NIHR School for Social Care Research (NIHR SSCR) Invitation to Submit Application Guidance

Introduction

This document sets out the detailed process for a new open competition to renew and refresh Membership of the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) and invites eligible academic institutions in England to submit an application. The School will bring together leading academic institutions in England demonstrating excellence in adult social care research, including evaluations, and place emphasis on what works practically and can be applied across the whole country.  The School will complement existing NIHR funding streams.

Selection to NIHR SSCR will be via a two-stage process:

• Stage 1 – The first stage will select the institutional members of the School. This call invites those academic institutions in England able to demonstrate excellence in social care research to submit an application. Research relating to adult social care is within scope for this Call, including research into the transition between children’s and adult services and support for family members or other unpaid carers;
• Stage 2 – Involves all successful academic members of the School from Stage 1 in the development of a shared business plan, detailing the future research and capacity building  programme of the School.

Over five years, funding in the region of up to £31 million will be available to support the School in these functions. This will broadly be up to £25m for the research component and up to £6m for the capacity building component.  This is a significant increase from the previous phase of SSCR which received £21.5 million for research and capacity building components combined. This increase in funding is to support additional and broader adult social care research in the next phase of SSCR and is part of the NIHR’s wider commitment to support social care research.

Background

The NIHR SSCR was launched in February 2009, as a partnership between six leading social care research centres with excellence in social care research in England. The main purpose in establishing the NIHR SSCR was to carry out world-leading research in social care in order to provide a focus for social care research within the NIHR and support the general development of social care research. 

The School’s membership was refreshed through an open competition in 2013 and again in 2017 and each phase built on the success of the previous phase(s). The current phase (phase III) of the School comprises seven academic centres across England.     

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is committed to improving the evidence base for social care practice so that people are provided with better and more effective services in future. It recognises a continuing need to develop capacity and capability in social care research in England and wishes to build on the success of the School by refreshing and renewing the membership through an open competition. 

The current School undertakes a wide range of research projects and programmes, as well as School-wide research programmes with a focus on major social care challenges, including workforce and carers, assessment, personalisation and research methods. In addition, in the current phase (phase III) the School has delivered an inaugural programme of research capacity development helping to build careers in social care.

The purpose of the new competition is to enable funding of a renewed and refreshed NIHR SSCR from 01 May 2024.  It will enable the School to continue to fulfil its mission by helping to build on the progress made in the previous three funding phases.

Aims and scope of NIHR SSCR

The aim of the NIHR SSCR is to increase the evidence base for effective social care practice. 

The purpose of the NIHR SSCR is to:

• Commission and conduct high-quality research on adult social care, including research into the transition between children’s and adult services and support for family members or other unpaid carers.
• Provide a focus for social care research within the NIHR, as well as strategic leadership for the development of social care research more generally
• Develop methodological rigour and broaden the methodological repertoire, including bringing into social care research a number of disciplinary perspectives currently under represented.      
• Provide a programme of capacity building awards and opportunities that contribute to ongoing efforts to build social care research capacity and improve research awareness
• Disseminate findings and support other knowledge transfer activities.

In its nature, the NIHR SSCR will:

• Comprise leading academic centres of applied social care research including evaluations in England
• Consult widely on research priorities
• Conduct high-quality peer-reviewed research to produce new knowledge including, where appropriate, reviewing and synthesising existing knowledge
• Commission high-quality peer-reviewed research through a competitive process tender                    
• Add value to research, capacity building and associated activities funded by the School in previous Phases     
• Build a closer relationship between social care researchers and practitioners 
• Inform the future development of social care practice
• Involve and engage with the public (including users and carers), practitioners and leading social care organisations in England
• Promote and advance Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity throughout School activity
• Provide evidence to inform decision-making and best practice 
• Complement existing NIHR programmes and projects

Eligibility

To achieve Membership of the School, academic institution members will need to have a track-record of world-leading research within social care research.

1. Only academic institutions based in England and conducting social care research with an expected benefit for the population of England will be accepted for consideration.

Funding

Funding will be awarded for a five-year period starting 01 May 2024.  The School will be supported by NIHR research and capacity building funding of up to £31 million over this period. This will be awarded through a renew and refresh open competition to academic institution members with an excellent track record of social care research in England. The level of funding will be decided by the DHSC taking into account the number of School members, as well as other activities the School will be required to do.

Continuation of funding over the five-year contract period will depend upon satisfactory performance, as determined by the DHSC.

