The Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is accepting direct-to-Stage 2 applications to this funding opportunity, known as an Application Development Award (ADA). This award provides funding for underpinning development work intended to support a planned commissioned call on better understanding e-cigarettes through modelling. In order to apply for this ADA, you will need to carefully review:
- Stage 2 guidance notes.
- PHR supporting information.
- This ADA commissioning brief (below).
Background
Vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, is relatively new. As a result, we do not fully understand both its long-term effects on health, and relationship with smoking tobacco. Some studies have shown that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes and may be a useful quitting aid, whilst others suggest that they still pose health risks.
E-cigarettes may be particularly attractive to young people. Concerns have been raised, which the evidence does not support, that vaping may serve as a gateway to traditional cigarette use, and that e-cigarettes may contribute to nicotine addiction, especially among young people. Environmental impacts are also a concern, particularly in relation to disposable vapes. E-cigarettes are not regulated in the same way as cigarettes, and there is little information available to inform policy makers about actions that could be taken to minimise health harms and maximise health gains. Research can help to fill these gaps.
The UK is in a unique position – different to, for example, the US, where vaping products are marketed more extensively and there are higher rates of use, particularly amongst young people. In the UK, especially in England, the tendency may be to view vaping as the lesser of the two evils and a useful quitting tool, although this is not necessarily endorsed.
A well-designed model focused on the use and effects of e-cigarettes can help answer some of the important public health questions that so far remain unanswered, such as the potential effects of various policy options on prevalence of vaping in different population groups, its role as an aid to quitting, and its relationship with smoking. Various sources of data of varying quality exist, with the landscape constantly changing, and in order to plan any modelling work a full appreciation of the data and any related issues is necessary.
The PHR Programme recognises that the evidence base relating to the topic of ‘Data mapping as the first step to better understanding e-cigarettes through modelling’ is still emerging, and could benefit from further underpinning development work.
Budget
This funding opportunity is for applications in the region of £50,000 up to a maximum of £150,000, for work lasting no more than 6-12 months.
Areas of interest
The aim of this Application Development Award (ADA) is to provide funding for underpinning development work that will add to the current knowledge base, and that will ultimately support and inform a subsequent application to an NIHR commissioned call on modelling work related to vaping policy.
Possible areas for this ADA may include (but are not limited to) work to:
- Identify various data types and sources available or potentially available
- Establish which categories of data would be most valuable, such as epidemiological, environmental impact, economic, including sales-related, or others, and at what level of detail, for example in relation to age groups, measures of inequality or other relevant variables
- Assess data accessibility and cost of access, as well as any existing or potential barriers
- Explore any other existing or potential issues and gaps, whether concerned with data provision, quality or other aspects
- Suggest any new types of data that would need to be additionally collected
- Engage stakeholders and develop networks as indicated
- Provide recommendations for the type(s) of modelling that should be constructed and potential implications for policy-making, which may include a logic model suggesting how the data would fit into the proposed modelling approach
Applicants should note that:
- The PHR Programme will consider funding more than one study team for this ADA and encourages collaborations and joint applications, in particular on this topic
- Proposals need not be limited to the research areas of interest identified above
- Applicants can focus on a single component, or combination of components, as preferred
- The PHR Programme welcomes applications that propose innovative approaches, as well as applications that demonstrate how researchers from outside the disciplines that are usually associated with public health will be engaged in the research
Of particular importance to the PHR Programme is an understanding of inequalities in impact of policy, and access to services, by people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK.
Timescales
Commensurate with the level of funding available for this ADA, this is a direct-to-Stage 2 funding opportunity. Applications will be assessed by a sub-committee of the PHR Programme Prioritisation and Funding Committee. Applications will be assessed for importance to public health, scientific quality, feasibility, and value for money. Successful applicants will be expected to begin the work within two months of the funding decision being communicated.
Successful applicants will be expected to produce a 3,000-8,000 word article for the NIHR Journals Library. Any other outputs must be accessible in line with NIHR’s Open Access policy.
Further help
If you have specific questions about this funding call, please contact: phr@nihr.ac.uk