This document provides guidance for applicants for Stage 2 Digital Health Technologies for Children and Young People’s Mental Health (CYPMH) for the Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme.
You must complete an online application via the Research Management System (RMS). The deadline for submission is on 02 November 2021 at 1 pm.
Section 1: Application Process
1.1 Application deliverables
As part of the i4i Digital Health Technologies for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Stage 2 Application, applicants are required to submit a maximum of 15 page project plan (the minimum font size should not be less than 10px), an i4i Connect finance form and a 3 minute video presentation.
1.1.1 Project plan
The content of the project plan must address the assessment criteria provided in the Expression of Interest (EOI) guidance document. The project plan can be in your own format but it should provide the following information which can be arranged using the following suggested headings:
Technology Overview
Include a description of the proposed technology, its intended use, the unmet patient need, the value proposition and details of the associated Intellectual Property (IP) ownership.
Aims and Objectives
Indicate the overarching aims/objectives of the research. It is expected that applicants will clearly describe:
- The key question(s) which the work will address and, where appropriate, the main hypothesis;
- The technology to be developed, stating the current status of development;
- The key aims for the project, including key measures of success, project deliverables and project milestones;
- The proposed project exit point.
Market and Competition
Details of the intended market and competitor analysis for your technology. Please include details of similar technologies already present on the market and how your product compares to them.
Intellectual Property and plans to commercialise
Describe the IP and commercialisation strategy, including any existing IP and ownership arrangements, freedom to operate (FTO) position and how any new IP generated through the proposed research will be recognised, captured, managed and utilised. You should also propose a plan for further commercialisation and adoption, describing how the product is currently being commercialised and what target price and margins you are aiming to achieve.
Project management
Explain the practical arrangements for managing the project. This should include specification of the roles and responsibilities of the individual team members who will undertake the proposed research, the management structure (i.e., reporting lines), the project manager (where applicable), frequency of meetings, financial management and any project risks.
Team
Explain why the group is well qualified to do this research, describing the track record of the research team in health research, including publication outputs, grant income and impact on health research. Explain how the applicants will work together and identify other major collaborations or subcontractors important for the research. A maximum of 7 co-applicants is permitted.
Patient and public involvement (PPI)
Demonstrate how patients, service users and/or carers are involved and engaged in the research, and how the proposed research is relevant to them. It is essential to set out plans to involve patients/service users, carers and the public. Your patient/service user, carer and public involvement plans will be assessed by the funding committee including patient/service users, carers and public members.
Information and resources to assist you can be found on the NIHR website (a definition of patient and public involvement in research, briefing notes for researchers on how to involve patients/service users, carers and the public and payment guidance for researchers and professionals).
1.1.2. Finance Analysis
Full details of the spending plan for the i4i CYPMH project (to be included within the i4i finance template). For SMEs please include details of the company's cash flow forecast and funding strategy in your project plan.
1.1.3. Video presentation
The 3 minute video should complement the project plan. We do not expect professionally produced videos (you can use your smartphone), however, please ensure the visual and audio is of good quality. Please ensure that your video submission is not longer than 3 minutes, as it will otherwise be truncated at exactly 3 minutes and only the first 3 minutes will be played at the Funding Decision (Committee) meeting.
1.2 Creating and Submitting an Application
Project plans are to be uploaded to the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility’s Research Management System (RMS).
The lead applicant must create the application. Co-applicants can be added to the application at any time and will receive an automatic email from the RMS which will prompt them to accept their inclusion. All co-applicants must accept their invitation to participate in the application by the submission deadline for the application to be successfully submitted.
The 3 minute video presentation must be uploaded to the file sharing platform of your choice and a link to your video should be provided in the section ‘Project plan and Video Pitch Upload’ in your online application form.
Both the project plan and 3 minute video presentations are to be submitted no later than 02 November 2021, 1 pm.
Section 2: Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
The NIHR expects active involvement of patients and the public in the projects it supports. Plans for PPI must be clearly and fully described throughout your project plan. Applicants should identify the relevant patient/user group(s) for their application and engage those groups at an early stage. To make the contents of your application and the implications of your project clear to members of the public, reviewers and the Funding Decision Committee, a plain English summary is required.
There are a number of organisations that may be able to provide useful resources, advice and support on patient and public involvement in research:
The Research Design Service (RDS) provides advice and support to researchers developing research proposals for submission to the NIHR and other national funding organisations for health and social care research.
The NIHR provides advice and a range of resources on patient and public involvement in research.
Learning For Involvement provides a wealth of training programmes and resources for public involvement in research.
For best practice in PPI please see UK Standards for Public Involvement.
Section 3: Detailed Budget
Prior to completing the project spending plan, it is important that applicants have familiarised themselves with the Attributing costs of health and social care Research and Development (AcoRD) guidance. The AcoRD guidance clarifies the distinction between the three categories of costs associated with non-commercial research studies:
- Research Costs
- NHS Support Costs
- NHS Treatment Costs
It is important to note that the NIHR will only fund activities attributed to Research Costs. Therefore, NHS Support and Treatment costs should not be claimed in your application for funding.
The NIHR covers 100% of the costs for SME and NHS bodies including other providers of NHS services in England. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should determine the Full Economic Cost (FEC) of their research using the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology - up to 80% ?of FEC will be paid. There are no set rules on the split between collaborators, however, the contracted organisation will receive funding payments and will be required to distribute the funds to co-applicants/contractors, where applicable.
Section 4: Key Dates
The key dates for i4i CYPMH are shown below:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Call Launch | 17 August 2021 |
| Stage 1 (Expression of Interest) Deadline | 14 September 2021 |
| Stage 2 (Project Plan) Launch | 06 October 2021 |
| Deadline for Submission of Project Plan and Video Presentation | 02 November 2021 |
Section 5: Contact Details and Further Information
We wish to ensure that potential applicants fully understand what is needed in their applications before they submit them. We encourage discussion of proposals prior to the deadline, although we cannot advise on the specific content of an application. Enquiries may be made by email to i4i@nihr.ac.uk. A team member will respond to your query within 72 hours.