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NIHR Global Health Research Cohort Academic Development Award (GHR CADA) - Round 2 (2022) Guidance Notes

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Published: 29 November 2022

Version: 1 - November2022

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Introduction

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is pleased to announce the launch of Round 2 of the NIHR Global Health Research Cohort Academic Development Award (GHR CADA).

These guidance notes are intended to help in the completion of an application for the NIHR GHR CADA, and provide full details of the scheme and the means by which applications should be made.

Background

The NIHR Academy is responsible for the development and coordination of NIHR academic training, career development and research capacity development. It plays an important role in strengthening capacity in global health research, providing opportunities and funding initiatives to develop and advance global health research career pathways and supporting the next generation of future leaders.

NIHR is committed to supporting world-class global health research through its Global Health Research (GHR) Programmes that aim to deliver measurable benefits to patients and the public in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) including:

  • NIHR Global Health Research Units (GHR Units)
  • NIHR Global Health Research Groups (GHR Groups)
  • NIHR Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) Programme
  • NIHR Global Health Policy and Systems Research (Global HPSR) Programme
  • NIHR Global Health Research Centres (GHR Centres)

Significant investment in training and academic research capacity strengthening is being delivered through the NIHR GHR Programmes. The aim of the NIHR Academy is to build on this investment, supporting individuals who are interested in or actively pursuing academic research careers within the GHR Programmes and to enable them to benefit from being part of something larger than their own local environment.

The NIHR GHR Cohort Academic Development Award (NIHR GHR CADA)

The NIHR GHR Cohort Academic Development Award (GHR CADA) scheme offers NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads (or Directors/Principle investigators (PIs) where there is no training lead in place) an opportunity to tailor a programme of activities to meet the academic training and career development needs of the cohort of NIHR GHR Academy members in their NIHR GHR Programme awards (primarily focussed on those who are LMIC based) and, where training needs align, with other NIHR GHR Programme awards.

Individuals can apply to the GHR CADA scheme for up to £30,000 to undertake a programme of activities. Applications are light-touch and will be assessed in an open competition. Funding can include training course fees, invited speaker or facilitator costs, accommodation, travel, subsistence and any other reasonable expenses, for example internet connectivity costs incurred during the activities.

Following completion of a GHR CADA award, the awardee is expected to be able to show evidence of:

  • Completion of the programme of activities proposed in the application
  • Development of new research or technical skills/techniques within the cohort
  • Increased academic career development of the cohort
  • Involvement in collaborative relationships and increased networks.

Evidence of the above will be sought by the NIHR through the GHR CADA final report.

These guidance notes are intended to help completion of an application for the NIHR GHR CADA, Round 2 (2022). The NIHR Academy office can be contacted with any eligibility queries. Please contact the NIHR with any eligibility queries (ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk).

Definitions

NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead

The term NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead refers to the NIHR Global Health Research Training Leads from the NIHR GHR Units, Groups and Centres and includes training leads and people responsible for coordinating training in the awards funded under the NIHR RIGHT Programme and HPSR Programme.

NIHR GHR Academy Members

All those who are receiving funding from, or being supported by, an NIHR Global Health Research Programme (including Global Research Professorship Award) to develop their academic career.

NIHR Global Health Research Programme’ includes official collaborating institutions. An official collaborating institution (‘Partner’ or ‘Collaborator’) is an organisation which holds a current collaboration agreement with the holder of the NIHR Global Health Research Programme research contract to participate in global health research work, and which may or may not be in receipt of NIHR funds.  Those in receipt of co-funded awards administered by a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) partner organisation will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

NIHR GHR Programmes

The term NIHR GHR Programmes refers to the NIHR Global Health Research Units, the NIHR Global Health Research Groups, the Global Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) Programme, the NIHR Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) Programme and the NIHR Global Health Research Centres.

NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution

The contractor and accountable body for the award will be the institution contracted to lead (‘the lead institution’) the NIHR GHR Programme that the applicant is from. The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution is the Institution that holds the NIHR research contract with the Department of Health and Social Care ‘Authority’.

Official Collaborating Institution

An official collaborating institution (‘Partner’ or ‘Collaborator’) is an organisation which holds a current collaboration agreement with the holder of the NIHR research contract to participate in global health research work, and which may or may not be in receipt of NIHR funds.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the NIHR GHR CADA scheme is as follows:

  • The NIHR GHR CADA is open to all directors or training leads in NIHR GHR Programmes with an overarching contract end date after 1st October 2023.

Criteria related to the applicant (and co-applicant – optional):

  • The Lead Applicant must be either a NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead or NIHR GHR Programme Director or PI (where no GHR Programme training lead is in place)
  • The Co-applicant (optional) must be an NIHR GHR Academy Member who will take an active role in the development of the application and contribute to the planning, implementation and/or evaluation of activities conducted as part of the award
  • The Lead Applicant’s ‘Employing Organisation’ and optional NIHR GHR Academy Member co-applicant’s ‘Employing Organisation’, including any collaborators must be listed as ‘Official Collaborating Institutions’ and named parties in their respective GHR Programme award’s current collaboration agreement
  • Have the support of the Lead Institution of the NIHR GHR Programme award partnership they are part of.

Applicants must:

  • Be in a position to undertake the programme of activities and complete the award before the 31st December 2023
  • Be in a position to complete the award at least 2 months before the end of the overarching NIHR GHR Programme research contract (whichever is the soonest); for example if the overarching research contract ends on 31st October 2023, activities must be completed by 31st August 2023
  • Submit a short written report within 2 months of the completion of the award/activities or before 28th February 2024 (whichever is soonest)
  • Have the continued support of the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution of the NIHR GHR Programme award applicants are part of. The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution (who holds the NIHR research contract with the Department of Health and Social Care ‘the Authority’) will be the contract and accountable body for the award and will administer the award

Official Development Assistance (ODA)

The NIHR GHR CADA is funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA) and as such, an individual applying for this award must be able to demonstrate how the award will directly and primarily benefit patients and the public in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) List of ODA Recipients (DAC List of ODA Recipients).

