that can coordinate the governance and administration of the award.

Are there specific criteria for contracting organisations in the Devolved Administrations?

A: Contracting organisations in the Devolved Administrations are held to the same criteria, and contractual terms and conditions, as those based in England. All NHS bodies and other providers of NHS services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland may propose programmes, in collaboration with an appropriate academic partner or partners, provided they are capable of fulfilling the role of research sponsor as set out in the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research. For further information please visit the eligibility section of the PGfAR supporting information webpage.  

Is there a list of eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for contracts?

A: HEIs are considered eligible if they have a track record or emerging capability in research focused on public health and social care objectives, and are capable of fulfilling the role of research sponsor as set out in the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research. 

Funding and Career Development:

How does the NIHR Academy support career development in the Devolved Administrations?

A: PGfAR funds collaborative multidisciplinary programmes of research, bringing together expert researchers and leading methodologists. Therefore, they are ideally suited and have great scope to make a significant contribution to applied health and care research capacity development.

As part of NIHR's drive to develop research capacity, PGfAR offers the opportunity to develop and advance health and care research careers. Individuals whose academic career development is being supported through NIHR PGfAR funding, including people based in the Devolved Administrations, can benefit from being NIHR Academy members if they meet the following criteria:

• have been competitively recruited,
• have a formal training plan,
• have a defined end point, and
• receive at least 25% funding through the PGfAR award for salary/stipend over the lifetime of the individual’s award.

The members section of the NIHR Academy webpage outlines the career development and support activities, short term training awards, and networking events on offer. Some of these opportunities may have eligibility criteria based on the devolved administrations' financial contribution.

We recommend that you read PGfAR’s webpage Research capacity building information for applicants. 

PGfAR and Programme Development Grants (PDG) Funding Scope and Themed Calls:

Is this funding focused on specific diseases or conditions rather than methodologies?

A: PGfAR is researcher led and does not commission research on specific topics. Research proposals must be in an area of priority or need for the NHS, public health or the social care sector, with particular emphasis on health and social care areas that cause significant burden where other research funders may not be focused, or where insufficient funding is available.

Occasionally, PGfAR will run more targeted calls that map to DHSC/NIHR strategic priority areas.

We are particularly keen to see proposals that incorporate diverse approaches and aim to take forward methodological innovation in the applied health and social care research arenas.

PGfAR and PDG funding schemes take part in cross NIHR Themed Calls and Highlight notices. You can see the topics that have been subject to previous NIHR themed calls on this webpage.

Please clarify the difference between a research programme and a single research project: Would a single trial utilising a mixed method approach qualify as programme research? 

A:  Applications comprising solely a single randomised controlled trial (RCT) are not within scope. PGfAR funds programmes of applied research that generally comprise a number of high quality interrelated projects, usually described in separate work packages, that form a coherent theme, where added value is gained from the combination of the various strands of research. This typically includes the methods of health services research, public health research, social care research, behavioural science, economic evaluation and modelling. 

For more ideas, please take a look at the main PGfAR web pages descriptions of our scope and what we will and will not fund.  

How does this align with the push for increased initiatives focused on generating real-world data?

A: The hallmark of the PGfAR scheme is its commitment to supporting the development and testing of complex interventions. However, we are also keen to see programmes of research that speed up the timescale to yield benefits for patients, service users, carers and the public. We encourage applications that, for example, take advantage of ‘natural experiments’, use existing healthcare data or observational cohorts, or involve novel epidemiological or statistical approaches to provide answers of direct relevance to health and care practitioners, policy makers and the public.

There's significant potential in leveraging real-world evidence. Indeed PGfAR has a track record of funding research programmes that foster partnerships in the use of big data. A notable example is ‘Improving the quality of care of patients with angina and heart attack’ which aimed to link and use electronic health records (EHRs) from primary care, hospitalisations and national registries in cardiovascular disease to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for patients with stable coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome. 

We are highly interested in seeing programmes that make use of the extensive range of the health and care data that is now available to address crucial research questions for the broader health and care system. We welcome programmes that integrate applied epidemiology and rigorous comparative evaluation of existing prevention strategies and models of care and analysis of routine data sources etc. to answer questions of importance to service users and carers.

