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NIHR Research Support Service - Application Guidance

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Published: 01 July 2022

Version: v2.0

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Introduction

The mission of the NIHR is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. NIHR delivers against this mission through six core workstreams set out in Best Research for Best Health - the next chapter.

The current NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) and Clinical Trials Units (CTU) support funding/ contracts come to an end in September 2023. The support offered to researchers in the development and delivery of clinical and applied health and care research by the NIHR RDS and the CTUs is recognised as world class. Both schemes have demonstrated agility as evidenced by continued support and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the NIHR recognises the need to evolve these offers so that all parts of the research ecosystem are consistently well-served and the offer provides training and career opportunities for all working in designing health and care research.

The NIHR is launching a new, one-stage, open competition to designate and fund NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) in England. This competition replaces the current NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) and NIHR Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) schemes. The new offer will be key in ensuring the NIHR meets its strategic priorities. Significant changes are needed in several areas of health, public health and social care research where much research takes place outside of the NHS and where studies do not involve clinical trials. The new offer is also important for the vision and strategies for the future delivery of clinical research outlined in the report “The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery”, particularly with regard to increasing the use of innovative research designs. The offer will also take full account of the White Paper on Adult Social Care Reform, Busting Bureaucracy, the work of the Accelerated Access Collaborative, Levelling Up in the United Kingdom, the NHS Long Term Plan and the Life Sciences Vision as well as the forthcoming Health Disparities White Paper with its focus on prevention and wider determinants of health.

The NIHR is committed to supporting health, including public health; and social care research providing research opportunities and capacity development for the whole of the workforce, and meeting the research needs of those who work in, use or manage health and care services whether that be in NHS settings or in other areas including local government and the charitable and voluntary sectors.

A total of up to £110 million over five years, is available for this round of NIHR RSS funding from 1 October 2023.

Aim of the Scheme

The aim of the NIHR RSS scheme is to provide an integrated research design, development, collaboration and implementation system with centres that can provide seamless support from pre-application through to post-application phases for all researchers (NIHR- and non-NIHR funded) working across the remit of the NIHR. Researchers will be able to access the methodological advice and support they require, from the initial research idea to the final research outcomes. The funded centres will operate to ensure a collaborative community is established to deliver the best advice and support to each researcher, regardless of their location; to coordinate the identification of research methodology needs; and to share best practice.

Additionally, the funded centres will have a core of methodological expertise, and a focus on suitable training and career development opportunities for Centre staff. 

Scope

The NIHR Research Support Service will provide all researchers, especially those in receipt of NIHR funding, with access to support, advice and expertise in the development and delivery of clinical and applied health and care research. In addition, the scheme will support the development of capacity in areas of current and future need to ensure research design and methodology keeps pace with new technologies and ways of conducting research.

The NIHR Research Support Services will collectively form a national community providing expert research design, methodological support, advice and collaboration throughout the pre- and post- application/research process. While Centres will prioritise advice, collaboration and support for NIHR-supported research, support for non-NIHR funders such as charities, where the research scope aligns with NIHR priorities, are also within remit. The Centres would be expected to signpost and direct researchers to the most appropriate methodological expertise across the Research Support Services that supports study requirements, including advice on patient and public involvement and approaches to addressing equality, diversity and inclusion.

The range of expertise and skills embedded in the Research Support Services  will provide career opportunities for all centre staff engaged in research (e.g. methodologists, study managers, data managers etc) covering the full range of the research across the NIHR portfolio (early phase clinical research through to applied health, care and public health research), and will work with other NIHR research structures to develop research and methodological capability and capacity across the health and care workforce.

The funded Centres will operate nationally, without unnecessary local variation. The number of Centres to be designated has not been pre-determined; however, it is expected that, together, the Centres will provide coverage across all health and care regions in England. Whilst it is not expected that each individual centre will have in-depth expertise across all areas, the services on offer must be accessible to all potential researchers working across the remit of NIHR. Centres will therefore need to demonstrate partnership working and/ or existing critical mass across institutions and organisations, to ensure appropriate, flexible and timely expertise.

Applicants will be expected to work with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) and the emerging equivalent for non-NHS facing public health research to ensure study designs, where relevant, are optimised for operational delivery whilst addressing issues associated with equality, diversity and inclusion. Experience in developing innovative solutions to support research in less research active settings will be essential. We also encourage NIHR RSS Centres to contribute to innovative methodology research where appropriate.

National Specialist Centres

As part of the new scheme, and to support national coverage, a small number of National Specialist Centres will be established to provide expertise in the following areas of identified need:

  • social care research
  • public health research
  • research led by SMEs


Organisations wishing to be designated as a National Specialist Centre will need to demonstrate expertise and partnership working in carrying out research in one (or more) of these settings and sectors, including an understanding of the methodological challenges faced and how these might be mitigated or overcome. They should also demonstrate how they will partner with appropriate infrastructure.

National Specialist Centres can be either hosted by or separate from a generic Centre.

A detailed specification for the public health research National Specialist Centre(s) can be found in Annex 3 and Annex 5.