In order to be eligible to receive ODA funding, applications must demonstrate how they meet ODA compliance criteria and outline:

  • Which country or countries on the DAC list of ODA-eligible countries will directly benefit
  • How the application is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of those countries
  • How the outcomes of the training activity will benefit the health and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC List of ODA Recipients.

Where researchers wish to work with middle-income countries on the OECD DAC list the application must make a clear case for how the research will be of primary benefit to the development challenges of those countries, and how outcomes will promote health and welfare.

Scope of Award

The NIHR GHR CADA scheme allows eligible NIHR GHR Programme awards to deliver training and academic career development activities to a cohort of individuals (primarily focussed on those who are LMIC based) whose academic career development they are investing in (NIHR GHR Academy members).

The GHR Programme Training Lead/Programme Director/PI will be the ‘Lead Applicant’, with the option to add an NIHR GHR Academy member within an NIHR GHR Programme award as a co-applicant, providing an additional career development opportunity for early career researchers. This co-applicant will take an active role in the development of the application and contribute to the planning, implementation and/or evaluation of activities conducted as part of the award.

All applications should be informed by a completed academic development training needs analysis with the LMIC-based cohort the NIHR GHR Programme award is investing in, which is required to be submitted alongside the application form. No specific format is required for the academic development training needs analysis.

The overall aim of the scheme is to enable NIHR GHR Programme awards to address the academic career development needs they identify in the cohort of individuals whose research training they are investing in, particularly those based in LMICs. This could include bringing individuals together for a common aim, enhancing their exposure to multi-disciplinary working, as well as building networks and providing peer support. The application would need to justify how the funds would be used to support academic research capacity strengthening and career development in accordance with how ODA funds can be used. Funding awarded in this scheme should not replace what the NIHR GHR Programme award had planned to address with their research grant, but rather to address any emerging needs that appear as they start to work with their cohort. Each application should have clear tangible outputs and plans for how outputs will be disseminated/followed-up. Applicants should also consider any potential longer-term benefits that might arise and actions that will be taken to ensure that potential impact is realised.

There are many ways in which applicants may want to use this flexible award to address the needs that emerge. The award should be used to develop a programme of activities that will strengthen the cohort’s academic research career skills and development. Each programme of activities will be unique in terms of its location, duration, structure, how it is delivered and the context/topic; but with the overall aim to be a platform for learning and development for the cohort, as well as providing peer to peer support/exchange and collaboration/networking opportunities. For example, NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads may plan for their cohort to attend a virtual course in July, followed by a workshop organised for them to share learning and proposed next steps in August, as well as supporting an ongoing learning group/network initiated with a meeting in November in which they share ongoing ideas and progress.

The scheme aims to foster cross-NIHR GHR working, and allow individuals to capitalise on the benefits of being part of something larger than their own local research environments. We encourage that the ‘Lead Applicant’ partners with at least one other NIHR GHR Programme award in their application (this could be a regional or thematic alignment), to ensure that the benefit of the funding is felt more widely than an individual GHR Programme award. NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads should engage with other NIHR GHR Programme awards to identify those that found similar needs in their cohorts, and could plan a joint programme of activities. For example, after meeting and conducting a needs analysis with the LMIC-based individuals that a NIHR GHR Programme award is investing in, they may find a common need for more advanced academic skills training in a particular area that they would like to address for their whole cohort. If other GHR Programme awards identified a similar need, they could together plan a programme of activities around these needs.

In addition, NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads may identify training needs in order to perform the ‘GHR Programme Training Lead’ role (such as leadership/mentoring/coaching skills), and may plan with other NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads to conduct activities to meet these needs.

It is expected that the scheme will contribute to enhancing the NIHR GHR Programmes outcomes in achieving direct and primary benefit for patients and populations in LMICs. 

The award must start on the 1st of the month, starting from the 1st May 2023 to 1st December 2023, and activities must be completed before the 31st December 2023 (and at least two months before the end of the NIHR GHR Programme research contract, whichever is soonest).

Applicants may find the following information helpful:

  1. GHR CADA Collaboration webinar recording. This webinar provides applicants with more information on the expectations for collaboration within the award.
  2. GHR CADA Round 1 Chairs report. This document provides a useful overview of the GHR CADA Round 1  (2022). The report includes reflections from the Chair of the Selection Committee, highlighting any common themes and observations they want to highlight that future applicants should consider.
  3. NIHR GHR SPARC Where Can I Go? These pages detail the types of activities taking place within NIHR GHR Programme awards and may be useful to identify programmes you may be interested in partnering with for GHR CADA, based on thematic or geographical connections.
  4. The Find your NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead can be used to identify Training Leads in other NIHR GHR Programme awards to connect and explore collaborations. Please note; this is not an exhaustive list and information/contact details of NIHR GHR Programme award Training Leads will be updated on a regular basis.
  5. NIHR Global Health webpage which explains more about NIHR and ODA.

Types of activities that could be supported by an NIHR GHR CADA

The award should provide a programme of activities designed to enhance the academic career development of NIHR GHR Academy Members. Following an academic development training needs analysis, a tailored programme of activities may include workshops or training courses, mentoring or networking. The award, however, is not limited to these types of activities and Training Leads/Directors should customise activities to best enhance the academic career development of their cohort of early career researchers. 

