Introduction to the Population Health Career Scientist Award
We wish to develop and enhance research expertise in the most important areas affecting population health by supporting the next generation of independent public health research leaders.
The NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Award (PHCSA) is a UK-wide initiative to support independent researchers who are emerging as future leaders in research, focused on the wider determinants of health. The PHCSA forms part of a series of initiatives and investment by NIHR to enable local government to become more research-active and to help address the most important research questions facing policymakers and services at local, regional and national levels.
More broadly, the scheme wishes to attract high-quality applications from researchers not usually associated with public health, but who are undertaking highly relevant work in areas such as:
- air quality
- climate change
- engineering
- architecture
Many such researchers are involved in national initiatives which span a range of government departments and, even though the health consequences of their work may not have been the initial starting point, these are of great interest and relevance. The scheme is therefore very much open to applications from a wide range of disciplines where a central focus of the research is on understanding the impact on population health and wider inequalities.
The award is funded through the Public Health Research (PHR) Programme and is being delivered jointly by the PHR Programme and the NIHR Academy. It aligns with other relevant NIHR initiatives, in particular the development of Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) and the NIHR Academy local authority academic fellowship scheme, as well as being part of the wider Programme of Fellowships that includes the NIHR Advanced Fellowships. By developing academic research expertise alongside capacity and capability in local government, the intention is that there will be true synergy, with success breeding success in attracting further funding from a range of sources.
The PHCSA constitutes dedicated additional investment aimed at building capacity in areas relevant to population health to meet the needs of both local and national government. This exciting new initiative will help support local government decision making by focusing on research programmes directly relevant to and co-produced with local government colleagues. Importantly, providing the investment and support to facilitate greater links between research and practice will provide the opportunity for researchers to become immersed in the local government context, and directly commission research to meet local government evidence needs.
Making an impact on policy and decision making
Local government
The health of the public is fundamentally influenced by the wider determinants, or drivers, of health. The work of local government profoundly impacts on these drivers, but there remains a relative paucity of useful evidence around what are the most cost-effective policies and interventions that can impact on these drivers, and in turn improve population health and reduce health inequalities. It is vital that local government is better supported to become more research-active and further build the evidence base, both on what needs to be done and how best to implement policies and interventions. Research activity demands infrastructure within and owned by local government, mirroring the culture of research that has taken many years to develop in the NHS. Since 2013, local authorities within England have had primary responsibility for public health, and in the devolved administrations local government works closely with the national public health agencies.
In growing recognition of the need to tackle wider preventable risk factors and determinants of health, there is an expectation that the research supported through this award will be of importance and relevance to local government, ideally with explicit support from local government colleagues.
Work to understand the research and evidence challenges facing local authorities started before the COVID-19 pandemic, with external reports from sources such as NETSA, SOLACE and LACoR. In 2018/19 Professor Chris Whitty visited local authorities in England to hear about the public health challenges faced by local authorities and how research can help to address them. A round-table event with local authority leaders was hosted by Professor Whitty and Dame Professor Anne Johnson at the Kings Fund in 2019. To access the report from this event, please email a request to phr@nihr.ac.uk.
In recognition of the challenges faced by local authorities, we have begun to widen our initiatives aimed at strengthening the research culture within local government, aiming to build capacity and capability both within councils and academic institutions. Annex A details the activities taken forward in relation to this agenda. The 14 NIHR Local Authority Research Systems projects commissioned in the summer of 2020 are of particular note. These projects were tasked with rapidly reviewing how research systems and structures within local authorities across the UK could be developed and enhanced should they be provided with the tools to do so. This learning has been central to the development of the Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) concept. A summary of the Local Authority Research Systems reports can be accessed upon request by emailing phr@nihr.ac.uk.
National government
National policy is highly relevant when considering what can be done to have the most impact on wider determinants that influence the health of the population. The scheme will also support applications that focus on national policies which have the potential to impact on population health at scale or reduce health inequalities. There are many policies at national level, within and outside of the health sector, that will have significant impacts on the wider determinants of health. Examples include advertising and other regulatory policies aimed at:
- tackling obesity and gambling-related harms
- encouraging active travel
- improving the quality of housing or the built environment
Applicants will be expected to have made contact with policy makers in relevant UK government departments (both local and national, where appropriate) to demonstrate the need for their proposed research and how it will support policy decisions in the context of health. This could involve different government departments depending on the research topic, but is likely to include policy makers responsible for areas such as transport, housing, education, food policy and the built environment, to name a few.
