Please note the deadline for question submissions has now passed.
Scope
1. Will all NIHR funded applications need to include input from an RSS centre?
We do not anticipate that all researchers or research teams will need support and we acknowledge that in some cases support will necessarily be “light touch”. In addition, capacity will be limited.
2. What support will RSS Centres provide to researchers who do not want or need support from a clinical trials unit?
NIHR RSS centres should, collectively, be able to support researchers applying to all NIHR funding schemes including those related to, for example, public health or social care as well as those studies that need to be carried out in a clinical setting. The package of support available should encompass access to design support at any stage along the research path e.g. from application to implementation allowing researchers to seek advice as required with design queries. This would cover both pre- and post-application support.
3. How are researchers throughout the health and care system expected to access the support provided by each NIHR RSS centre?
Access to the NIHR RSS via virtual and digital technology should be maximised to reduce geographical constraint. The strengths of different centres will help to provide an integrated offer to researchers.
4. Do you plan to have each RSS map onto a specific region - as currently NIHR CTUs are UK wide and NIHR RDSs regional (with NIHR CRN covering different regions to RDSs)?
The funded NIHR RSS Centres will operate nationally, without unnecessary local variation. The number of designated Centres has not been pre-determined; we recognise the benefits region spread has brought and it is expected that, together, the Centres will provide coverage across all health and care regions in England although we are not committing to funding the NIHR RSS to a specific regional footprint.
5. What expectation or obligation will there be for NIHR RSS centres to support all teams that approach them (especially if NIHR RSS centres do not operate on a geographical footprint)? If they are obliged, how will workload be managed? If not, what support will teams receive if an NIHR RSS centre cannot take them on?
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. Centres will need to consider within their governance structures how they will manage workflow and triage of projects in order to best benefit the research system as a whole. Additionally, through the Hub, centres will be expected to refer potential customers to each other.
6. How will conflicts of interest be handled if an NIHR RSS centre is a collaborator in one application but supporting other applications to the same programme or call?
Each NIHR RSS Centre will be expected to have appropriate governance in place to support all applications fairly. Also, as highlighted in the previous question, the National Collaborative Hub, should be used to support an ethos of networking and collaboration to help manage a consistent service to all researchers.
7. Will methodological research still have specific, competitive funding attached as is available to current NIHR CTUs? Is funding for methodological development a part of RSS?
The efficient studies project funding currently available to NIHR CTU will be discontinued. RSS centres will be expected to include some innovative methodological development projects within their core work programme, alongside the work being completed to support researchers in the development/design of their studies. RSS centres may also leverage additional funding to support methodological development projects from the NIHR including from the NIHR/MRC Methodology Research Programme.
8. What role will NIHR RSS centres have in promoting NIHR funding programmes, calls and highlights?
The NIHR RSS Centres will be expected to be aware of NIHR funding programmes and calls, the NIHR CC will work with the National Collaborative Hub to ensure dissemination of information to all NIHR RSS centres.
9. What role will NIHR RSS centres have in research capacity development?
NIHR RSS Centres will be expected to
i. provide support for methodological and research design management training, career development and progression, and retention of expertise and talent; and
ii. provide training to enhance skills and workforce development in order to build further capacity and expertise within the NIHR RSS.
10. Please could you clarify the expectation that NIHR RSS centres should only support full stage applications and not those at the earlier 'outline' stage?
For schemes which have both an ‘outline’ stage and a ‘full’ stage, research design support can be sought during the outline stages, however the NIHR RSS Centres should develop a strategy to prioritise demand.
11. What does "unnecessary local variation" mean?
We expect centres, working through the National Collaborative Hub, to agree a delivery model for core functions to ensure consistency of service for researchers. The funded NIHR RSS centres should 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.
12. Will NIHR RSS Centres be aligned with the CRN?
The number of NIHR RSS 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. There is no expectation that these will align with the CRN regions. We encourage collaborative bids where appropriate.
13. What kind of metrics will the NIHR RSS Centres be assessed on?
Overall, the success of the scheme will be assessed against the top level aims as described in the guidance. Individually, the progress of each NIHR RSS centre will be measured against their SMART objectives. We encourage individual NIHR RSS Centres to develop their own Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess the impact their services have at a local and national level. The annual reporting metrics for the scheme have not yet been finalised.