The programme of activities delivered is expected to have the following overarching objectives:

  • Support relevant career development needs that are pertinent to the NIHR GHR Programme award’s cohort(s) – The career development needs should be relevant to the cohort in the NIHR GHR Programme award of the GHR Programme Training Lead/Programme Director applying for the CADA award.
  • Contribute to capacity strengthening of early career researchers – The application should include a description of how the activities will contribute to the personal and professional development of the cohort. The application should indicate how the applicant envisages this occurring (either within each country, or cross-nationally).
  • Strengthen networks, with the potential for longer-term sustainability – The activities should stimulate longer-term links/networks, as well as to contribute to the personal and professional development of the GHR cohort.

For example the applicant(s) may want to:

  • Hold or attend workshops or training courses on skills to strengthen research capacity
  • Establish peer-to-peer learning group/network
  • Establish cross-programme award mentoring
  • Establish cross-programme award journal clubs.

However, the NIHR GHR CADA is not limited to just these types of activities and we strongly encourage NIHR GHR Programme Training Leads to develop and plan a bespoke experience and programme of activities aimed at supporting their cohort’s needs, professional development and research career trajectories.

Award Length/Duration

We recognise the need to adopt a flexible approach to activities. There is no minimum or maximum duration for the programme of activities; implementation of activities may range from 2/3 weeks up to 6 months and this period can be broken up to allow flexibility.

Start dates

NIHR GHR CADA activities must start on the first of the month between 1st May 2023 and 1st December 2023, but must be completed before the 31st December 2023 and at least two months before the end of the overarching GHR Programme research contract in which the applicant is based.

Scope of Funding

Applicants can apply for awards of up to £30,000 per individual.

Funding can include:

  • Funding for any specific formal training courses (e.g qualitative research methods course, implementation science training, PPI training etc.)
  • Funding to cover; travel, accommodation, and subsistence in order to deliver the programme of activities
  • Funding for any invited speaker/facilitator costs can be included where necessary and should be appropriately justified within the application
  • Funding for other reasonable costs required to deliver the activities such as venue hire, internet connectivity costs, flip chart/printing etc.

Costs which will not be covered by an NIHR GHR CADA award; include research costs, supervisory fees, open access fees and conference fees. It is expected these costs would be funded by the applicants NIHR GHR Programme award if required. No support for salary/stipend/fees will be provided by NIHR under this award.

All costs provided should deliver ‘value for money’ and will be assessed by the NIHR and members of the NIHR GHR Training Programme Selection Committee. The NIHR reserves the right to reject any costs that it considers unreasonable or insufficiently justified.

Costs should be based on current UK Pounds Sterling (GBP) prices. Please refer to the Financial Guidance for NIHR Global Health Research Programme Contract Holders – Exchange Rates for further information.

All costs should be entered in UK Pounds Sterling and should be in accordance with the applicants NIHR contracted ‘Lead Institution’ for the GHR Programme award Institutional ‘Travel and Expenses Policy’ approved rates. Further itemisation of costs and methods of calculation (including the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institutions Travel and Expenses Policy) used to calculate the GHR CADA budget, may be requested to support the application at a later date. It is expected that the finance section of a NIHR CADA application form and the completed budget template have received appropriate input from the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution Finance/Accounts Department.

The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution (who holds the NIHR GHR Research Programme research contract) will be the contract and accountable body for the award and will administer the award. Payments will be made to the applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution only. The NIHR contracted institution may need to transfer funds up front to the applicant’s Employing Organisation (substantive employer) to enable the activities to take place and this cost will be reimbursed by NIHR upon receipt of a suitable invoice based on receipts up to the limit of the amount awarded.

All NIHR GHR CADA expenditure must be identifiable, verifiable and recorded in accounts with applicable accounting standards. In addition, the NIHR only accept and reimburse actual receipted expenditure and the NIHR reserves the right to request copies of supporting documentation (i.e receipts) at any time. The NIHR contracted Lead Institution for the GHR Programme award that the funds are reimbursed to after satisfying the criteria above will take responsibility for ensuring the institution that has borne the cost will be repaid and will inform NIHR as to how much of the funding is disbursed to LMICs.

Application Procedure and Selection Process

  • The NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead/Director/PI (‘Lead Applicant’) will conduct an academic development training needs analysis with their cohort around the skills needed to support development of an academic career and develop a tailored programme of activities to meet these needs
  • The NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead/Director (‘Lead Applicant’) may identify an NIHR GHR Academy Member as a co-applicant (optional). The co-applicant should take an active role in the planning of activities, completion of the application form, implementation and/or evaluation of activities
  • Applicant(s) should liaise with the NIHR GHR Programme Director/PI of the NIHR GHR Programme that will administer the contract to ensure their support. Where the applicant is the Director/PI, their application will need to be supported by their line manager/head of department
  • To start the application process, prospective applications should email GHRTP@nihr.ac.uk to request a copy of the application form (Word document) and budget template (Excel file)
  • Prospective applicants are required to register on the NIHR Academy Research Awards Management Information System (ARAMIS)
  • The ‘Lead Applicant’ will submit the completed application (signed off by the Director/PI of the NIHR GHR  Programme award) along with a copy of the completed GHR Programme academic development training needs analysis and completed budget template via ARAMIS
  • All documents should be suitably protected to meet UK personal data protection standards
  • Any changes to the formatting of text within the application form may impact the rest of the form and what is visible when reviewing the application. Such issues usually resolve when the form is saved and re-opened, but the applicant needs to ensure that all required text is visible in an electronic and printed copy of this application form prior to submission
  • All documents must be submitted in English
  • Incomplete, emailed, faxed, posted or late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances
  • The deadline for the submission of applications is 1pm on Wednesday 25th January 2023 (GMT)
  • All applications will undergo an initial screen for eligibility and remit. The NIHR may contact the applicant, and cross check NIHR GHR Programme ‘Official Collaborating Institutions’ with colleagues who manage the NIHR GHR Programme research contracts
  • Following this, applications will be reviewed by an expert Selection Committee, in advance of a Selection Committee meeting where decisions on which applications to recommend for funding are made
  • The Selection Committee will make recommendations for funding that will be considered by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) Science, Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate
  • Once confirmed, the funding decisions will then be communicated to applicants
  • Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by email when all required processes are complete
  • The selection process and subsequent management of the NIHR GHR CADA awards will be managed by the NIHR.