Selection process and timetable

The Membership of the NIHR SSCR will be renewed and refreshed via an open competition.

The selection process will consist of two stages. The first stage will select the institutional members of the School via this application process. Written applications will be assessed by an independent expert advisory committee, which will provide recommendations as to which applicants should go forward as members of the School. NIHR SSCR Members and Directorship will be confirmed by the DHSC. The School Director will provide leadership for the School and be accountable for its day-to-day operation. The Director will be the lead applicant from one of the members of the School and will be decided by the DHSC following an open interview process.

The second stage will involve the development of a shared business plan by all academic institution members once these are selected at stage 1. The plan should set out in detail the future research programme of the School, covering 01 May 2024 to 30 April 2029. The new members should work together to formulate this plan, describing School activities and the resources needed to support these. The business plan will be submitted to the DHSC for approval. Once this business plan has been approved by the DHSC, contracts will be signed, applicants will become full members of the NIHR SSCR and the work of the School will commence.

The timetable will be as follows:

• 14 December 2022 – NIHR invites applications from suitably qualified institutions;
• 15 March 2023 – Application submission deadline;
• May 2023 – Selection Committee reviews applications and provides recommendations to the DHSC on the Membership of the NIHR SSCR;
• June 2023 – The DHSC confirms selection of NIHR SSCR members;
• July 2023 - Interviews and director selection process
• August 2023 to January 2024 – Business plan development;
• February 2024 – Contracting process initiated for NIHR SSCR;
• 01 May 2024 – NIHR SSCR new contract start date.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria will be:

• The range and quality of relevant world-leading social care research and researchers at the academic department; 
• The critical mass of expertise in social care research and related disciplines.;
• The existing research capacity and plans for increasing research capacity; including evidence of commitment to training and career development progression at all career stages. 
• Evidence that the academic institution is committed to build research capacity over the award period and beyond to include:-
• in line with what is needed in social care practice and
• in broadening out to professions and communities that have traditionally had a low research base 
• Evidence that the academic institution will provide a supportive environment for early career researchers, including evidence that they have considered and taken account of issues related to equality, diversity and inclusion in supporting the careers of new researchers. 
• Evidence of the academic institution collaborating with external researchers, organisations, decision makers, users, and practitioners to develop better evidence and achieve wider impact for social care research
• The strength of prospective members’ strategic and ambitious plans to develop social care research, both within the school and more widely;
• The strength of the strategic plan for user, carer and practitioner involvement and      engagement      
• The relevance of the research for the broader social care stakeholders, such as local authorities, policy officials and other appropriate social care bodies 
• The potential impact of the research, in relation to social care practice and policy.

The DHSC will determine the School Director based on the above criteria. The Director will need to demonstrate leadership and be at the forefront of their field, whilst their institution will provide evidence of the above criteria and the ability to manage the contract successfully. 

Research Culture and equality, inclusion and diversity

The NIHR expects the SSCR members to be advocates of best practice and driving change to improve the culture of research. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate how they and the SSCR will support this agenda. 

The SSCR aims to support and advance equality of opportunities for persons with relevant protected characteristics including; age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Applicants to the SSCR will be expected to demonstrate throughout their application how the protected characteristics have been considered and addressed, including steps taken to ensure the programme does not perpetuate or exacerbate inequalities and, where appropriate, will seek to mitigate risks that could affect any of the protected characteristics. We expect applicants to demonstrate how they are supporting greater equity of opportunities through capacity building and training offered and wish to encourage applicants to consider the diversity of representation in their leadership and governance structures. This will be considered as part of the overall assessment process. 

The SSCR will be required to submit a fully developed Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity strategy within 6 months from the contract start date. The NIHR INCLUDE project has issued guidance on improving inclusion of under-served groups in research that applicants may wish to consider. 

While not a requirement for NIHR SSCR funding, applicants may wish to refer to the principles and best practice outlined within relevant Charters and Concordats in these areas, such as the Researcher Development Concordat and Advance HE’s Equality Charters. 

Completing the application form

Applicants wishing to be considered for Membership of the NIHR SSCR will be expected to submit an application demonstrating their excellence in conducting social care research. 

These notes are intended to provide an overview only and applicants should note that the application form provides focused online guidance prompts. 

Please also note that you must use the correct online application form for the current competition.

Reference number

While preparing your application, and until such time as you submit, a randomly generated pre-submission number will be assigned to your entry online. You should note this number down as you may need it for any subsequent enquiries whilst the call is open. 