14. What post application support is envisaged from non-specialist centres?
The NIHR RSS centres should provide seamless support from pre-application to post application phases, researchers should be able to access methodological advice and support from the initial research idea to the final research outcome. The provision of local support such as research finance management and research governance and management as described in Annex 3 is expected of the National Specialist Centre(s) in Public Health only.
15. Does the scheme recognise infrastructure requirements (e.g. quality management systems, IT systems) at the post-award stage?
It is expected that the majority of the post-application costs are recouped via an agreed and transparent costing model from the successful awards supported by the NIHR RSS centre. However, a proportion of the funding from the NIHR RSS award may be used to cover post application activity. Please note that there is no capital funding available through this call; the financial guidance lists allowable equipment costs.
16. Many researchers wish to go to their local service for face-to-face meetings. Local delivered services also support the development of new researchers by engaging with local clinicians. Isn't there a need to have a local service that can work widely with different specialties?
Researchers may approach their local service if they wish, although the local service may recommend support from another centre should that be more appropriate for that researcher's needs. The expectation is that the funded NIHR RSS centres will provide a collaborative community to deliver the best advice and support to each researcher, regardless of their location.
17. Would post-application support include support for studies that are not trials, including qualitative, observational studies?
Post-application support can include support for studies that are not trials, including qualitative, observational studies. The funding for the NIHR RSS post-application support will be through cost recovery from the study award.
18. Can NIHR RSS Centres be disease specialists? How are the NIHR RSS Centres going to support the breadth of research?
We expect that NIHR RSS Centres will have different areas of expertise across the Network. In order to move more towards providing a National Service, we expect NIHR RSS Centres to be able to signpost and introduce applicants to other centres within the network that may be able to offer more appropriate advice.
19. Supporting engagement in research across the health system works well when working across infrastructure at a local / regional level. How would this be consistently feasible across England?
Each NIHR RSS centre may still engage with their local and regional infrastructure. The expectation is that the funded NIHR RSS centres will provide a collaborative community to deliver the best advice and support to each researcher, regardless of their location. Therefore, an NIHR centre may recommend support from another centre should that be more appropriate for that researchers’ needs.
20. Where will the NIHR RSS Centres fit in the overall research delivery landscape?
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. Applicants will be expected to work with the NIHR Clinical Research Network 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.
21. What does the post-award transparent costing model mean?
An agreed, transparent costing model for post-application support will be developed through the work of the National Collaborative Hub. This would ensure that any services provided post-award will be cost in the same manner across the NIHR RSS Network.
22. Can you explain what is within the NIHR remit?
The overall remit of the NIHR is early translational (experimental medicine), clinical and applied health research, public health research and social care research.
23. Are their any particular groups of researchers/funding schemes that the NIHR RSS scheme is especially designed to support?
NIHR RSS centres should provide support from pre-application through to post-application phases for all researchers working across the remit of the NIHR with support prioritised for those applying for funding from NIHR programmes.
24. You are after a transparent funding model for CTUs. Would this be only for studies that come through the RSS, or would it also be required for all studies CTUs help with?
We expect use of the agreed transparent costing models for NIHR RSS Centres providing post-application support. CTUs that continue to operate after September 2023 without NIHR funding, will not be managed or monitored by the NIHR.
25. Will NIHR RSS centres support fellowship applicants? If so, will the post application support be through cost recovery as for other awards?
Yes, NIHR RSS centres should support fellowship applicants where requested. Fellowship applicants can include costs for post award support within their application.
26. Is it within the remit of the scheme for an organisation/consortium to put in an application (up to the full budget limit) which covers an inclusive range of research methods, design support and expertise to fulfill the NIHR RSS requirements but propose to provide this support only to social care on a national basis as a specialist social care RSS?
Yes, applicants may propose an NIHR RSS centre that focuses on a specific area of strength.
27. This call does not include support for NIHR's Global Health programme. Will support for this be met by some other means by which an RSS can direct researchers to certain bodies?
Support for Global Health Research applications is not within scope for the NIHR RSS scheme, researchers should seek support for their applications from other sources.
28. It is not very clear what research led by SMEs is referring to in regard of National Specialist Centres. Can you please explain this further?