National Collaborative Hub

All successful organisations will be expected to participate in a National Collaborative Hub to develop a shared business plan detailing the delivery model of core functions, capacity development in the use of virtual resources and identification of future needs in methodology research. The development of core functions will ensure the delivery of a consistent service offer across all Centres and an agreed, transparent costing model for post-application support. All of those bidding are invited to express an interest in providing secretariat support and leadership for a National Collaborative Hub supported by an Independent Advisory Group the membership of which is to be approved DHSC Chief Scientific Advisor. The leadership role will be critical and there will be representation from the National Collaborative Hub on the NIHR Strategy Board.

Eligibility Criteria

Organisations in England with proven expertise in research design, methodology support and delivery are invited to submit an application for NIHR RSS designation and funding. Each organisation may submit one application. 

NIHR RSS designation and funding awards will be made to single lead organisations, collaborations with appropriate organisations are encouraged and funding may pass from the lead organisation to partners via an appropriate mechanism, such as a subcontract.

Funding Available

A total of £80 million is available for this round of NIHR RSS funding. The number and geographical location of NIHR RSS Centres to be designated has not been predetermined, however we expect that the NIHR RSS Centres will cover most regions across England. The number of awards will reflect the quality and scope of the applications. The contracts awarded will be research contracts.

  • Funding will be awarded for a five-year period (starting 1 October 2023).
  • Organisations are permitted to apply for up to £7.5 million over the five year period. The amount of funding allocated to each NIHR RSS centre will be determined by scale and the nature of activity to be conducted by the proposed centre.
  • Applications from single institutions or a consortia are welcomed.
  • Additional funding of £1 million will be made available to establish leadership and secretariat support for National Collaborative Hub.

An additional £30 million will be available to support the activities of the Public Health National Specialist Centre(s). The number of NIHR RSS Public Health Specialist centre(s) has not been predetermined and the number of award(s) will reflect the quality and scope of the applications.

Future additional funding to expand the activities of designated National Specialist Centres for Social Care Research may be made available at a later date

Funding available in this call is to support:

  • Pre-application activity including full design and methodological support to applicants developing fully costed applications to NIHR or external funding schemes which fund research across the NIHR remit (noting that support will not be a requirement for NIHR funding);
  • Support for methodological and research design management training, career development and progression, and retention of expertise and talent.
  • “Light touch” support for post-application activity. Please note that most post-application costs will be recovered through the successful research contracts and awards the Centres support. These costs will follow an agreed, transparent costing-model that will be established across the Centres by the RSS National Collaborative Hub.
  • Any other costs which applicants can demonstrate are clearly linked to the stated aims of the scheme.

Selection Criteria

An Independent Selection Committee will be established to make recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the designation and funding of NIHR RSS centres. The committee will review the applications received and make recommendations on the basis of the following selection criteria:

  • The quality of methodological and research management skills, expertise and capacity to provide timely and responsive advice, collaboration and support across the full range of research within the remit of the NIHR;
  • The breadth and depth of existing research and research delivery expertise; and the plans to develop research and methodological capability and capacity including supporting careers path locally and nationally; 
  • The strength of the strategic partnerships/collaborations with other sources of research advice and key stakeholders in the health and care research landscape and evidence of a commitment to collaborative working including contribution to national initiatives;
  • The strength of the strategic plan, including leadership and governance arrangements, mechanisms for providing pre- and post-application advice managing competing demands on RSS resources, plans for providing access to all regardless of locality using virtual and digital technology, and a clear demonstration of patient and public involvement/engagement and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion;
  • Value for money.

Additionally, applications for National Specialist Centre designation, will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • the strength of the strategic plan to support research projects/programmes pre- and post-application in each specialist area (social care/public health/research lead by SMEs); including a clear demonstration of patient and public involvement/engagement and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion      
  • in depth expertise and experience in the conduct of research in the relevant settings.

Applicants are also invited to express an interest in providing leadership and secretariat support for the National Collaborative Hub. Centres that are successful in securing NIHR RSS designation and funding and express an interest in hosting the National Collaborative Hub  will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • leadership experience of the director at a regional and national level; facilitating a collaborative community to deliver common goals;
  • experience in the identification, development and sharing standards of good practice, supporting their implementation and monitoring regionally and/or nationally;
  • a demonstration of patient and public involvement and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion; and
  • broad knowledge of the health and care landscape and the likely evolving needs in methodology research across a range of scenarios.

Competition Process and Timetable

Date

Process

June 2022

Publish invitation to submit an Application

5 July 2022

Launch meeting for potential applicants

17 August 2022 

RMS portal open for application form submission

16 November 2022

Closing date for receipt of applications

January 2023

Independent Selection Committee meeting

31 March 2023

Anticipated latest date for contract sign off

1 October 2023

Funding for selected NIHR RSS commences

Annex 1: Outline of the Application Form

**Please read this Annex in conjunction with Annex 5**

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Research Management System (RMS). The following information will be requested:

1. Details of the Proposed NIHR RSS Centre

Please provide the name of the proposed RSS Centre. The title should consist of the word ‘NIHR’, the host organisation name followed by the word ‘RSS’ (e.g., NIHR <host Organisation> RSS).