Please note: In addition to the above guidance, information to support the completion of each section of the application form is provided at the end of this document (“Completing the Application Form”).  Applicants should ensure they are referring to the relevant guidance when completing each question on the form.

Assessment of Applications

Following the submission deadline, the NIHR will check applications for completeness and eligibility and distribute eligible applications to the members of the NIHR GHR Training Programme Selection Committee.

The selection committee will assess all eligible applications using the Assessment Criteria below, all of which will have equal weighting.

NIHR GHR CADA Assessment Criteria

Applications for the NIHR GHR CADA scheme will be assessed using the following criteria which will have equal weighting:

  • the extent to which the suggested programme of activities will provide a high-quality and stimulating experience for the cohort
  • the extent to which the programme of activities is focussed on skills development and advancement of academic careers
  • the potential for the proposed activities to enhance their cohort’s research training and career development
  • the extent to which the proposed programme of activities (training/workshop etc) is not available in their institution(s)
  • the programme of activities meets the training needs of the cohort as identified in the academic development training needs analysis
  • the value for money of the programme of activities
  • the extent of collaboration with other NIHR GHR Programme awards.

Applications must also demonstrate how they meet ODA compliance criteria for direct and primary benefit of people in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and outline:

  • Which country or countries on the DAC list of ODA-eligible countries will directly benefit
  • How the application is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of those countries
  • How the outcomes will promote the health and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC List of ODA Recipients
  • Where researchers wish to work with middle-income countries on the OECD DAC list the application must make a clear case for how the research will be of primary benefit to the development challenges of those countries, and how outcomes will promote health and welfare.

Application Deadlines and Competition Timetable

All components of the application form, along with a copy of the academic development training needs analysis must be submitted by the deadline. No additional supporting documents will be accepted after the deadline. Please give yourself sufficient time to obtain your signatory’s approval before the deadline. No exceptions will be made.

See the timetable below for dates of the selection process.

Timeline

Competition stage

Key dates

NIHR GHR CADA Round 1 Competition launch

Wednesday 30th November 2022

Deadline for applications

Wednesday 25th January 2023 at 1pm (GMT)

NIHR GHR Training Programme Selection Committee Funding Recommendation Meeting 

March 2023

Inform applicants of outcome and contracting commences

April 2023

NIHR GHR CADA awards/programme of activities to take place     

Between 1st May 2022 - 31st December 2023 (noting all awards must be completed at least two months before the end of the overarching NIHR GHR Programme research contract where the applicant is based)

Financial Statement     

Due two months after the award is complete or before the 28th February 2024, whichever is soonest (noting a financial statement must be sent at least two months before the end of the overarching NIHR GHR Programme research contract where the applicant is based)

Final GHR CADA Report     

Due two months after the award is complete or before the 28th February 2024, whichever is soonest

Award Management

A short NIHR GHR CADA ‘Award Contract Letter’ will be put in place with the Lead Institution contracted to lead (‘the GHR Programme Lead Institution’) the NIHR GHR Programme award that the applicants’ ’Employing Organisation’ (substantive employer) institution is partnered with (for some applicants the ‘Employing Organisation’ and ‘NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution’ may be the same institution), and the Department for Health and Social Care (the ‘Authority’). The contract will outline that NIHR will reimburse the Lead Institution contracted to lead (‘the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution’) the NIHR GHR Programme award that the applicants’ Employing Organisation (substantive employer) is partnered with up to the awarded amount after the programme of activities is complete.

Successful applicants will:

  • Notify the NIHR when the programme of activities/CADA award has come to an end;
  • Submit a written report within 2 months of the completion of the activities or by 28th February 2024 (whichever is soonest), in a form provided by the NIHR, detailing the activities, achievements, outputs and impacts, along with an evaluation of the programme of activities.

The applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution may need to transfer funds to the applicant’s ‘Employing Organisation’ to enable the activities to take place. NIHR will reimburse the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution after a final invoice is provided.

The applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution (’contractor’) will:

  • Within 2 months of the completion of the activities or by the 28th February 2024 and at least 2 months before the end of the overarching NIHR GHR Programme research contract (whichever is soonest) submit an invoice to the NIHR Academy for incidental expenses incurred during the activities, up to the limit of the amount awarded
  • Confirm sight and approval of all supporting documentation (i.e. receipts) for expenses incurred and that the costs incurred are as described in the NIHR GHR CADA application form and approved by the Selection Committee. The NIHR reserves the right to request copies of supporting documentation
  • Confirm sight of a certificate of attendance/completion or confirmation from the training facilitator/supplier/organiser of any training course(s) the applicant has agreed their cohort will undertake as part of the award
  • The NIHR contracted Lead Institution for the NIHR GHR Programme award that the funds are reimbursed to will take responsibility for ensuring the institution that has borne the cost will be repaid and will inform NIHR as to how much of the funding is disbursed to LMICs.

The NIHR GHR CADA awards will be non-transferable to another NIHR GHR Programme award. If the GHR Programme Training Lead awarded the NIHR GHR CADA is no longer affiliated with the GHR Programme award, the NIHR GHR CADA award may be transferred to a new Training Lead or GHR Programme Director identified by the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution.