The focus of the National Specialist Centre for Research led by SMEs is expected to be primarily studies led by lifescience companies from the pharma and/or healthtech sectors.
29. Will applications focusing on a specific health need or speciality area (e.g. mental health, multiple long term conditions, child health, etc) be considered for NIHR RSS designation and funding?
Applications with a specific focus on disease or health areas will be considered for NIHR RSS designation and funding (up to £7.5 million). There is an expectation that the proposed NIHR RSS would 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. The applicant should also provide justification for their approach and demonstration of a national need. The Selection Committee will assess all applications against the published selection criteria.
PPIE, Research Culture and EDI
30. What role will NIHR RSS Centres have in promoting and supporting public engagement?
We expect the PPIE offer of proposed NIHR RSS Centres to be two-fold. Centres are expected to:
i) advise researchers on how best to integrate PPIE in their research support service and delivery and,
ii) support/embed PPIE as part of their core advisory offer to researchers.
31. How are NIHR RSS centres expected to demonstrate appropriate research culture and equality, inclusion and diversity?
NIHR RSS Directors are expected to be advocates of best practice and to support change aimed at improving the culture of research across the health and care sector i.e. NHS and non-NHS settings. NHS organisations will be expected to demonstrate leadership on this agenda. Organisations applying for funding are required to demonstrate how protected characteristics have been addressed, including the steps taken to ensure the programme does not perpetuate or exacerbate inequalities and, where appropriate, mitigate risks that could affect any of the protected characteristics. We expect NIHR RSSs to demonstrate how they are supporting greater equity of opportunities through the capacity building and training offered and encourage researchers to consider the diversity of their leadership and governance structures. This will be considered as part of the overall assessment process. Organisations may wish to refer to the principles and best practice outlined within relevant Charters and Concordats such as the Researcher Development Concordat. Successful applicants will be required to submit a fully developed Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity strategy within six months of the contract start date.
32. Is there an expected % budget to be allocated to PPIE &EDI ?
There is no recommended budget allocations for PPIE and EDI.
National Specialist Centres
33. Do you envisage there being more than one specialist centre covering a particular area e.g. social care?
The number of designated Specialist Centres, will depend on the quality and strength of the applications. The number of Specialist Centres has not been predetermined.
34. Will those appointed as National Specialist Centres in social care research, public health research or research led by SMEs also support research outside those specialties? Will they receive additional funding?
Applicants can apply to host a Specialist Centre which focuses only on their chosen speciality (e.g. public health) or to host a more generic RSS which has some critical mass/ expertise in one of the specialist areas.
There is additional funding to support Specialist Centre(s) in public health included within this call. Future additional funding to expand the activities of designated National Specialist Centres for Social Care Research may be made available at a later date.
35. Will there be an opportunity to be recognised as a National Specialist Centre in future funding rounds?
No decision has been taken regarding future funding rounds at this time.
36. Is the remit for the Social Care National Specialist Centre(s) similar to that outlined for Public Health?
No, the Social Care National specialist centre is not expected to provide the additional services outlined for the Public health specialist centre in Annex 3. They should however be able to demonstrate expertise and partnership working in carrying out research in social care settings, and demonstrate the likely methodological challenges to be faced and how these might be mitigated or overcome.
37. Are the applications for National Specialist Centres and NIHR RSS Centres separate? Can you apply to become a specialist centre and not an NIHR RSS Centre or vice versa?
Applicants can be designated as a National Specialist Centre provided they first fulfil the criteria for an NIHR RSS Centre. Applications for National Specialist Centres will be assessed as part of the overall RSS competition and some centres may only receive designation and funding to become an NIHR RSS Centre but not a National Specialist Centre.
38. Will there be any additional funding available for the SME National Specialist Centre(s)?
There is no immediate expectation that additional funding will be available to expand the activities of designated National Specialist Centres for Research Led by SMEs.
39. Can one apply for designation of a National Specialist Centre in more than one area of identified need, with different collaborators?
Applicants with sufficient expertise in more than one area of identified need, will be able to be considered for a double or triple designation. The applicants can demonstrate collaborations with more than one partner to ensure appropriate depth and breadth of experience for each area of identified need.
40. Are there any implications for the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR)?
There are no implications for the NIHR SPHR.