2. Director(s) of the proposed NIHR RSS Centre

Please provide the name of the proposed Director.

a. Co-director of the proposed NIHR RSS - optional

Please provide the name of the proposed co-director.

3. Host organisation

Please select the name of the host organisation using the drop-down menu.

a. Host organisation

Please provide the name of the proposed host organisation the NIHR RSS award.

b. Partner Organisation(s)

Please provide the name(s) of any additional partner organisations that will be formally associated with the proposed NIHR RSS Centre where the intention is to pass funding to them via an appropriate mechanism, such as a subcontract.

National Specialist Centre (Optional)

Please specify which areas of expertise the NIHR RSS Centre intends to cover

Please describe the team’s expertise and partnership working in carrying out research in chosen settings and sectors, including an understanding of the methodological and research delivery challenges faced and how these might be mitigated or overcome.

Please describe the approach to providing access to research support to researchers working within the specific speciality area.

**Please note that this section can only be used for National Specialist Centre for Social Care and/or Research led by SMEs.

National Collaborative Hub (Optional)

Provide an overview of the host organisation’s relevant experience for and an outline approach to hosting the National Collaborative Hub. This should include:

  • the leadership experience of the director at a regional and national level; facilitating a collaborative community to deliver common goals, including attention to championing public involvement and engagement in research;
  • experience in identification, development and sharing standards of good practice, supporting their implementation and monitoring;
  • an outline of the approach that would be taken to develop a shared business plan to ensure consistency in service offer across the NIHR RSS Centres;
  • a justification of how the funding requested will be used to deliver the work of the National Collaborative Hub.(please also include an overview of justification of resources needed for the National Collaborative Hub in the financial plan and justification of resources section)

4. Plain English Summary

  • Plain English Summary
    In plain English, provide an overview of the organisation’s proposal including the proposed key objectives of the NIHR RSS Centre. The summary should explain to a lay reader the expertise, aims and strategic plan of the NIHR RSS Centre.
  • *Plain English Summary for National Specialist Centre for Public Health
    In plain English, provide an overview of the organisation’s proposal including the proposed key objectives of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre. The summary should explain to a lay reader the expertise, aims and strategic plan specific to the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre.

*Will appear on the application form if Public Health is selected as a specialist area of focus in the Host Organisation section.

5. Leadership and Governance

a. Please describe the leadership and expertise demonstrated by the proposed Director and their proposed contribution to the NIHR RSS Centre. This should include:

  • The organisational leadership experience of the Director, including examples of leadership at a local, regional and national level;
  • Evidence of their breadth of expertise in the design and delivery of research within the remit of the NIHR; including:
    • Evidence of managing operational delivery including monitoring the quality of outputs to achieve consistent delivery;
    • Evidence of local implementation of national initiatives;
    • A statement highlighting the Director’s commitment to, and experience of, improving research culture, and equality, diversity and inclusivity in the research and research support workforce. 

b. Please describe the management and governance arrangements for the proposed NIHR RSS Centre. These should include:

  • A description of how the NIHR RSS Centre will be embedded within the governance structure of the host organisation, including arrangements with any additional partners that will formally contribute to the NIHR RSS Centre. Please provide evidence of previous effective partnership working between the host organisation and any proposed partner.
  • An organogram to illustrate the structures outlined above (please upload). 
  • An outline of the proposed NIHR RSS’s Centre’s governance arrangement for overseeing communication/dissemination of standardised practices and protocols.
  • Confirmation that the proposed Director (or where relevant co-Directors) of the NIHR RSS Centre will have responsibility for, and authority over, the NIHR funding if awarded

6. Expertise and Resources

Expertise and Resources
Please provide details of the key contributing personnel who will contribute to the provision of the Research Support Service. Describe the methodological and research skills expertise within the team and how you will access expertise if it is not available within the team.

  • Please provide up to three case studies which highlight previous successes in providing pre- and post-application advice, collaboration and support service to the research community, responding to the constantly evolving research landscape. The information presented should be understandable to both lay and expert members of the committee, written in plain English, without use of jargon. Any technical terms should be explained. (400 words per case study and no more than three may be submitted.)

*Expertise and Resources of Public Health National Specialist Centre
Please provide details of the key contributing personnel who will contribute to the provision of Research Support Service, specifically those who will deliver the additional services described within Annex 3. Describe the skills expertise within the team and how you will access expertise if it is not available within the team (please use up to 800 words for this section).

  • Please provide up to two case studies which highlight previous successes, collaboration and research support functions to non-NHS facing public health studies. The information presented should be understandable to both lay and expert members of the committee, written in plain English, without use of jargon. Any technical terms should be explained (400 words per case study and no more than two may be submitted. Please use appropriate headings, i.e. Case Study 1 – Title if applicable, for each case study).

7. Strategic Plan

Please provide an overview of how the NIHR RSS Centre intends to support the delivery of high-quality integrated research design and development service.