Once you have successfully submitted your form, a formal SSCR specific reference number for your application will be generated that will be unique to your submission. This will take the form of a standard reference (PD-SSC-1222-1XXXX). 

The application will need to set out:

Details of the proposed NIHR SSCR Member

Please provide details of the applying academic institution, and its head to include: 

• The lead university 
• The proposed NIHR SSCR organisation’s lead for this application
• Is this a consortium bid? Please respond yes or no. If yes; please list the members of this consortium.

Summary of Application (750 words)

Please summarise the background and aims of the proposal, the goals and objectives of the proposed SSCR member, and the potential impact the proposal will have when delivered.

This section should highlight key messages and ambitious ideas within the application. It should also indicate why your institution should be included as a member of the SSCR. 

This summary should be written in plain English and aimed at members of the public, rather than researchers or professionals. It should be written clearly and simply, without jargon and with an explanation of any technical terms that have to be included. If we feel that your summary is not clear and of a good quality, then you may be required to amend your summary prior to any final approval of funding. 

It is helpful to involve care users/ carers / members of the public in developing a summary in plain English.

Guidance on writing in plain English is available online at NIHR - ‘make it clear.’

For further support and advice on writing a plain English summary, please contact your local Research Design Service (where applicable).

Overview of existing social care research activity

Please provide (in no more than 1,400 words) an overview of: 

• The range and quality of relevant world-leading applied social care research at your academic institution
• The existing strengths and track record of the proposed NIHR SSCR member in conducting social care research
• The track record of the academic institution in translating research into benefits for care users, carers and the public
• Any evidence of the academic institution working to identify and tackle high priority areas in social care to support policy makers and practitioners.
• Evidence of working in partnership with other organisations and institutions to develop the field of social care research                     

Researchers

Please describe the leadership and expertise of the research leads associated with this application and outline the role each member of the research team will play in the programme on a day-to-day basis. The breadth of the wider research team within the organisation should be described, as well as evidence of a sustainable structure to support the School and manage the contract. 

This section should provide (in no more than 2,500 words):

• The names of the key researchers within your proposed research team (along with whole time equivalents) who will be actively involved in a successful proposal
• Evidence that your proposed research team has a sustainable staff structure for supporting high quality social care research and for day-to-day management of the School
• Details of the unique expertise relevant to social care research that your proposed research team will bring to the School
• Concise curriculum vitae for up to five key research leads associated with the application need to be completed
• The leadership and expertise demonstrated by the key research leads associated with this application should be clearly demonstrated and include: 
  • Evidence that they are at the forefront of their fields 
  • Evidence of their ability to influence social care practice
  • Their respective track records in terms of (a) publication output, (b) success in attracting external research funding and (c) conducting successful and useful research in social care practice
  • Each researcher’s capacity to be fully involved with the work of the School and ability to collaborate effectively with other institutions.
  • Evidence of experience commissioning research

The breadth of the wider research team within the organisation should be described, as well as evidence of a sustainable structure to support the School and manage the contract.

Please also specify the amount of time (either as a percentage or proportion of a full time equivalent (FTE)) to be spent working on the programme. The combined percentage FTE of the 5 key researchers should be approximately 100%.

N.B. The key researchers should not change from submission of this application until contracting, except in exceptional circumstances. Should any changes to key staff be required, then they will be reassessed by the Committee and DHSC.

A Curriculum Vitae for each of the 5 key researchers is considered mandatory for submission.

Research Strategy 

Please provide (in no more than 2,700 words) the overall strategy to act as a centre of excellence in social care research, including evaluations, and details of future strategic aims and goals.  This section should briefly describe: 

• Details of specific short (1-2 years), medium (2-3 years) and longer term (4-5 years) objectives and activities and how they fit into the overall aims of the NIHR SSCR
• How the academic institution will support the NIHR SSCR in delivering its objectives
• How the academic institution will build on and consolidate what the NIHR SSCR has achieved to date
• How the academic institution will involve users, carers and practitioners in the proposed research programme
• What the academic institution currently does, and will plan to do in future, if selected as a School member, to ensure that equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are embedded throughout all School activity.  Please see the NIHR's commitment to EDI.
• How the academic institution will translate advances in social care research into benefits for users, carers and practitioners and address any issues of inequality
• How the academic institution will provide high quality research evidence to underpin social care practice     
• How the academic institution will share research expertise and opportunities to increase capacity and opportunities in non-member institutions, local authorities and social care practitioners

Research capacity 

Please describe (in no more than 2,000 words):