41. Can you confirm if National Specialist Centres for Social care can apply for additional funding?
Applicants that wish to apply for Designation as a National Specialist Centre for social care can apply for up to £7.5 million. The National Specialist Centre for Social Care must be able to demonstrate expertise within social care research and social care settings but are not expected to delivery the extra activities required of the National Specialist Centre for Public Health as described in Annex 3 of the guidance.
42. How will the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre in Public Health work with other NIHR RSSs without specialist centres?
All NIHR RSS centres are expected to work together as needed, collaboration will be co-ordinated through the National Collaborative Hub.
43. Is methodological expertise expected to reside in the generic NIHR RSS centre and for the Specialist Centre to draw on it, or is NIHR looking for context-specific methodologists to sit within the Specialist Centre?
All NIHR RSS centres will need to demonstrate methodological expertise, noting that this is a key selection criteria. It is up to applicants to decide how best to configure their centres and to demonstrate how they will access speciality specific expertise should they wish to be considered for designation as a National Specialist Centre.
44. If an RSS is not a designated National Specialist Centre for Social Care or Public Health, will they be able to support local clients who have previously used them as RDS to support calls to RfSC or PHR, will they have to re-direct them to a specialist centre if they approach their local RSS?
We expect successful Centres to provide the best possible services to clients on a national level. If there is not sufficient expertise at a regional level, we would expect NIHR Centres to signpost clients to the appropriate centres with the most relevant expertise. Please note we would expect the National Collaborative Hub to develop a shared business plan to ensure consistency in service offer across the NIHR RSS Centres.
45. Is there an approximate number of Public Health National Specialist Centres to be commissioned? and/or What is the maximum amount that NIHR would expect to fund for a single public health specialist centre?
The number of Public Health National Specialist Centres has not been predetermined in advance. We are inviting applicants to demonstrate the expertise and offer that they could provide in this area noting that a number of different solutions could be suitable. The amount of funding each applicant requests shoudl reflect the breadth and/or depth of the offer they are proposing bearing in mind that a number of applications are likely to be submitted for this funding.
46. Will there be a separate Selection Committee reviewing the Public Health National Specialist Centre applications?
There will be a Public Health subcommittee who will specifically review the Public Health National Specialist Centre applications and provide their expert opinion to the NIHR RSS Independent Selection Committee.
47. Is it possible to have more than one Co-Director, one of whom would be the Co-Director of a Specialist Centre?
Only the Director and one co-Director can be specifically named on an application. Please note there are several sections in the application where the expertise, including that of key individuals, in this case the lead for the Public Health National Specialist Centre, can be explained in detail. The management and governance arrangements for each proposed NIHR RSS, including the lines of accountability/reasponsibility for individuals leading different aspects of the proposed centre.
48. Can an application propose a different host organisation for contracting a National Specialist Centre to the host organisation contracted for the Research Support Service?
No, each application will have one lead organisation who will be contracted to deliver the NIHR RSS including the work to be delivered under the National Specialist Centre designation.
49. What are the expectations around different Public Health RSS Specialist Centres around the country to have some duplication in its specialist provision, i.e. if there is more than one centre ffering specialist support relating to specific field of research?
The number of centres has not been predetermined in advance. Applicants should demonstrate the breadth or depth of expertise that they can provide within their application. Specific areas of research focus have not been determined in advance and each application will be assessed separately against the selection criteria. Therefore, we may fund specialist centres that have some overlap within their areas of expertise.
50. What do you see as the balance for local and national (specialist) provision for RSSs? You've mentioned localities and local provision during the webinar but the tender seems to move away from the regional locality specific RDS model at the moment. Would you say that RSSs will still maintain a significant proportion of work serving local / regional need that would still be there?
Although each NIHR RSS centre may still engage with their local and regional infrastructure, the expectation is that the funded NIHR RSS centres will provide a collaborative community to deliver the best advice and support to each researcher, regardless of their location. The expectation is that the funded NIHR RSS Centres will operate nationally, without unnecessary local variation.
51. In the expectation that you fund, for example 6 Public Health National Specialist Centres, how will NIHR ensure equity in the offer across England?