This should include:

  • a description of how the proposed NIHR RSS Centre will enable researchers to have access to methodological advice and support they require, and the virtual and digital approaches that will be used;
  • pre-application advice, collaboration and support to researchers that maximises regional and national reach, ensures research design, considers inclusivity appropriately (for researchers and research participants) and embraces continuous improvement;
  • appropriate scalable and affordable post-application advice, collaboration and support for the funded research, including appropriate iteration as research support needs change;
  • response to future changing research needs and priorities, including the use of new and novel research methodologies and new technologies;
  • an overview of the procedures in place to ensure a collaborative community is established to deliver the best advice and support to each researcher, regardless of their location; to coordinate the identification of research methodology needs; and to share best practice.


Please specify the SMART objectives that will be used to track the progress of the proposed NIHR RSS Centre by using the add function below. Please include details of how the proposed NIHR RSS Centre will monitor and determine successful completion of each objective. 

  • short term (1-2 years);
  • medium term (2-3 years); and

long term (4-5 years).

*Strategic Plan for the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre
Please provide an overview of how the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre intends to support pre- and post-application support typically provided by an NIHR RSS, and in particular how the proposed Specialist Centre intends to provide research support to non-NHS facing public health studies, typically local authorities. The range of research support functions required includes:

  • Support applicants interested in applying to NIHR Public Health research calls such as PHR.
  • Mechanisms for ethics approval where research falls outside the HRA remit
  • Staff research training and competency
  • Research passports and honorary contracts
  • Caldicott Guardians, public engagement, and EDI
  • Local support

Please include any particular governance and management structures that will support the delivery of these services and how they link in formally to the overall management and governance of the proposed NIHR RSS Centre as described in the Leadership and Governance section.

Please refer to Annex 3 of the applicant guidance for a detailed description of the services expected to be provided by the National Specialist Centre for Public Health.

If applicable please upload a one-page PDF summarising the proposed strategic plan of the NIHR RSS Public Health Specialist Centre (optional).

Please specify the SMART objectives that will be used to track the progress of the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre by using the add function below.

  • short term (1-2 years);
  • medium term (2-3 years); and
  • long term (4-5 years)

*Will appear on the application form if Public Health is selected as a specialist area of focus in the Host Organisation section.

8. Research Support Capacity Development

Please describe the NIHR RSS Centre’s approach and future plans for providing support for training and career development of all Centre staff, detailing how the centre is planning to work in partnership with other parts of the NIHR to deliver this in a sustainable and future-proof way.

Please indicate how the proposed NIHR RSS will: 

  • provide support for methodological and research design management training, career development and progression, and retention of expertise and talent; and
  • provide training to enhance skills and workforce development in order to build further capacity and expertise within the Centre.

9. Collaboration

Please describe how the proposed NIHR RSS Centre will integrate with other sources of research advice and key stakeholders in the health and care research landscape, across the UK.

10. Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement      

Please describe the approach to- and future plans for Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in the provision of the Research Support Services.

This section should consist of a summary of:

  • An outline of the lay involvement in the NIHR RSS Centre governance structures and research support activities;
  • An outline of the strategic objectives for PPIE including the approach that will be taken to support equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • An outline of the programme of activities and resources to support PPIE in research design and methodological research;
  • How researchers will be supported in developing PPIE approaches pre-application and the support available for delivery of PPIE post application (including advice on recruitment to clinical trials). 
  • The processes for measuring and evidencing the impact of the NIHR RSSs Centre’s PPIE approach across the work of the Centre.

Please provide a case study which illustrates how the applicants have supported patient and public involvement and engagement in research design and methodological research. The information presented should be understandable to both lay and expert members of the committee, written in plain English, without use of jargon. Any technical terms should be explained. (400 words) 

11. Financial Plan and Justification of Resources

Please provide a breakdown and justification for costs for the proposed NIHR RSS Centre.

Please provide a separate breakdown and justification for costs related to the Public Health National Specialist Centre and/or National Collaborative Hub.

Please enter all costs into the finance section of the application form, including costs related to the National Collaborative Hub and/or National Specialist Centre for Public Health.

We strongly recommend for the total additional costs related to the National Collaborative Hub (up to £1m) and/or National Specialist Centre for Public Health (up to £30m) to be explicitly stated in the justification boxes in the appropriate sections.

We also strongly recommend any costs that are related to the National Collaborative Hub to be followed by the acronym NCH, e.g. staff type name (NCH), and similarly, any costs related to the National Specialist Centre for Public Health to be followed by the acronym PH.

Financial Plan and Justification of Resources

11.1 Please refer to the associated finance guidance document to aid filling in this form. In addition, there is a short video to visually demonstrate how to complete this form. This should be read in conjunction with Annex 4 of the guidance for applicants for details about costs.

For any Finance queries, please contact ccf-infrastructure-team@nihr.ac.uk.