Do PDGs need to be led by an NHS organisation?

A: From a governance and administrative perspective, the eligibility rules for PDGs are the same as those for PGfAR, see answers to questions on eligibility above. 

From a research team leadership perspective, the relevance of expertise and track record of the research team and its leaders in applied health or social care research will be assessed, in terms of skills and experience, previous publications, influencing key stakeholders, grant funding and impact on health service or social care provision.

PDG Stream A - Pre-Programme Grants funds researchers to undertake preparatory work to develop a future programme of research. It is anticipated that PDG A awards would be led by research active professionals with the relevant expertise and leadership skills needed to deliver the subsequent PGfAR award of high quality, collaborative, multidisciplinary applied health research. To support mid-career capacity development and also public contributors in research leadership, we welcome applications that propose joint leadership arrangements that explicitly offer mentoring and training of the less experienced lead applicant by more experienced lead and co-applicants. 

PDG  Stream B - Post-award Programme Grant funds researchers to develop and enhance the quality and value of an ongoing or recently completed Programme Grant for Applied Research (PGfAR) award. Lead and joint lead applicants would be expected to have an on-going working relationship with the PGfAR award research team. The choice of lead applicant should reflect the relevant skills needed to deliver the aims of the proposed development work. To aid capacity building, we welcome this type of Stream B applications being led by early or mid-career researchers. 

Is there funding available for quality improvement methods?

A: The key focus for PGfAR is to improve health and care outcomes for patients, service users and carers and the wider public. We will fund a range of high quality applied health and care research designs, but proposals must demonstrate clear and identifiable patient benefits and make a stepped change to practise and/or outcomes. Quality improvement methods are welcome if they align with this objective. 

As outlined on main PGfAR web page, we will not fund:

• applications consisting solely of evaluations of existing services, where the programme of work does not include work to allow the evidence-based development of these services.
• applications for work that is not generalisable beyond the immediate service environment.

Can the programme fund patient stratification methods?

A:  Patient stratification methods can be applied within a research programme. The focus of any research design including these methods should be on determining the benefits for the stratified patients, service users, carers or public. In the application it is essential to describe how such approaches could lead to significant benefits and improvements in health and care services or treatments.  

Can a PhD student apply for this?

A: Given that PGfAR funds large programmes of complex research, comprising expert researchers and leading methodologists (e.g., statistics, health economics, health services research, behavioural science, qualitative research methodologies, sociology, research inclusion and patient and public involvement etc.), we would normally expect the Principal Investigator to possess a significant track record in conducting research in the topic area.

However, research programmes have great scope to make a significant contribution to applied health and care research capacity development. Applicants to PGfAR can therefore embed funding for academic capacity development and training competitively recruited across all stages of the academic career pathway (i.e., from internships to Masters to PhD to post-doctoral). Applications that include research capacity development for methodological and under-represented disciplines and professions are particularly encouraged. Competitively recruited individuals whose academic career development is being supported through NIHR PGfAR funding will also benefit from NIHR Academy membership.

You can find more details on our web page Research capacity building information for applicants.

Typically, the 1% FTE allocation is understood to be 0.1 FTE, largely driven by the necessity to manage costs and occasionally influenced by political considerations requiring specific individuals to be included in the grant. How critical is it to ensure that proposals are adequately costed?

A: PGfAR funds collaborative, multidisciplinary programmes of research, bringing together expert researchers and leading methodologists. We would anticipate that the co-applicants would be active collaborators to the award, and have the capacity to meaningfully contribute to ensure successful delivery of the research. It is important to ensure therefore, that all co-applicants have an appropriate FTE input to ensure they can contribute effectively.

As part of the Stage 2 application assessment process, the proposed costs are scrutinised. Should an application be recommended for funding, any concerns with the budget will be fed back to the applicants and resolved in the contract negotiations. 

NIHR encourages applicants to provide a full breakdown of all the costs associated with undertaking the research as described in the proposal. Costs for the time dedicated to the PGfAR award by the named co-applicants should be included within the budget, to ensure their employing organisation's commitment to their participation over the lifetime of the award. On occasions individuals opt to provide their input to the award in kind, typically because their posts are fully funded through other sources. This arrangement can be explained in the justification of costs section of the application.