In order to move more towards providing a National Service, we expect NIHR RSS Centres to be able to signpost and introduce applicants to other centres within the network that may be able to offer more appropriate advice. Although we expect an element of local services to be present, we expect all successful NIHR RSS Centres to ensure there is equality of access for all researchers and provide services to those not necesarily located within their own region/geography.
52. Please could you clarify the different roles that the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) and the NIHR RSS Specialist Centres for Public Health will play in supporting public health research?
NIHR HDRCs are nationally recognised centres of ‘research excellence’, based in and led by local government. Their focus is on building research capacity and capability between local government and the academic sector. All NIHR HDRCs are linked with an academic partner and so will have access to the relevant structures and systems for research including ethical approvals. The NIHR RSS centres will be expected to work with researchers, both those supported through NIHR HDRC funding and particularly those from places without HDRC funding, to ensure that any research applications submitted by researchers they are advising have appropriate governance arrangements including ethical approval.
53. Are there some details available from a national (central NIHR) perspective on a vision for what is needed/expected for an ethics approval service for public health?
The guidance states that one of the support functions that should be provided by the National Specialist Centre for Public Health are “Mechanisms for ethics approval where research falls outside the HRA remit. Please could you provide further details on what the NIHR are expecting for this function? NIHR is expecting the Public Health Specialist Centre to be able to provide consistent advice and support to researchers who need guidance about ensuring that their research plans are legal and ethical. While much public health research does not need HRA approval it will still need to have received some scrutiny and ethical assurance e.g. from an HEI ethics committee. The RSS Public Health Specialist Centre is not expected to establish an equivalent of the HRA but it should be able to provide guidance on appropriate ethical standards and signpost researchers to other parts of the NIHR system as appropriate."
National Collaborative Hub
54. What is the scope of the shared business plan to be developed through the National Collaborative Hub? What are the ‘core functions’ referred to in the letter?
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. The core functions will be defined in detail by the National Collaborative Hub as the business plan is developed.
55. How much decision making will be devolved to the collaborative hub rather than decided centrally by NIHR?
The leader of the National Collaborative Hub will be 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.
56. The National Collaborative Hub would require possibly something like a clearing or referral mechanism which may require fairly resource intensive. Any suggestions on this?
The National Collaborative Hub will be expected to co-develop a business plan with the funded NIHR RSS Centres in relation to the delivery of core functions across the NIHR RSS Network. In order to move towards providing a National Service, we expect NIHR RSS Centres as well as the National Collaborative hub to be able to signpost and introduce applicants to other centres within the network that may be able to offer more appropriate advice. We expect the additional funding allocated for the provision of National Collaborative Hub to be used to support/co-ordinate collaborative working between all the NIHR RSS Centres.
Collaborations
57. To what extent will NIHR RSS centres be stand-alone and autonomous or form part of a coordinated national network?
Although each NIHR RSS Centre will have their own contract and designated funding, they will collectively form a national community providing expert research design, methodological support, advice and collaboration throughout the pre- and post- application/research process. All successful organisations are 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.
58. How will this RSS service link in with Local CRN, CRN Research Support Service, especially as they already provide an Early Contact Service to researchers and support them with the SoECAT process?
The current connections and complementarities continue. Applicants will be at liberty to suggest novel ways of working within the research eco-system that ensure complementarity and added value.
59. How will NIHR RSS centres sit alongside CTUs that are, and are not partners, in the new service?
The NIHR strongly encourages collaborative bids and for CTUs, including specialist CTUs, to consider how they might partner with other potential applicants to provide an NIHR RSS centre. It is expected that an NIHR RSS centre would primarily collaborate with other designated NIHR RSS centres, however, it may be appropriate to collaborate with other CTUs, for example, to access unique expertise.
60. Who will the National Collaborative Hub be accountable to?
The NIHR Coordinating Centre will manage the NIHR RSS contracts, including the National Collaborative Hub on behalf of DHSC and progress reports will need to be submitted to the NIHR CC Infrastructure team. An Independent Advisory Group will be appointed to provide support and advice to the Hub.
61. Can the co-Director be based in another organisation (i not in the Directors host organisation)
A Co-Director can be based in another organisation, however, we would expect the individual to have an honorary contract with the host organisation in place by the 1 October 2023, i.e. the start date for the NIHR RSS contracts
Eligibility Criteria
62. Will it be possible to have multiple lead applicants and the award going to multiple hosts (co-administering institutions) or is it one lead applicant in one host organisation?
