NIHR Global Health Research branding guide

Global Health Research communications ‘ABC’ toolkit

This toolkit aims to provide Global Health Research (GHR) Programme award holders a simple and accessible introduction to NIHR communications requirements and how we can support your communications. 

If you have any feedback on this toolkit or any questions, please email ghcomms@nihr.ac.uk

‘A’ is for Acknowledgement

The NIHR must be acknowledged as the funder of your research in both oral and written research outputs. The wording of the acknowledgement and disclaimer is:

“This research was funded by the NIHR (project reference) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.”

All published material must contain an acknowledgement of funding, and when mentioning research findings or opinions, an appropriate disclaimer. For research papers, the acknowledgement and disclaimer should be added to the funding or acknowledgments section of the manuscript.

Where you mention your NIHR funding online, including in your biographies, please hyperlink the words ‘NIHR Global Health Research’ to our Global Health webpage - www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/global-health

For more details, see the guidance for acknowledging the NIHR.

Acknowledgement in press releases

Press releases should acknowledge the NIHR Global Health research funding in the body text, ideally within the top 3 paragraphs.

Your press release should also include the following ‘boilerplate’ text in the ‘Notes to editors’ at the end:

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. 

We do this by:

• funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care
• investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
• partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research
• attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges
• collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system
• funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries

The NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. The NIHR Global Health Research portfolio supports high-quality applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in LMICs, using international development funding from the UK Government.

ENDS

For more information, please see the press section of our acknowledgement guidance.

‘B’ is for Branding

All award holders and Academy Members funded via the GHR Programme should use the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo on their websites, slides, reports, other printed materials and presentations.

Only Global Health Research Centres  should use their NIHR sub-logo instead (see example below).

UK International Development (UK-ID) logo

All NIHR GHR award-holders are also encouraged to use the new UK International Development (UK-ID) logo , which was recently introduced by FCDO to replace the previous ‘UK Aid’ logo.

Download the ‘UK-ID’ logo.eps

How to use the UK-ID logo together with the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo

The UK-ID logo may be positioned either below or to the right of the ‘Funded by NIHR’, provided there is sufficient space between them. The logos should be equal height. These logos may only be used on a white or light-tinted background, along with our acknowledgement – and disclaimer where applicable.

Where to use the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo

Use the funded by logo above the fold on websites, so that it is visible without scrolling down the page.

In print, such as on research posters and patient leaflets, where the host institution logo will take precedence, both sub-logos/Funded by NIHR logos should be placed on the bottom half of the page.

In research slides, place the Centre sub-logo/ ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo on the first slide and the acknowledgement and disclaimer on the final slide.

On videos, place the Centre sub-logo/ 'Funded by NIHR' logo on the final frame with the acknowledgement and disclaimer.

NIHR-funded researchers may use their institution’s templates for research posters and slide decks. If you prefer, you can use the NIHR GHR slide deck and add your host institution’s logo, contact: ghcomms@nihr.ac.uk to request slides.

View our full visual identity guidance 

‘C’ is for Communicate (with us)

Newsletter and social media

Sign up to our Global Health Research monthly newsletters and share interesting articles and funding opportunities. To subscribe, please complete the sign-up form – just select the ‘Global Health’ option.

Please share this link with any of your colleagues and partners in the UK or LMICs who are interested in global health research. We want to include your updates, publications, and events in the newsletter - please email ghcomms@nihr.ac.uk.

Please follow us on X @NIHRglobal and tag us in your posts so we can like, repost and share where relevant. It’s also the best way to let us know your project X/Twitter handles so we can follow you back.

We also have a NIHR GHR LinkedIn Group which all award-holders and partners are welcome to join.

Photography and other images

We are looking for great photos of research in action. If you would like us to use your images, please email us ghcomms@nihr.ac.uk.

For any images that could potentially identify an individual, please ensure that you have obtained written, informed consent from the subject (or their legal guardians for minors) and that this is recorded and documented.

Press releases and media support

Award holders, through their host institution/GHR Centre communications teams/leads, are required to notify the NIHR comms team in advance of any research outputs or media activity. 

This notification should take place as soon as reasonably practicable, for example when you have a journal publication date or planning a press release, and a minimum of 3 working days before publication or contact with any media.

Media activity that should be notified to the NIHR includes:

• A press release being issued through the researchers’ host or partner institution
• A press release being issued by the journal, funder or partner in the research
• A researcher taking part in interviews for press or broadcast
• A media exclusive or journalist briefings

For NIHR-funded researchers, we offer support and advice when interacting with the media and guidance on communicating work during the scientific publishing process. We can advise you on what makes a story newsworthy and talk you through the options to come up with the best way to tell yours.

View full media guidance on our acknowledgement page

Thank you

We are here to support you, and we look forward to working with you and your colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback about this toolkit, please email ghcomms@nihr.ac.uk

Annex – Research outputs

How to acknowledge funding

All NIHR Global Health Research funding should be acknowledged by using both the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo and the UK international development logo, unless advised otherwise (see below).

If you are unsure whether the use of the UK international development logo is appropriate for the context of your research, contact your NIHR programme manager for advice.