If the NIHR GHR CADA holder is unable to undertake the award/programme of activities as submitted, they must contact the NIHR Academy as soon as they are aware. On a case by case basis, the situation will be evaluated to determine if the award can be deferred to a different agreed date, used for a different activity in another location that is deemed appropriate/valuable to the cohort’s professional development, or must be declined/terminated on this occasion.

Completing and submitting an application

The applicant is required to submit an Application Form, Budget template and a completed academic training needs assessment to the NIHR. Applicants must contact ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk to request a copy of the application form (Word document) and budget template (Excel file) quoting ‘NIHR GHR CADA’ in the subject heading.

Applicants are required to complete all of the mandatory sections of the application form and to enter the names and contact details of those individuals fulfilling Signatory roles (see below).

Applications will need to be submitted via the NIHR Academy Research Awards Management Information System ARAMIS.

Prospective applicants will need to register to ARAMIS. Applicants will be asked to supply a valid email address and to complete some basic information. Once the information has been submitted, applicants will receive an email confirming their registration and a temporary password. Applicants should follow the instructions in the email to log on to the system and undertake equality monitoring.

NIHR and DHSC have a duty as a public body to promote equality of opportunity. Equality monitoring ensures that all applicants, reviewers and committee members are treated equally in terms of gender, ethnicity and/or disability. By answering these EDI information questions, you will help us to better understand the different groups of people that we fund and their experiences of being funded – particularly the groups protected by UK equality legislation.  Although it is mandatory to answer these questions, it is possible to select “prefer not to say” as a response.  However, the more information people provide, the more effective our monitoring will be. This information will not be used to make decisions about funding.

The information you share with the monitoring system:

  • Will be stored separately from you application
  • Will only be used for the purpose of monitoring equal opportunities
  • Will be kept securely and in confidence

To upload the application form, training needs assessment and budget template, applicants will need to select ‘My Applications’ and start a ‘New Application’. The application form for the GHR CADA scheme can then be selected from the list provided. Please note – in addition to this NIHR Global Health Research Cohort Academic Development award, there are other competitions open. Please ensure you are applying for the correct scheme.
 
Once the applicant has completed their sections of the form and the Signatories have made their contributions, the ‘Lead Applicant’ (GHR Programme Training Lead/Programme Director) is required to upload a fully signed copy of the application form, a completed budget template and a copy of the academic development training needs analysis before the closing date.

Required Signatories

The following signatories are required in the Word Document application form.

Lead Applicant: the NIHR GHR Training Lead/Director submitting the application must sign the declaration

Co-applicant (optional): if the application includes a NIHR GHR Academy member co-applicant, the GHR Academy member must sign the declaration

Collaborating GHR Programme award Contact (optional): if the application includes a collaborating NIHR GHR Programme award the GHR Training Lead/Programme Director/PI from the collaborating GHR Programme award must sign the declaration on behalf of the collaborating GHR Programme award.

NIHR GHR Programme Director/PI: The NIHR GHR Programme Director/PI associated with the Lead Applicant must provide a signature and statement of support to confirm they have read the application and guidance notes and agree that their NIHR GHR Programme award cohort will benefit from the activities proposed if they meet the objectives described in the activity plan and that the opportunity will complement the research training the cohort are currently undertaking. Where the applicant is the Director/PI, their application will need to be supported by their line manager/head of department.

Application Outcomes

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application via email as soon as the funding decision is finalised.  It can take up to 4 weeks following the Funding Recommendation Meeting for application outcomes to be issued. Applicants are advised to take this into account when considering which start date to opt for.

Feedback will be sent to applicants after the funding decisions have been made.

Completing the application form

Application Summary

Please ensure that your name, email address, employing organisation (substantive employer) is detailed here.

Please also include the NIHR GHR Programme award. This should be the lead institution that holds the NIHR GHR Programme research contract and will be the institution that will administer the NIHR GHR CADA contract.

Section A – Lead Applicant Details

A1 Lead Applicant Details

Please enter your full name, including title, and job title.

Professional background. Please enter your discipline or professional background from the drop down menu. This is for NIHR data collection purposes, and has no wider use.

A2 Lead Applicant’s Employing Organisation Details

Please give details of your Employing Organisation (substantive employer). Please also provide a correspondence address and contact details if they are different to those you have already provided.  Note: your Employing Organisation must be listed as an ‘Official Collaborating Institution’ and named parties in the NIHR GHR Programme award’s current collaboration agreement as outlined in the ‘Eligibility’ section above.

Section B – Co-Applicant Details (optional)

Note this section is optional and is only required to be filled in if the NIHR GHR Programme Training Lead identifies an NIHR GHR Academy member to act as a co-applicant. The co-applicant will support the development of the application and the planning, delivery and/or evaluation of the programme of activities. 

B1 Co-Applicant Details

Please enter the co-applicants full name, including title, job title and highest level of qualification, current level of study and study dates.

Professional background. Please enter the co-applicants' discipline or professional background from the drop down menu. This is for NIHR data collection purposes, and has no wider use.

B2 Co-Applicant’s Employing Organisation Details

Please give details of the Employing Organisation (substantive employer) of the co-applicant. Note that the co-applicant can be employed in a different institution within the GHR Programme award.  Please also provide a correspondence address and contact details if they are different to those you have already provided. Note: the Employing Organisation must be listed as an ‘Official Collaborating Institution’ and named parties in the GHR Programme award’s current collaboration agreement as outlined in the ‘Eligibility’ section above.

B3 Justification for inclusion of NIHR GHR Academy Member co-applicant

Please describe how the NIHR GHR Academy Member will contribute to the award. The co-applicant should take an active part in the development of the application and the planning, delivery and/or evaluation of the programme of activities. 