No, NIHR RSS designation and funding awards will be made to single host organisations. However, host organisations may then pass funding to named partner organisations.
63. Can an organisation apply to deliver some of the functions or will each application have to specify how all elements of research support will be delivered?
Each NIHR RSS centre will be expected to provide seamless support from pre-application through to post-application phases. The package of support available should encompass access to design support at any stage along the research path e.g. from application to implementation allowing researchers to seek advice as required with design queries. Although NIHR RSS designation and funding will be made to single lead organisations, collaborations with appropriate partners are encouraged where specific functions can be delivered more efficiently.
64. Can an organisation be included in multiple bids?
An organisation's proposed contribution described within an NIHR RSS application must be unique to that application. Applications must not include any costs simultaneously applied for through another NIHR RSS application, i.e. double counting is not permitted.
65. Can NIHR RSS centres include collaborations with non- English institutions, e.g. from Wales or Scotland for specific methodological expertise?
NIHR RSS funding is available for legal entities in England. Collaborations may include groups from the devolved nations however they would need to have their own funding.
66. Does one application per organisation mean as lead applicant or any applications e.g. where may be co-applicant?
RSS designation and funding awards will be made to single host organisations. We would not expect a lead applicant to be named as a partner in another application unless that organisation's proposed contribution described within the application is unique to that application i.e. double counting is not permitted.
67. Does the consortia of organisations refer to partnerships bidding for a single NIHR RSS designation, or a consortia of lead organisations putting in ‘aligned’ RSS bids?
Applications from consortia are welcomed to apply for a single RSS Centre, however the funding award will be made to single host organisations. Partner organisations can be named as part of the application and host organisations may then pass funding to named partner organisations.
68. How many co-applicants will be permitted?
There is no limit as to the number of co-applicants listed in the application. However, the applicants will need to demonstrate an appropriate governance structure to ensure all partners are linked together and organised so as to create a coherent centre. Please refer to the 'Eligibility Criteria' FAQ section, questions 38-43 for more information on host and co-host eligibility.
Finance
69. Will funding be level through the duration of the RSS contract or related to activity?
Applicants should submit a financial plan that reflects the activity proposed in their strategic plan.
70. Will there be a national template and tariff for clinical trials (post application support) for use across the NIHR RSS?
An agreed, transparent costing model for post-application support will be developed through the work of the National Collaborative Hub.
71. Is there a costing model for NIHR RSS support to SMEs?
The costing model for ongoing support to SMEs will need to be considered and implications for contractual agreements, for example treatment of data and non-disclosure agreements will also need to be taken into account. This will be developed post award.
72. Will NIHR RSS Centres be able to claim indirect costs for HEIs?
Reasonable HEI indirect costs can be included. These will be reviewed by the Committee and the amounts may be subject to Committee approval.
73. Is there anything that we can spend the current NIHR RDS or CTU funding on that is not permitted within the RSS scheme?
The detailed financial guidance for the NIHR RSS funding details the costs allowed within this scheme.
74. The applicant guidance states: ‘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.’ What is meant by this? Are you expecting host organisations to contribute funding to the RSS?
There is no expectation that host organisations contribute financially to their proposed NIHR RSS. However, organisations may wish to highlight any in-kind support that they are willing to provide in support of their application.
75. If an RSS applicant organisation/consortium proposed to be an NIHR RSS Centre but are not applying for designation as a National Specialist Centre, can they apply for the maximum budget?
Yes, organisations/consortia are permitted to apply for up to £7.5 million over the five year period.
76. Can you provide any guidance on a level of overheads that would be considered reasonable?
Applying organisations should use a reasonable overhead rate, this is for the organisaiton to determine bearing in mind that value for money is a key selection criterion.
77. If an NHS Trust wants to host a RSS Centre, including employing some administrative staff, what Indirect funding are they entitled to?
Staff costs are considered direct costs. Please see Annex 4 for further details on indirect costs, and please note for any applicants where the host is an NHS Body, up to 100% of direct costs will be paid.
78. Currently, CTUs receive varying amounts of money from the NIHR. This is often used for infrastructure which keeps units going. But you are asking them to deliver something else with this funding, so there is a risk that they will lose essential funding to keep them going (which may mean higher costs to researchers via grants).