Please note that PGfAR does not impose funding limits and justifiable costs will be supported. 

What level of % FTE involvement would you consider acceptable for one Principal Investigator (PI) or two co-PIs?

A: We welcome programmes led by an individual or co-led by two principal investigators.

PGfAR and PDG do not specify a minimum or maximum %FTE for lead and joint lead applicants or co-applicants, however, the time commitment must be fully justified and reflect their responsibilities throughout the programme. Across the applications, we typically see more than 10% FTE allocated to the leadership duties.

Applicants that are suitable to lead a programme of applied health or social care research, should have demonstrable expertise and experience in the area of research. Eminence solely in a clinical area, or in more basic research, is not considered, on its own, to be sufficient. 

To enable the career development of research leaders, we welcome joint leadership of the award between a mid-career researcher and a colleague with greater experience of leading multidisciplinary programmes of research, provided that clear mentoring arrangements are in place to support them. 

How are collaborations with international researchers perceived? Can they receive funding if their expertise isn't available in the UK? Is it acceptable for them to play a key role in the programme even if they are not funded?

A: NIHR PGfAR and PDG funding schemes seek to fund research that is important and relevant to the priorities and needs of the NHS, public health, social care, patients, service users, carers or the wider UK public and population. PGfAR will fund applications that involve international collaborators but a compelling case needs to be made that the expertise is not available domestically, and that it provides unique know-how and skills of net benefit to the UK context. 

The staff costs associated with the time dedicated to the research programme by the overseas collaborators should be at non-commercial rates and fully justified.

Application Process and Deadlines:

At Stage 1, does only the Chief Investigator need to register, or do all co-Investigators need to register

A: At Stage 1 all applicants will need to register on our Research Management System (RMS) and confirm their involvement in the study team. Detailed information about the application process can be found on the NIHR Guidance for Stage 1 Applications​​.

What is the next deadline for the current open call?

A: Our PGfAR competitions typically open in February, June and October each year. Our standard PDG competitions open in March, July and November each year. The latest key dates can be found on our Competition Dates webpages, linked in the list below: 

• NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) Competition Dates. 
• NIHR Programme Development Grants (PDG) Competition Dates. 

You can also find out useful announcements about PGfAR and PDG specific calls, and our participation in cross NIHR Themed calls and highlight notices in the latest announcements section of our PGfAR and PDG webpages.

Is there a specific embargo on resubmissions after an unsuccessful submission?

PGfAR and PDG do not impose an embargo on resubmissions. If your application is unsuccessful, you can reapply at any time, provided you address the committee’s feedback on your original application in a comprehensive manner. You should be seeking to present a coherent programme of work, well-balanced between its various research strands, realistic in scope and scale and deliverable within the time and funding agreed. 

Research programmes should be designed to make a stepped change to practise and/or outcomes. Proposals that comprise the application of existing interventions to new patient, service user or carer groups, or the wider public; that are only an incremental development on current practice; or are unlikely to have general application or uptake, are unlikely to be competitive. 

Our guidance for applications and scoring criteria, linked from our PGfAR and PDG webpages, offer useful ideas to help prepare a strong application. You may also be interested in our advice on the webpage called Tips for applying to Programme Grants for Applied Research.

You can find some valuable insights from our portfolio of completed programmatic awards who have published their final reports in the​​​ NIHR Journals Library​​.

How can we mitigate criticisms of vagueness in later parts of the application?

We acknowledge that the precise design of the later stage research activities will be informed by the findings from the early phases of the award. PGfAR applicants typically present clear plans for the initial work packages, and indicate how the underpinning knowledge from the early phase will be used to refine the overall design and delivery of the later work packages. 

To mitigate criticisms of vagueness in later parts of an application, we advise that you outline the programme's phases clearly, and consider what are the key milestones. By detailing the specific objectives and deliverables of each work package and how they will relate to later work packages, this helps the Committee to understand the overall plans for the programme and how the work packages interrelate.

The NIHR PGfAR and PDG has extensive online guidance to help applicants prepare robust and clear applications, linked from our PGfAR and PDG webpages. Together with our Supporting information for Stage 1 and Stage 2 applicants. 