11.2 Please provide a description of how these resources will be deployed to support the work of the proposed NIHR RSS, including:

  • Justification for the resources requested;
  • Please state the resources, including a financial cost estimate, that you anticipate will be allocated to research and research support development;
  • Please state the resources, including a financial cost estimate, that you anticipate will be allocated to the PPIE activities of the RSS;
  • The financial or other contribution from the host organisation or other relevant collaborators to the proposed NIHR RSS, noting that value for money will be a key aspect in the designation of the new round of NIHR RSS.


Please use the same justification box to provide details on the costs related to the National Collaborative Hub. Any costs related to the National Collaborative Hub should be marked clearly and addressed in separate paragraphs (please allow 500 words for the National Collaborative Hub) .

11.3 Please provide a statement on how activities would be prioritised in the event of the final award being decreased by the following levels of that applied for:

  • -10%, or -50%.

*Financial Plan and Justification of Resources for Public Health National Specialist Centre

Please provide a description of how these resources will be deployed to support the work of the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre, including:

  • Justification for the resources requested;
  • Please state the resources that you anticipate will be allocated to skills and workforce development;
  • Please state the resources, including a financial cost estimate, that you anticipate will be allocated to the PPIE activities of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre;
  • The financial or other contribution from the host organisation or other relevant collaborators to the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre, noting that value for money will be a key aspect in the designation of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre.

Please use the justification box below to only provide details on the costs related to the Public Health National Specialist Centre.

Please provide a statement on how activities would be prioritised in the event of the final award being decreased by the following levels of that applied for:

  • -10%, or -50%.

*Will appear on the application form if Public Health is selected as a specialist area of focus in the Host Organisation section.

12. Administrative contact details

Please provide the details of the administrative contact, in the host body or other provider of host services as a secondary point of contact for any queries relating to the application, should it be supported.

13. Research and Development office contact details

Please provide the contact details and job title of a person in the R&D office with whom we will liaise with to sign the contract should the application be successful.

NOTE: Please note this person does not need to be included as a co-applicant.

14. Declaration and Signature

RMS will automatically generate ‘sign off’ emails from the Directors and Lead

Annex 2: Essential information for applicants and frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Please see our frequently asked questions document for a full list of published questions. In addition, we will provide answers to any additional queries submitted through our online form which will be open until 2 November 2022.

Annex 3: Research Support Services Public Health Specialist Centre(s)

Introduction

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 is a paucity of useful evidence around what can impact on these drivers and how to influence them. It is vital that local government is better supported to become more research-active where research is co-produced with the public, policy makers and practitioners. This will ensure research helps answer the most important questions facing policy makers and services at local and national levels to improve and protect people’s health while reducing inequalities.  

Context

UK public health research is undergoing substantial evolution following the publication of the Academy of Medical Sciences report Health of the Public in 2040 and establishment of the Strategic Coordination of Health of the Public Research (SCHOPR) Committee - sub-board of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR). The NIHR has taken a strategic decision to widen its support to public health research and prevention, and has already begun a programme of initiatives to strengthen how it supports public health, which typically needs to focus on non-NHS settings and local government in particular, where many of the levers to affect population health improvements lie. 

New Approaches for Public Health Research

As well as investing in new infrastructure such as Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs), the NIHR also needs to transform the model of research delivery and research study support to research in the wider determinants of health. Current models work well for NHS-facing public health research (e.g. in primary care) but less well for public health research outside of the NHS. The future CRN will continue to support public health studies that require the recruitment of individuals within an NHS setting (i.e. acute, ambulance, mental health, community, or primary care) or episode of care and an equivalent support mechanism for non-NHS facing public health research will be established. The equivalent mechanism will provide research delivery functions that are needed such as: identification of participants, recruitment and consent for recruiting studies in non-NHS settings (e.g. schools, communities); data sharing/access/linkage agreements, management and delivery; mechanisms for ensuring transparency of research (alternative to trial registration); knowledge transfer and dissemination; performance management and information requests; and a commercial research central contact.

NIHR RSS Public Health Specialist Centre Functions and Responsibilities

In addition to pre- and post-application support typically provided by an NIHR RSS, the Public Health Specialist Centre(s) will also provide research support functions to non-NHS facing public health studies, typically local authorities. In local government information is managed according to GDPR and there are examples of local data sharing agreements, but research governance is very limited. For example, local authorities are not familiar with the research ‘sponsor’ role that is required in the NHS, there is no mechanism for gaining ethics approval (without an academic partner willing to facilitate this), and there are no designated research staff to oversee and manage research activity.

The range of research support functions required includes: 

  • Support applicants interested in applying to NIHR public health research calls such as PHR.
  • Mechanisms for ethics approval where research falls outside the HRA remit
  • Staff research training and competency
  • Research passports and honorary contracts
  • Caldicott Guardians, public engagement, and EDI
  • Local support including: 
    • Research finance management including costing and approval of research costs; approval of sponsorship; management of funding and research accounts; and finance specifications for research contracting
    • Local research governance and management similar to that undertaken by R&D and finance departments in the NHS including undertaking the role of sponsor; R&D approval process (e.g. equivalent to HRA approval to undertake research in the NHS and local NHS organisation approval confirming capacity and capability); collaboration agreements, contracts and intellectual property management; performance monitoring of research initiation and delivery; senior leadership oversight 

The Public Health Specialist Centre(s) will need to work with both the NIHR CRN and the emerging equivalent for non-NHS facing public health research. It will need to be aware of the new NIHR mechanisms for enabling local government to be research active including HDRCs and the Public Health Intervention Responsive Study Teams (PHIRST). It will also need to engage with the HRA for options for ethical approvals. 