Our preference is for project specific costs to be associated with that project application; we appreciate that this may increase the value of some project applications to reflect the new arrangements within the system.
79. What would be the recommended percentage for overhead costs?
We would allow up to 80% of indirect costs to be included in the finance section. However, as the competition is highly competitive, we would expect indirect costs to be kept as low as possible, currently indirect costs in the RDS contracts are very much lower than 80%.
80. You set out in the call guidance that post award support should be paid for from grants. But currently this is not at all prominent in NIHR research programmes funding documentation. In any case, don't you agree that getting local authorities to estimate the support they will need post award will be very difficult given that they rarely cope with NIHR grant applications at all?
Our preference is that costs are properly associated with the project that they are supporting. We would encourage the successful applicants to engage with local authorities to estimate what level of support would be needed post-application. We would also expect that the National Collaborative Hub will work towards providing an agreed, transparent costing model for post-application support that will apply to all NIHR RSS Centres.
81. What is the expectation for cooperation between the new RSS 'nodes' (potentially, geographically spread across the country) awarded contracts? Will there be separate funding to encourage more cooperation on consistency of service(s), exchange of good/best practice etc or are applicants expected to cost this into their bids (and if so, do you have a nominal sense of what % of costs should be devoted to this)?
Applicants should build collaborative working approaches into their applications. It is not anticipated that any additional funding will be available.
82. How do we need to enter costs related to the additional National Collaborative Hub and/or National Specialist Centre for Public health?
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. The total additional costs related to the National Collaborative Hub (up to £1m) and/or National Specialist Centre for Public Health (up to £30m) should 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 when entering cost lines into the finance form.
83. Will applications above the £7.5 million cap be accepted?
Applications above the £7.5 million cap will be accepted in exceptional circucmstances, provided there is firm justification and strong rationale for the increased budget request.
84. Could you clarify whether applications are expected to be costed at 100% FEC, or does ‘up to’ mean that the rate can be variable?
Where an HEI is proposing to host/contribute to an NIHR RSS they may calculate their overhead costs in line with Annex 4 of the call guidance:
- 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. It is for the applicants to decide what percentage of these costs should be included in the financial plan, noting that the indirect costs in the current RDS contracts are very much lower than 80% of the total costs.
85. How should staff with joint responsibilities that reach across RSS and Public Health National Specialist Centre be recorded on the finance form?
We strongly recommend that all costs related to Public Health National Specialist Centre are entered separately to the costs related to the proposed NIHR RSS centre. These costs should also be explicitly stated in the justification boxes in the appropriate sections. This will provide NIHR with a clear distinction between the total funding requested for the proposed NIHR RSS Centre and Public Health National Specialist Centre. In the instances that staff have joint responsibilities reaching across both entities (without duplication) please enter the cost separately in the finance section marking it clearly with the suggested acronyms. For e.g. total FTE needed for an individual is 0.5, on one line enter 0.3 FTE and on a separate line 0.2 FTE (PH).
Review Process
86. Can you provide any information on the selection committee composition?
As with other Infrastructure calls, the Selection Committee will consist of experts in the areas of scheme. For this particular call, we will include experts on the areas of identified need; public health, social care and research led by SMEs as well as methodologists and public members. The membership of the committee will be published after the closing date for submission of applications.
Other
87. To whom will each RSS centre report and be accountable (e.g. to the national collaborative hub, to NIHR CC, or to some other appointed body)?
The NIHR Coordinating Centre will manage the NIHR RSS contracts on behalf of DHSC and progress reports will need to be submitted to the NIHR CC Infrastructure team.
88. How would the collaborative nature of CTUs, which do not provide randomisation or database provision, be maintained in the RSS model?
We expect that the specific expertise across individual NIHR RSS Centres will vary. We expect all designated NIHR RSS Centres to work collaboratively and to be able to signpost and introduce applicants to other centres within the network that may be able to offer more appropriate advice.
89. Should CTUs due to be awarded UKCRC Registration between now and awarding of potential NIHR RSS status do so?
Yes, CTUs should proceed with UKCRC registration.