• Existing research capacity of the academic institution, to include: 

• facilities, support and infrastructure that the academic institution can provide, including facilities for research students
• research and training posts for social care researchers at all stages of the career pathway

• How the academic institution will build capacity over the award period and beyond

• in line with what is needed in social care practice (with a view to building research capacity and capability within local authorities and relevant sectors, furthering the development of a cohort of practitioner academics) and;
• in broadening out to professions (with a view to supporting future research leaders from a range of professional groups/disciplines and ‘wider social care’ professions); and communities that have traditionally had a low research base

• How the academic institution will provide a supportive environment for early career researchers, including evidence that they have considered and taken account of issues related to equality, diversity and inclusion in supporting the careers of new researchers  

• What partnerships, linkages with practice and wider capacity building support the academic institution would bring to the school

• The academic institution’s contribution to the principle of strengthening capacity development of other institutions beyond the core membership

• The proposed leadership mechanisms that will have oversight of the capacity building work and how these feed into local management and governance structures

Collaboration and strategic partnerships

Please describe (in no more than 1,400 words) the applicants’ track record of working collaboratively, and future plans to work collaboratively, and more widely, with others in social care. In addition, please explain the applicants’ contribution to each of the collaborations described. This section should include:

• Existing collaborations and future plans for collaborative work with other researchers outside the academic institution, whether locally, nationally, or internationally which you consider relevant to this application
• Existing strategic partnerships, particularly with stakeholders in local agencies on locally defined needs, and the statutory and independent sectors which you consider relevant to this application. Please also describe the strategy to develop new partnerships that will benefit the School
• Existing collaborations and future plans for synergistic work with other disciplines relevant to social care     
• Existing links and also future plans to form strong links with stakeholders, such as social care bodies, local government, other academic institutions and evidence users
• Please describe how you will resource manage and monitor impact on SSCR resources of new collaborative work

Impact on social care practice and policy

Please describe (in no more than 1,400 words):

• The impact of the proposed research team’s research, particularly in relation to social care practice or policy in England. Please include specific examples which demonstrate and articulate evidence of the impact
• The strategy taken by the proposed research team to achieve impact from its research and approach to communicating/disseminating results to different audiences

Public and Practitioner Involvement and Engagement

The NIHR places a significant importance on the involvement of members of the public in the research it supports. Involvement, engagement and participation in research are distinct but often interrelated activities. Please use NIHR’s definitions of ‘involvement’, ‘engagement’ and ‘participation’ to differentiate between these areas in your response.

Please describe (in no more than 1,400 words) the academic institution’s track record and future plans for User, Carer and Practitioner involvement and engagement in research. This section should include a summary of:

• The institution’s strategic objectives for User, Carer and Practitioner involvement and engagement;
• Programme(s) of activity to deliver the strategic objectives attending to inclusive opportunities for involvement and engagement across the research themes and the organisational structure of the institution itself.
• Resources that the institution commits to delivering the programme of activities;
• Relevant strategic and operational partnerships and collaborations;
• Processes for monitoring and review that includes capturing examples of impact.
• Leadership mechanisms that ensure progress in delivering the plans feed into the management and governance processes of the institution, and attending to lay involvement in governance.  

NOTE: a definition of patient and public involvement in research, further information and resources are available from NIHR; the NIHR Research Design Service provides advice on applications and the James Lind Alliance has a step-by-step guidebook on involvement in research identification and priority setting.

External Research Funding

The volume and source of relevant external research funding received by the academic institution provides an indication of the quality and scale of social care research conducted and the capacity to leverage external sources of research funding.

Please provide details of the external research funding received by the applying academic institution for research directly relevant to social care research from 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. Please provide details of the research funder, administering organisation, award title, Principal Investigator, start and end dates and the amount awarded to the applying institution.

Please download and complete the template provided. This should then be attached to the application as a supporting document using the Attach on this page.

Publications

The number and nature of publications produced by the proposed research team provides an important indication of the research productivity and quality in the relevant research field.   We are particularly interested in publications and outputs that have directly impacted social care policy and practice Please provide the following:

• A list of 10 relevant publications for each member of the proposed research team included in the application, from 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2022 inclusive.  We ask that each member of the proposed research team provide 3 examples of influential publications or outputs and explain how and why these outputs were influential then list up to 7 publications or outputs that you consider to be the most relevant to social care research.  (Maximum 50 publications in total)

The Selection Committee will contextualise the publication data by reviewing these alongside the Curriculum Vitae submitted.