Budget

An additional £30 million over the period of 5 years is available for the NIHR RSS Public Health Specialist Centre(s) to establish these research support functions, over, and above other public health activities that the Centre might wish to offer.

Annex 4: Application Finances and Eligible Costs

Scheme specific information

The purpose of NIHR Research Support Service funding is to provide an integrated research design, development, collaboration and implementation system with centres that can provide seamless support from pre-application through to post-application phases for all researchers (NIHR- and non-NIHR funded) working across the remit of the NIHR. 

Please note that most post-application costs will be recovered through the successful research contracts and awards the Centres support. These costs will follow an agreed, transparent costing-model that will be established across the Centres by the RSS National Collaborative Hub.

Funding awards will be made to the host organisation, but it is permissible for funds to flow to other partner organisations formally part of the NIHR RSS centre, via a suitable mechanism such as a subcontract.

Justification of costs

Provide justification for the resources requested, including the following:

  1. staff costs,
  2. travel, subsistence and conference fees
  3. equipment (including lease versus purchase costs)
  4. consumables, 
  5. patient and public involvement, engagement and participation 
  6. dissemination costs
  7. other direct cost
  8. indirect costs

For help with estimating PPIE costs please see the NIHR Payments Guidance for researchers and professionals.

You should indicate here how this NIHR Research Support Service will provide researchers with access to support, advice and expertise in the development and delivery of clinical and applied health and care research.

You should describe the value for money of the conduct of the proposed research support service. 

Detailed Budget Breakdown

The finance section should provide a breakdown of costs associated with the provision of support, advice and expertise throughout the pre- and post- application/research process as described in the proposal. Please refer to the associated Guidance on how to complete the finance section of funding applications or refer to our generic short stage 2 finance guidance video for advice on how to complete this section of the application form.

General information

The information entered in this section should provide an analysis of the total funds requested to provide the research support services proposed and should be based on current prices. These costs will be used to assess value for money. 

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 including host organisation costs. You must also ensure that you include all costs including those required to secure good research support service management.  

  • Costs must be provided at current prices. An adjustment for inflation will be made annually thereafter at rates set by the Department of Health and Social Care. Whilst allowances for incremental increases should be included on the form, nationally or locally agreed pay increases should be excluded. 
  • Years should be calculated starting from the anticipated start date of the proposed service. i.e. since the contract is expected to start on 01 October 2023 then its second year starts 01 October 2024.
  • Further itemisation of costs and methods of calculation may be requested to support the application at a later date.
  • Payments will be made to the contracted organisation only and the contracted organisation will be responsible for passing on any money due to their partner organisation(s).
  • Appropriate sub-contracts must be put in place for any element of the service which is to be paid to another organisation.
  • All applications are expected to have appropriate NHS, HEI, commercial and other partner organisation input into the finance section of the application form if applicable.
  • Non-commercial led awards (e.g., NHS, HEI etc.) will be paid via BAC transfer payment schedules. The NIHR will release funds net of VAT as Research and Development is considered VAT exempt. There are some cost items within an application which may incur VAT, such as equipment or subcontractors. If the applying organisation is unable to claim back the VAT on these items (e.g., maybe they are not VAT registered) then applicants can charge the gross value to the application.
  • Commercial led awards will be paid via invoicing. It is up to the company to decide if it is appropriate to apply VAT on the invoice. If the company decides to apply VAT, then DHSC will pay the invoice and claim back the VAT. We recommend that applicants seek advice from VAT experts within their organisation before applying.

Please note that whilst the applicable percentages will be used to calculate the maximum grant payable, the programme reserves the right to award a grant for less than this maximum where it is considered appropriate.

Information on different types of organisations

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

For HEIs, up to 100% of direct and /indirect costs will be paid.

NHS bodies and other providers of NHS services in England

For applications where the contractor is an NHS body or provider of NHS services in England, up to 100% of direct costs will be paid.

Commercial/other organisations

If you are a commercial organisation/consultancy, please fill in direct costs and commercial indirect costs. Indirect costs should be charged in proportion to the amount of support service staff effort requested on the funding application form. Up to 100% of costs will be paid.

If you are another partner organisation (e.g., charity, local authority, or NGO), please fill in direct costs and other organisations indirect costs. Indirect costs should be charged in proportion to the amount of support service staff effort requested on the funding application form. Up to 100% of costs will be paid. 

Information on different cost types

Direct costs

These are costs that are specific to the research support service, which will be charged as the amount actually spent and can be supported by an audit record. They should comprise:

Staff costs

This section presents an overview of salary and associated on-costs for the applicant(s) contributing to the research support service, including normal salary increments broken down individually. 