Section C – Collaborating NIHR GHR Programme award (optional)

Note this section is optional and is only required to be filled in if a suitable collaborating NIHR GHR Programme award is identified.

Provide details of the NIHR GHR Programme award and the institution(s) are collaborating with to deliver the activities.

Provide details of a named individual (main point of contact) within the institution you will be working with to deliver the activities. Please detail their name, job title, address, email address and phone number. 

Section D – Applicant(s) Experience

Overview of applicant experience to date. 

Please use this question to give an overview of your experience (and the co-applicants if applicable) supporting academic training and career development to date. Please give a brief overview of your experience, highlighting relevant global health experience, to date.

You may wish to consider highlighting:

  • Experience supporting career development of early career researchers
  • Experience delivering training and career development activities
  • Any relevant research, research methods, evaluation, policy or community engagement and involvement experience
  • Any additional relevant skills and experience.

(Word Limit: 500)

Section E – Proposed Activity Site: Host Institution Contact Details (optional)

Please provide the name, job title and contact details of the person who will support delivery of the programme of activities at the ‘Proposed Activity Site Host Institution’, if this person is different to the applicant.

Section F – Proposed Plans for the Activities

Please provide a brief title that clearly and concisely summarises your overall programme of activities.

Please select an award start and end date. Please note that activities must be take place between 1st July 2022 and 28th February 2023 and at be completed at least two months before the end of the overarching NIHR GHR Programme research contract to which the applicant is based (whichever is soonest).

F1 Lay Summary

Please provide a Lay Summary (plain English summary) of your proposed activity plan. This should include context to your activity plan (why you are conducting the activities); the aims of the programme of activities; an over of the activity(s) and how these will help you meet the aim(s) and outcome/outputs from the activities.

A good quality plain English summary providing an easy to read overview of your whole study will help:

  • those carrying out the review to have a better understanding of your research proposal
  • inform others about your research such as members of the public, health and social care professionals, policy makers and the media
  • research funders to publicise the research that they fund.

F2 Plan for Programme of Activities

Please provide a clear outline of the plan for your proposed programme of cohort career development activities including:

  • The topics and context of each specific activity that will be undertaken
  • The location and duration of each activity
  • The expected number of participants and a description of who each activity will be delivered for (including career stage and professional background).

If multiple activities are planned you may wish to include an Activity Gantt Chart to highlight the order the activities will take place (this is optional and can be included in Section J of the application form). As this is the main part of your application you should ensure that the information is accurate, succinct and clearly laid out. 

Please describe how the proposed programme of activities meet the training and career development needs of the cohort of GHR NIHR Academy members, referring to the academic development training needs analysis included in the submission to provide details about the identified needs and how these will be addressed.

Please outline clear and measurable outcomes from the programme of activities planned and what the indicators of success will be.

Provide a justification for any planned collaboration with other GHR Programme awards. This could include – but are not limited to – geographical proximity to other institutions, crossover in research specialties, or opportunities for knowledge transfer.

Some of the types of activities that could be supported by an NIHR GHR CADA award are detailed in the ‘Scope of Award’ section of the Guidance Notes. Please note the awards are not limited to these types of activities. Applicants are encouraged to fully explore and maximise the opportunities available for their cohorts professional development, and develop a programme of activities that is bespoke to their cohorts academic career development training needs.

If you are planning to deliver face-to-face activities that involve travel, please outline a plan for a virtual alternative, in case travel is not permitted at the time of the activity.

Finally, please also explain the relevance of your proposed programme of activities in relation to Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligibility. Specifically, how the application is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of a country/or countries on the DAC list of ODA-eligible countries.

(Word Limit: 1000)

F3 Benefits and Impact

Please outline the likely benefits and impact of the programme of activities to the cohort of GHR NIHR Academy members and how this will provide a high quality and stimulating academic career development opportunity to meet the identified career development needs.

Outline plans for the evaluation of each of the activities, how you will know if the activities have been successful and how the outputs will be disseminated and followed-up.

Please also explain how the longer-term outcomes of the activities will contribute to the health and welfare of less advantaged and underprivileged people in the ODA-eligible country or countries that will directly benefit, and explain your pathway to impact, i.e. how the funded activities are expected to directly benefit and contribute to a chain of results that lead to impacts on local health and welfare in the ODA-eligible country or countries.

(Word Limit: 800)

F4 Finance

This section of the application form must be completed in addition to the Excel budget template.

This section of the application form must be completed by the applicant in conjunction with the Research Support Office or Finance Office at the applicants GHR Programme Lead Institution (the organisation that, in the event of an award being made, will submit an invoice on behalf of the applicant for the expenses incurred during the programme of activities).

This section must provide a full justification of all funds requested for the activities. Please note the award is for a maximum of £30,000. 

The funding requested in the finance section will form the basis of the GHR CADA award should the application be successful.

This GHR CADA award does not include, or pay for, any research costs, supervisory fees, open access fees, conference fees or full economic costing (which would be expected to be funded by the applicant's NIHR GHR Programme award if appropriate). 

Justification of costs

Please provide a breakdown of the costs associated with undertaking the NIHR GHR CADA award as described in the application and provide detailed justification for the resources requested.

All costs provided should be ‘value for money’ and will be assessed by the NIHR and members of the NIHR GHR Training Programme Selection Committee. The NIHR reserves the right to reject any costs that it considers unreasonable or insufficiently justified.

Travel, Accommodation and Subsistence Costs

Journey Costs

Enter the total cost of transport for all journeys.  If travel is by car, apply your institution’s mileage rates (however, this should not exceed HMRC approved mileage allowance payments, which is 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p thereafter).

Travel by the most economic means possible is encouraged; please note NIHR GHR CADA awards do not fund first class travel.