Aim and scope
We wish to support and develop the next generation of public health research leaders in order to strengthen capacity in areas of strategic focus, in particular the wider determinants of health. While the aim of the PHCSA will build on previous similar initiatives, such as the Public Health Career Scientist Award that supported the transition of senior researchers to Reader/Professor level, and complements the NIHR advanced fellowships which provide a vehicle for researchers to transition between career stages, there is also a desire to attract researchers from outside the disciplines more usually associated with public health research to include the wide range of disciplines which undertake research in areas which impact the determinants of health, for example:
- environmental science
- mathematics
- architecture
- engineering
- geography
- education
- social sciences
- social policy
- arts
Through this scheme, we are keen to receive innovative and ambitious applications, for example those that make the best use of data linkage and modelling techniques, or arts approaches to engage communities in co-production, across a broad range of areas of population health. All research proposals must be within the remit of the PHR Programme, although a broad view of this will be taken. The crux of successful applications will lie in a combination of the following:
- the quality of the candidate and their potential as a future leader in population health research
- the importance and likely impact of the research being proposed
- the particular contribution that the discipline can make to improving population health, reducing health inequalities and tackling wider disadvantage
Areas of particular interest which would be considered in scope for the PHCSA include, but are not limited to, programmes of population level research that:
- address the major determinants of poor health and of health inequalities in the UK which could include, but is not limited to:
- enhancing our understanding of how the built environment can help to improve air quality or mitigate the impact of climate change
- demonstrating the value of investing in early years interventions for future health and well-being
- develop our understanding of what are the most important policies and interventions for implementation, to tackle disadvantage and reduce health inequalities
- develop and use innovative methodologies to answer the most pressing population health research questions - including dynamic modelling, linkage of routinely collected data and making optimum use of digital technologies. For example, modelling work that demonstrates the combined impact of different strategies to reduce alcohol-related harm.
Whatever research is supported through this scheme, applicants will need to demonstrate that the research they are proposing addresses an evidence gap, and can be used by local health and the social care system. They should also be able to demonstrate mechanisms for effective dissemination and shared learning, across local government and the wider health system.
As already noted, this scheme is intended to complement the HDRCs as part of an overall strategy to enhance R&D activity of relevance to local government and wider population health.
Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have given serious thought to the data required and the feasibility of accessing and combining relevant data.
Applicants will also need to ensure they build in a comprehensive training programme to support their future career as a research leader in population health. Further information as to the expectations for Advanced Fellowships is available.
Who can apply?
The PHCSA is a UK-wide initiative open to applicants from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The term ‘local authority’ has been used consistently as shorthand in this document to mean local government organisations and equivalent structures throughout the UK that plan and commission services to improve population health, both directly and indirectly.
Individual applicants will need to be based in an eligible Higher Education Institution (HEI), or equivalent, in the UK and will be expected to have explicit support from their host organisations over the duration of the award. This should be either in the form of funding or resources in kind, for example, research assistant support or PhD students to the Fellow if successful.
Please read the guidance notes, which will be available once the call is open to applications, for further information on how to apply. Please note that these refer to other opportunities presented under theNIHR Advanced Fellowship Awards, as well as the PHCSA. The bullet points below place the PHCSA within the context of wider NIHR Fellowship Awards.
NIHR Fellowship Awards with a public health focus
- Population Health Career Scientist Award (PHCSA) - Supports senior academics that are undertaking research delivered outside of NHS settings which aims to address the wider determinants of health.
- Advanced Fellowship (AF) - Supports individuals undertaking research in any scientific discipline or sector that can demonstrate a contribution to improving health and/or care.
- Advanced Local Authority Fellowship (ALAF) - Supports individuals in local authority settings who are developing practitioner academic careers - undertaking health or care research whilst progressing their practice career.
- Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) - Supports health and care professionals* (excluding doctors and dentists) who are developing practitioner academic careers - undertaking health or care research whilst progressing their clinical or practice career.
*including individuals registered with UK Public Health Register.
Candidates for the PHCSA are expected to either be starting to establish themselves as an independent researcher in a public health or non-traditional public health discipline, or are already established as an independent researcher but are not yet recognised as an international leader in their field. Due allowance will be given to those whose career has been affected by either a late start or interruption for personal or family reasons, including the pandemic. Standard NIHR eligibility criteria apply.
Applicants should have a track record of holding research funding and be able to show they have made important contributions in their area of research. They should also be able to demonstrate the commitment to work in partnership with local authorities to develop a research culture and a willingness to develop and mentor less research-active individuals.
What will the PHCSA support?
To ensure that NIHR research takes place in the areas and communities of greatest need, it is anticipated that a range of applications will be funded across the UK. This includes institutions that have not yet established an international reputation for public health research, but are based in areas where the need to develop capacity and capability is very apparent. Similarly, we are very keen to encourage applications from non-traditional public health disciplines, particularly where existing strong collaborations with more traditional disciplines can be evidenced. However, the primary drivers of funding these awards will be the quality of applicants and the ability to demonstrate the importance and relevance of the proposed research.
Each PHCSA will be for a period of 5 years, or full time equivalent, and will provide funding to cover salary and research expenses.
It is envisaged that the scheme will be run over subsequent fellowship rounds to achieve a cohort of leaders in population health research, encompassing both geographical and theme coverage. All award-holders would be expected to participate in NIHR Academy activities as part of the wider family of personal award-holders.
Assessment process and timetable
Applications to this scheme will be assessed for remit and competitiveness in the first instance. All those in remit and competitive applications will be externally peer reviewed, with applications subsequently shortlisted for interview by a sub-committee of the assessment panel, including the panel Chair and the Director of the PHR Programme.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview by the assessment panel. The interview will include a short, 5 minute presentation from candidates, strictly timed.
We anticipate interviews taking place during October and November 2023.
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. Further information on the transparency agenda is available via the Gov.uk local government transparency code 2015 and government contracts finder.