  • Where applicants are already in receipt of NIHR funding for any part of their salaries (e.g. NIHR Fellowships), these should not be additionally charged to the project.

Salary costs (apply to years) 

This section specifies the annual costs of each staff member contributing to the research support service. You should now allocate the individual staff member costs to each year of the research, allowing for increments. Use current rates of pay, and build in any known annual increments (again at current rates). You will not be able to claim for pay awards retrospectively, once your research support service is underway.

Travel, subsistence and conference dissemination costs 

This section includes journey costs, subsistence and conference fees. Where applicable, you will need to include the travel and subsistence costs of your project advisory group, steering committee and/or data monitoring & ethics committee. Travel and subsistence costs relating to dissemination should also be included here, as should costs relating to overseas travel.

Journey costs

Enter the total cost of transport for all journeys for destination/purpose. 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. NIHR awards do not usually fund first class travel.

Subsistence

Subsistence covers accommodation (if necessary) and meals associated with the travel, excluding any alcoholic beverages.

Conferences

There are no limits to UK conference attendance. However, international conference fees should be individually stated and fully justified in terms of costs versus the benefit.

Equipment 

Essential items of equipment plus maintenance and related costs not included as part of estates should be input in this section. These can be lease or purchase costs.  

  • The purchase cost of pieces of equipment, valued up to £5,000 excluding VAT, will be considered.
  • Pieces of equipment costing more than £5,000 to purchase will usually need to be leased. Where applicants are leasing equipment with a purchase price of more than £5,000, a comparison of leasing versus purchasing costs must be provided in the ‘Justification of Costs’ section.  
  • Items of equipment valued at £250 or more must be itemised separately; however grouping same type equipment is permitted. 
  • Costs of computers are limited to a maximum of £1000 per item. This includes the costs of any associated software and VAT. A statement of justification must be included, in the relevant ‘Justification of Costs’ section, for any purchase above this limit.

Consumables 

This section includes non-reusable items specific to the research support service. Please itemise and describe the requirements fully (e.g. postage, stationery, photocopying). These items should be research support service specific, not just general office costs which should be covered by indirect costs.

Patient and public involvement and engagement

Please itemise and describe fully the costs associated with patient and public involvement and engagement. These are likely to include individual travel, out of pocket expenses, payment for time and any relevant training and support costs. 

If voluntary, charity or community groups are supporting the research support activities, such as facilitating contact with potential participants, hosting research activities or providing advice, an adequate budget must be included to compensate for their time and resources. 

For further information on budgeting for involvement, please read the NIHR Payments Guidance for researchers and professionals.

Other direct costs 

These are costs, not identified elsewhere, that are specifically attributed to the research support service. For example, costs associated with the use of external consultancy costs, computer licensing and advertising costs. 

Please note that for organisations claiming indirect/overhead costs, costs such as recruitment of staff, and general training (e.g., in common IT packages) are costs that should be covered by the indirect costs element of the award being sought and should not appear in this section. 

If external consultancy costs are included in this section they must be fully justified in the ‘Justification of Costs’ section. Please specify the hourly rate and the number of hours and note that consultants must not be people who are already employed by the applicant’s institution. If they are, any costs should be entered as direct costs in the ‘Staff Costs’ and ‘Salary Costs’ sections.

Dissemination Costs

Open access costs

It is expected that, where necessary, open access costs will be recovered from the successful applications that the NIHR RSS has supported. Any additional open access costs anticipated should be included.

Other dissemination costs

Any large costs should be further detailed. Meetings to share best practice, training events and events to disseminate research support services must be run at the lowest possible cost with minimal catering. ‘Conferences’ which are described as such are not eligible for funding.

Indirect costs/overheads 

Indirect costs comprise: 

  • General office and basic laboratory consumables
  • Premises/estate costs 
  • Library services/learning resources 
  • Typing/secretarial 
  • Finance, personnel, public relations and departmental services 
  • Usage costs of major research facilities 
  • Central and distributed computing 
  • Charge out rates for shared equipment 
  • Cost of capital employed

HEI indirect costs

Total HEI indirect costs must be fully justified. HEIs are permitted to claim estate and other indirect costs.

  • HEI indirect costs are based on the number of full-time equivalent research support staff working and the indirect/estates charges set by an institution. 
  • Where staff from more than one HEI are supporting research services there may be different indirect/estates charges for each one. Please list each institution on a separate line.
  • Please note HEI indirect costs cannot be claimed on shared staff costs. 

The applicant(s) should consult their HEI finance departments for the appropriate figures to include in the estate charges and other indirect cost section.

Commercial/other partner organisation indirect costs

Commercial/other partner organisations (e.g. Charity, Local Authority) can claim indirect costs which are the costs of resources used by the research support services that are shared by other activities. Please seek advice from your finance department about the appropriate cost for this section.

Total Commercial/other partner organisation indirect costs must be fully justified.