Accommodation

Enter the total cost of accommodation costs (if necessary) to cover any accommodation required to undertake the GHR CADA activities.  Please note; accommodation rates should be in accordance with the applicants NIHR GHR Programme ‘Lead Institution’ ‘Travel and Expenses Policy’ approved rates’. All costs provided should represent value for money.

Subsistence

Enter the total cost of subsistence costs to cover all meals required (if applicable) whilst undertaking the GHR CADA activities (excluding any alcoholic beverages). Please note; subsistence rates should be in accordance with the applicants NIHR GHR Programme ‘Lead Institution’ ‘Travel and Expenses Policy’ approved rates’. All costs provided should represent value for money.

Training Course Fees

Please itemise the training courses (e.g qualitative research methods course, etc.) being requested (if applicable) and describe fully the costs associated with training and development and the training provider (i.e University of Manchester). Please provide estimates if exact costs are not available at the time of application.

Delivery costs

Funding for other reasonable costs required to deliver the activities such as expert speaker/facilitator costs, venue hire, internet connectivity costs, flip chart/printing etc. Please include a brief outline of the costs being requested and provide justification for the resources requested.

Costs of relevant activity outputs

For example, production of an infographic, informative video etc.

General Information

  • The information entered in this section should provide an analysis of the total funds requested to undertake the proposed NIHR GHR CADA activities and will be used to assess value for money. Funding of up to £30,000 can be applied for to cover the incidental expenses of conducting activities
  • Costs should be based on current UK Pounds Sterling (GBP) prices. Please refer to the Financial Guidance for NIHR Global Health Research Programme Contract Holders – Exchange Rates for further information
  • It is in your best interest to undertake a thorough, realistic and accurate costing.  You must provide a clear and full justification for all costs.  You must also ensure that you include all costs required
  • All costs should be entered in UK Pounds Sterling and should be in accordance with the applicants NIHR contracted GHR Programmes Lead Institutions ‘Travel and Expenses Policy’ approved rates. Further itemisation of costs and methods of calculation (including the GHR Programme Lead Institutions Travel and Expenses Policy used to calculate the GHR CADA budget, may be requested to support the application at a later date). It is expected that the finance section of a NIHR CADA application form has received appropriate input from the GHR Programme Lead Institution Finance/Accounts Department
  • The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution will be the contract and accountable body for the award and will administer the award. Payments for the award will be made to the NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution only. The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution will be responsible for passing on any money due to other parties
  • The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution may need to transfer funds up front to the Lead Applicant’s Employing Organisation (substantive employer) to enable the award and activities to take place and this cost will be reimbursed by NIHR upon receipt of a suitable invoice based on receipts up to the limit of the amount awarded
  • All NIHR GHR training award expenditure must be identifiable, verifiable and recorded in accounts with applicable accounting standards. In addition, the NIHR Academy only accept and reimburse actual receipted expenditure and the NIHR Academy reserves the right to request copies of supporting documentation (i.e receipts) at any time
  • The NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution that the funds are reimbursed to after satisfying the criteria above will take responsibility for ensuring the institution that has borne the cost will be repaid and will inform NIHR Academy as to how much of the funding is disbursed to LMICs.

(Word Limit: 300)

F5. Statement on Official Development Assistance Compliance and Safeguarding

Please outline how:

  1. You will support the participants during the programme of activities,
  2. What steps you will take to ensure that the programme of activities will stay aligned with the ODA compliance objectives set out in sections F2, F2, and F3  
  3. How you will ensure that you comply with the following NIHR Safeguarding Guidance (September 2020).  

(Word Limit: 300)

Section G – Declarations and Signatures

The following parties must carefully read the declarations and signatures section and insert their name, an electronic signature and date onto the application form:

  • E1 Lead Applicant
  • E2 Co-Applicant (NIHR GHR Academy Member – if applicable)
  • E2 Collaborating NIHRGHR Programme award contact (if applicable)

Section H – Monitoring Information

Please use the drop-down list to state how you became aware of the scheme.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Please indicate whether you are willing to be approached for additional equality data in order to measure the NIHR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy. This will not have an impact on your application.

Section I – NIHR GHR Programme Director/ RIGHT Project Principal Investigator Statement of Support

All applications should be signed off by the NIHR GHR Programme Director/RIGHT Project Principal Investigator and a supporting statement provided. Where the applicant is the Director/PI, the statement of support should be provided by the applicant’s line manager/head of department.

The supporting statement should describe support for the proposed activities and how they meet the identified needs of the cohort of NIHR GHR Academy Members the NIHR GHR Programme is supporting. Where collaborations with other GHR Programmes have been indicated, the statement should also include support of this.

In signing, the Director/PI is indicating:

  1. That the Lead Applicant’s identity has been verified
  2. That the programme of activities will benefit the NIHR GHR Academy members and the overall ODA objectives of their NIHR GHR Programme award.
  3. That the NIHR contracted GHR Programme Lead Institution agrees to be the accountable body and the contract holder for the award, and agree to the financial arrangements to allow the programme of activities to take place,
  4. Their acceptance of the financial, safeguarding and reporting terms and conditions associated with a NIHR GHR CADA award.

Please Note; that where the GHR Programme Director/PI is also the Lead Applicant (where a GHR Programme Training Lead has not been identified at present), the Director/PI is required to sign the document twice.

Contacting the NIHR Academy

If you have any queries about the NIHR GHR CADA, please contact us at:

Address: NIHR Academy, 21 Queen Street, Leeds, LS1 2TW

Telephone: +44113 532 8444

Email: ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk quoting ‘NIHR GHR CADA’ in the subject heading.