The NIHR offers resources like the NIHR Research Support Service, which provides free and confidential support to help researchers develop and design high-quality research proposals, ensuring they meet the required criteria and are clearly articulated. Applicants with a project partner based in England are able to access the service, but if you are based in the UK but outside of England, and are not partnered with an organisation based in England you may wish to explore the below services. 

Applicants from Scotland may access support from:

• The Drugs Research Network Scotland
• NHS Research Scotland

Applicants form Northern Ireland may access support from:

• The Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network
• Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit

Applicants from Wales may access support from:

• Health and Care Research Wales
• Life Sciences Hub Wales
• Social Care Wales

Could applications focusing on operations research applied to cutting-edge digital technology face challenges due to potential misunderstandings of these methodologies by the review panel?

A: Being a response mode programme, the PGfAR committee comprises members with expertise in a broad range of topic areas that may not fall in the range of the application. PGfAR is actively diversifying its committee to include varied methodologists, recognising the importance of diverse perspectives encouraged by the funding scheme. However, applicants still bear the responsibility of clearly articulating their application in plain English to ensure it can be easily understood by the committee. 

To mitigate potential misunderstandings, it is crucial to provide detailed explanations of the methodologies and the practical applications of the proposed research amongst health and care practitioners, policy makers and the public.

We have a track record in funding the development and testing of digital solutions. You may be interested in reading about the PGfAR funded research and development of a personalised web platform, CFHealthHub, that supports people with cystic fibrosis to increase adherence to treatment.

Is there a specific theme within NIHR that engineers could target for their applications, such as developing a toolkit to facilitate the integration of AI into NHS services?

NIHR tends to fund health and care research that leads to, or is on a trajectory to leading to, clear and identifiable benefits for patients, carers, service users and the public. Therefore, for engineers looking to develop a toolkit to integrate AI approaches into health and care practice, it’s crucial that the research design addresses specific real world health and/or care challenges and aligns with the remit of not only NIHR programmes, but the strategic priorities such as the NHS Long Term Plan. We recommend work in this space complements and builds on the work of the NHS England’s NHS AI Lab and the substantial investment by the NHS and NIHR in a portfolio of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health and Care Awards. ​Forging collaborations with NHS or social care organisations and practitioners and experienced applied health research teams is vital to ensure the relevance and scalability of AI solutions​.

PGfAR is researcher-led and does not usually commission research on specific topics. Research proposals must be in an area of priority or need for the NHS, public health or the social care sector, with particular emphasis on health and social care areas that cause significant burden where other research funders may not be focused, or where insufficient funding is available. Our programme is open to and currently funds programmes that use mature AI approaches to enhance diagnostics, patient care, and operational efficiency.

PGfAR regularly participates in cross NIHR programme themed calls focusing on priority areas of health and social care research, which then become areas of ongoing interest.

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE):

How can we make the Research Management System more accessible for stroke survivors and carers?

A: We understand that public co-applicants contributing to writing applications can find the current online form in the Research Management System (RMS) difficult to navigate.  We encourage research team members familiar with interacting with such systems to support their public co-applicant with the use of RMS.  Alternatively, the PPIE team at the NIHR Coordinating Centre can provide assistance supporting and guiding individuals to be able to make their contributions online.

Please email pgfar@nihr.ac.uk to arrange an appointment with our PPIE team if your team is experiencing difficulties providing support to your public collaborators. 

Can the lead researcher for PPIE also be the Principal Investigator (PI)?

A: In each team, there should be a named person with appropriate skills and experience who is responsible for leading the PPIE element within the project. The role of the PPIE lead can be undertaken by any of the co-applicants within the research team (or a named member of the team), who has the relevant skills, experience and authority to be accountable, represent, manage and embed patient and public involvement in all aspects of the research study/programme. This role should be a budgeted and resourced research team member.

The lead researcher for PPIE can also be the Principal Investigator (PI) but it would require strong justification. Given that PGfAR funds complex programmes of applied health and care research, we would also expect to see a co-PI who has a significant research track record in the topic area to support successful delivery of the programme. PPIE lead applicants should consider whether they have capacity to both lead the programme on a day to day basis and coordinate the delivery of the PPIE aspects of the award. 

You can find out more at NIHR’s webpage definition and role of the designated PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) lead in a research team.