Annex 5: Additional Guidance for National Specialist Centre Applicants

For applicants to be considered for National Specialist Centre designation, they will first need to be successful in obtaining an NIHR RSS Centre designation and funding, please see Diagram 1 which summarises how the NIHR designation and funding will be assigned.

Please note that there is no extra funding available for National Specialist Centres for Social Care or Research led by SMEs.

Important Changes

  • NIHR has decided to provide this opportunity to applicants who would like to apply for designation and funding for the Public Health Specialist Centre (up to £30 million), to submit additional information via the Research Management System (RMS).
  • The additional information can be provided within the same application form on the Research Management System (RMS) which launched on 17 August 2022. Further guidance is provided below.

 

Diagram 1 - Summary of NIHR RSS Application’s available Funding and Designation(s).

NIHR RSS Funding

NIHR RSS Centre (£7.5m)

  • National Collaborative Hub (Funding Available £1m)
  • National Specialist Centre
    • Social Care research (Designation only, i.e. no funding)
    • Research Led by SMEs (Designation only, i.e. no funding)
    • Public Health Research (up to £30m funding available, to deliver the additional services outlined in Annex 3) **Please note additional sections have been added to the RMS application form**

Guidance for Public Health National Specialist Centre(s) Applicants

NIHR have customised the NIHR RSS RMS application form, to allow applicants who wish to be considered for the Public Health National Specialist Centre funding and designation, to have the opportunity to clearly demonstrate how they intend to provide the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre Functions and Responsibilities as outlined in the application guidance’s Annex 3. 

  1. This customisation have made the following changes to the RMS application form:
    Once applicants specify Public Health as the area of expertise that they intend to cover in the Host Organisation section, additional sub-sections will appear on the form.
  2. In addition to these sub-sections, we have provided additional guidance for the finance section of the application. The guidance which is now made available to you on the RMS application.

It is important to note the applicants can still use their open pre-application on the RMS system after this change is implemented. This did not affect any of the populated sections of your pre-application.

Information to be provided in the application

Guidance to fill in the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre additional sections.

  • Please note the sections provided below, are the sections which will now automatically appear on the existing RMS application form (in the respective sections, i.e. finance justification additional box, will be added in the “Financial plan and justification of resources section”). Please note that these additional sections will be added only if the applicant selects Public Health as the area of expertise which they intend to cover in the Host Organisation section of the application form.
  • We strongly encourage applicants to use these sections to address the NIHR Public Health Specialist Centres’ requirements as provided in the application guidance’s Annex 3.

Additional Sections for the Public Health National Specialist Centre

Plain English Summary Section (300 words)
In plain English, provide an overview of the organisation’s proposal including the proposed key objectives of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre. The summary should explain to a lay reader the expertise, aims and strategic plan specific to the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre.

Expertise and Resources Section (1600 words)
Please provide details of the key contributing personnel who will contribute to the provision of Research Support Service, specifically those who will deliver the additional services described within Annex 3. Describe the skills expertise within the team and how you will access expertise if it is not available within the team (please use up to 800 words for this section)

  • Please provide up to two case studies which highlight previous successes, collaboration and research support functions to non-NHS facing public health studies. The information presented should be understandable to both lay and expert members of the committee, written in plain English, without use of jargon. Any technical terms should be explained (400 words per case study and no more than three may be submitted. Please use appropriate headings, i.e. Case Study 1 – Title if applicable, for each case study).

Strategic Plan Section (2000 words)
Please provide an overview of how the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre intends to support pre- and post-application support typically provided by an NIHR RSS, and in particular how the proposed Specialist Centre intends to provide research support to non-NHS facing public health studies, typically local authorities. The range of research support functions required includes:

  • Support applicants interested in applying to NIHR Public Health research calls such as PHR.
  • Mechanisms for ethics approval where research falls outside the HRA remit
  • Staff research training and competency
  • Research passports and honorary contracts
  • Caldicott Guardians, public engagement, and EDI
  • Local support

Please include any particular governance and management structures that will support the delivery of these services and how they link in formally to the overall management and governance of the proposed NIHR RSS Centre as described in the Leadership and Governance section.

Please refer to Annex 3 of the applicant guidance for a detailed description of the services expected to be provided by the National Specialist Centre for Public Health.

Please specify the SMART objectives that will be used to track the progress of the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre by using the add function below.

  • short term (1-2 years);
  • medium term (2-3 years); and
  • long term (4-5 years)

Financial Plan and justification of resources Section (1250 words)
Please provide a description of how these resources will be deployed to support the work of the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre, including:

  • Justification for the resources requested;
  • Please state the resources that you anticipate will be allocated to skills and workforce development;
  • Please state the resources, including a financial cost estimate, that you anticipate will be allocated to the PPIE activities of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre;
  • The financial or other contribution from the host organisation or other relevant collaborators to the proposed NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre, noting that value for money will be a key aspect in the designation of the NIHR RSS Public Health National Specialist Centre.

*Please use the justification box below to only provide details on the costs related to the Public Health National Specialist Centre.

Please provide a statement on how activities would be prioritised in the event of the final award being decreased by the following levels of that applied for:

  • -10%, or -50%.