Additional Supporting Information

Community Engagement and Involvement

NIHR is committed to supporting Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI) that empowers communities and fosters co-production of research. Involving communities in LMICs who are affected by the health challenge you are working on will improve the reach, quality and impact of your research. Please read about this commitment on the NIHR community engagement and involvement webpage.

Applicants may find the following information and resources helpful:

MRC Complex Intervention Guidance

Where appropriate applicants are encouraged to read the MRC and NIHR complex interventions guidance available.

Ethics / Regulatory Approvals

Guidance on the application process for ethical and other approvals should be sought from the supporting university in the first instance, but can be found on the HRA website. Please note that if your study is led from England and involves the NHS in England you should apply for HRA approval.

If you are using service user information from an existing database, you should check whether the service users have given their consent for their data to be included in that database for research purposes, or if not whether the database is exempt under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006.  Where exemptions are not already in place, approval to use confidential service user information without consent must be requested from the HRA who make decisions with advice from the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG).

NOTE: NIHR is interested in taking advantage of the growing utility of routine data (such as HES, GP records etc.), and would like investigators, where appropriate, to ask study participants to consent to long term follow up (e.g. beyond the outcomes to be collected in the funded trial) using routinely collected data, and appropriate linkage to allow this data to be best used.

UK Biobank

UK Biobank is a major national health resource, and a registered charity in its own right, with the aim of improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses – including cancer, heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, eye disorders, depression and forms of dementia. UK Biobank recruited 500,000 people aged between 40-69 years in 2006-2010 from across the country to take part in this project. They have undergone measures, provided blood, urine and saliva samples for future analysis as well as detailed information about themselves. The health of members of this large cohort will be followed over the coming years and the participants have consented to be approached about health research.

Applicants are encouraged to consider whether Biobank may be able to provide suitable data. We do not want to discourage establishment of new collections of participants and their data where this is necessary to address the research questions under consideration, our aim is to avoid applications for funding to set up Biobank-like cohorts where the use of Biobank would prevent wasteful duplication of Biobank-like activities. Find out more on the UK Biobank website.

Plagiarism in NIHR funding applications

NIHR expects all content within applications for funding to be original material of the applicant's own work, with the exception of sections that other participants are required to complete. Whilst we anticipate and expect that applicants will get help and advice from various sources when putting together an application, including on occasion input from those previously awarded funding, care must be taken to ensure this does not lead to plagiarism of either published work or other previous applications. If an allegation of plagiarism is raised against an application this will be investigated in accordance with the NIHR Academy’s policy on plagiarism, a copy of which is available on request from ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk.

NIHR Privacy Policy

Our purpose for collecting information is to communicate with you about your application and have the necessary information to evaluate you for an NIHR CADA award. The data we collect here is collected in the public interest. Information provided here may be subject to Freedom of Information requests.

The NIHR Academy is part of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), NIHR. The contracting agent for the NIHR Academy is the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust (LTHT). The DHSC is the Data Controller and LTHT is the Data Processor under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) EC 2016/679. DHSC NIHR respects the privacy of individuals who share their data and processes it in a manner that meets the requirements of GDPR. The DHSC Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk

The NIHR privacy policy includes further information including ways we may use your data, our contact details and details on your individual rights regarding how your data is used. Your data may be shared across the NIHR, including with other coordinating centres, to allow the application to be managed and for statistical analysis, and with external grant reviewers as part of the process for managing the allocation of a grant. Information collected from you will not be shared outside the EEA without your consent.

This notice is under constant review and will be updated and/or revised based on that review as appropriate. 

Requirements for systematic reviews to be registered with PROSPERO

Applicants undertaking systematic reviews should note the commitment of NIHR to publication in the database. PROSPERO was developed by the NIHR’s Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), and is the first online facility to register systematic reviews for research about health and social care from all around the world. Access is completely free and open to the public. PROSPERO registration is a condition of NIHR funding for eligible systematic reviews. Find out more on the PROSPERO website.

Existing data resources

The UK Data Service provides a unified point of access to an extensive range of high quality social and economic data, including UK census data, government funded surveys, longitudinal studies, international macro-data, qualitative data and business micro-data.

NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines

Researchers applying for NIHR funding are asked to consider the carbon footprint of their research and take steps to reduce carbon emissions where appropriate. Advice on how to do this can be obtained from the NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines.

Transparency Agenda

In line with the government’s transparency agenda, any contract resulting from this tender may be published in its entirety to the general public.

Contractual Arrangements

Financial support under a NIHR GHR CADA award is subject to a, ‘letter of contract’ between the Department of Health and Social Care (the ‘Authority’) and the applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution (the ‘Contractor’).

Once funding for NIHR CADA activities has been discussed and agreed, NIHR will confirm the financial arrangements with the applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution.  NIHR will provide the applicants NIHR GHR Programme Lead Institution  with a letter contract setting out the details of these arrangements.

Freedom of Information Act

The NIHR Academy manages the NIHR CADA scheme on behalf of the DHSC.  As such the findings of researchers funded by the programme are incorporated in to the Department of Health and Social Care Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

NIHR is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in research and asks applicants to provide Equality and Diversity Monitoring Information (age, sex, ethnicity and race, and disability).  By answering these Equality and Diversity Monitoring Information questions, you will help us to better understand the different groups of people that apply to us for funding and their experiences of the funding process – particularly the groups protected by UK equality legislation.  Although it is mandatory to answer these questions, it is possible to select “prefer not to say” as a response.  However, the more information you provide, the more effective our monitoring will be. This information will not be used to make decisions about funding.

Guidance and Advice

Please read these Guidance Notes carefully. If you require any further information, advice or guidance please contact the NIHR.

Phone: +44113 532 8444

Email: ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk quoting ‘NIHR GHR CADA’ in the subject heading.