90. Will there be a standardised data management tool/platform to be used across the RSS?
The National Collaborative Hub will be expected to develop a business plan in relation to delivery of core functions and capacity development across the NIHR RSS Network. This may also include standardisation of data management across the NIHR RSS Centres. All NIHR RSS Centres will be expected to contribute and participate in the National Collaborative Hub to identify areas of particular need.
91. Is Global Health within the remit of RSS?
The remit of the NIHR RSS does not include support for Global Health studies.
92. Current CTUs will continue to operate using existing business models. How will you distinguish between RSS and CTU activities?
NIHR CTU support funding contracts will come to an end in September 2023. Any CTUs that continue to operate after September 2023 and have not received any NIHR RSS funding, will not be subject to NIHR oversight.
93. The new form has space only for director and co-director and not co-applicants. Why are you not including co-applicants for this bid?
NIHR Infrastructure invests in centres of excellence, collaborations, services and facilities to support research in England. These investments are therefore not awarded to particular individuals, but rather to organisations that can demonstrate their overall structure and governance are fit for purpose. The Director(s) named on an application will be responsible/accountable for the delivery of the strategy outlined in the application. Please note there are several sections in the application where the expertise, including that of key individuals, and capacity of the proposed NIHR RSS centres can be explained in detail.
94. Current CTUs that will become part of NIHR RSS Centres already have their own stream of work (under current business models). When it comes to reporting how will you distinguish between work that has come though the RSS pre-submission stream and work that the CTUs would have done anyway (perhaps with established collaborators)?
We expect applicants to provide us with clear strategic plans and objectives by which NIHR will be monitoring the NIHR RSS contract. We would therefore expect the applicants to be clear as to what the NIHR funding will be used towards, and therefore which activities should be reported to the NIHR as part of the annual monitoring of contract delivery.
95. The name of the RSS on the application form appears to be that of the host organisation. Can RSS applicants choose the title of their proposed RSS?
Applicants can choose the title of the proposed NIHR RSS within the application form so that it reflects the collaborative nature of the application, such as the area of the proposed NIHR Centre or name of the consortium. However, a final naming convention for NIHR RSS centres will be agreed with successful applicants.
96. Will support that can be provided by members of the public, who have experience (like myself) in reviewing grant funding applications (and as panel members), be organised centrally, on a national basis, or will it remain a regional activity? I have been deterred offering to contribute by (apparently) needing to contact every individual region.
Since NIHR RSS Centres are expected to have national reach, the expectation is the same for public member support. We expect the management of support for public members to be coordinated between the successful NIHR RSS Centres and the National Collaborative Hub.
97. As global health research is not included with the NIHR RSS call, is there a plan to meet this provision elsewhere, as it is currently within the RDS remit, and is a current NIHR funding programme?
Support for Global Health Research applications is not within scope for the NIHR RSS scheme, researchers should seek support for their applications from other sources.
98. Can we include hyperlinks and pictures?
The Selection Committee will not consider information in any hyperlinks and they should not be provided in the application. The Committee will assess the full application document to make recommendations to DHSC on designation and funding. You should ensure your application is a stand alone document and contains sufficient detail to inform the Committee's review. Most text boxes on the RMS have an option to add images. Images added should not include additional wording, although a simple heading or graph axis label is permitted.
99. Would methodologists or trial experts be expected to take on post-award work without having been involved in the pre-award stage?
We expect that the NIHR RSS teams would advise applicants they are supporting, to engage with relevant individuals (either within the NIHR RSS centres or elsewhere) who would support the delivery of their study whilst the study was in the development and design phase.
100. How do we handle 'career progression' where this is dependent on host HEI criteria rather than anything we can control?
As for our other Infrastructure, NIHR RSS Centres will be expected to create career pathways and structures with suitable training to provide support for career development and progression, and retention of expertise and talent. Similar to other Infrastructure schemes, this will need to be done within the context/framework of the host organisations overarching approach.
101. How much collaborative working is envisaged within a single NIHR RSS application?
We encourage applications to be of collaborative nature, with the anticipation that the different applicants bring additional expertise and knowledge to the NIHR RSS Centre. It is also expected that strong collaborations will be developed between the different funded NIHR RSS centres.
102. Will NIHR RSS contracts be considered Research Contracts?
Yes, NIHR RSS contracts will be research contracts.