Please download and complete the template provided. This should then be attached to the application as a supporting document using the 'Attach' button on this page.

Supporting Documentation

The following supporting files are mandatory for submission, please attach:

• Curriculum vitae for each of the five key research leads

Please note that all supporting documentation uploaded should be given concise and clear filename descriptions. These should be headed by a numbered ‘Appendix’ and a brief filename description that clearly describes the file (e.g. Appendix 1_CV surname).

No more than 5 separate files are permitted. The total file size should not exceed 5Mb.  Total file sizes larger than this may not be considered as part of this submission.   

We strongly recommend that only .doc or .pdf files are uploaded as some file types are not supported by the system (such as .xls and .zip file types which will not render out into the final version of the application form). Should you wish to upload documents of other file types, we encourage you to check that they appear in the PDF of the application form prior to submission as changes cannot be made after the deadline has passed. 

Declarations and Signatures

Applications are considered confidential by the NIHR and all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that this confidentiality is not breached. Further information and guidance can be found within the Confidentiality and Guidance Document.  

Applicants are asked to declare any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that they may have in undertaking this research. This includes any relevant personal, non-personal and commercial interest that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Examples include (this list is not all encompassing), secondary employment, consultancy, financial or commercial gain (pensions, shareholdings, directorships, voting rights), honoraria, etc. In a case of commercial sector involvement with the application or the study, please state clearly the relationship to ownership of data, access to data, and membership of project oversight groups.

Applicants are asked to name the appropriate representative from the University (host approver). The chosen representative must approve the application to confirm that they fully endorse the application and that appropriate support will be provided to the NIHR SSCR should the application be successful. This is a requirement of submission of the application.

The host approver must open the application by clicking ‘Edit’ and tick the checkbox on the declaration and signatures page in addition to approving the application on the summary page. The application will not be valid until both steps have been completed. 

University Representative

This should be signed by a representative of the University hosting the research e.g. Director of Research, R&D manager or Vice Chancellor.

In signing, this, you as Senior Manager, Director of Research, Grants and Contracts Manager, or Vice Chancellor (for the host University) confirm that you have read this application and that, if successful, the work will be accommodated and administered in the named organisation and that the organisation is capable of fulfilling the role of research sponsor as set out in the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research.  You also confirm that the applicants for whom you are responsible may undertake this work.

The applying organisation fully endorses the application for an NIHR SSCR award and asserts that appropriate support will be provided to the NIHR SSCR should the application be successful. 

The applying organisation will comply with all NIHR research governance initiatives, including uptake of NIHR Research Support Services and use of model research agreements/contracts.

Validation summary

This section will display all the outstanding fields you will need to ‘validate’ as requested. Once complete the 'Submit' button becomes available and is then used.

Other Information

Corporate identity

Successful applicants will be required to comply with NIHR identity guidelines, or any other guidelines as may be issued from time to time by the DHSC, in respect to all communications issued by NIHR SSCR.

Monitoring and performance management

Appropriate arrangements will be established to advise the DHSC on the strategic direction and performance of the NIHR SSCR. 

The DHSC will review the performance of the NIHR SSCR, and its constituent academic members, regularly against the Business Plan.

The continuation of an academic member institution as a member of the NIHR SSCR will be dependent on satisfactory performance, as judged by the DHSC.

Submitting the application

Academic institutions that are interested in being considered for the NIHR SSCR should complete and submit the online form which is available on the Research Management System.

Please adhere to the word limits stated within the form. Only information submitted up to this word limit can be assessed.

All supporting documents should be completed in font no smaller than 10-point Arial.

Your Pre-submission Reference Number

This is the reference number of your application. It is important to make a note of this number as you will need it for any enquiries. 

Submitting Your Application

Please make sure that all fields have been completed and that all supporting documents are attached. After completing your application, follow the submission checklist below to submit your forms to NIHR. 

Submission Checklist: 

• Ensure that all fields have been completed
• Ensure that all supporting documents are named appropriately 
• Attach supporting documents to the application
• Ensure supporting documents render properly in the PDF

Upon submission you will receive an automated email confirming successful delivery of your application and providing you with an application reference number. It is important to make a note of this number as you will need it for any enquiries. If your application is successful, this reference number will stay with the programme for its lifetime. 

Your application will be checked by the NIHR to ensure that all elements comprising the application have been received; you will then receive a second email confirming that it is complete. Please keep this second confirmation email as evidence that your completed application has been received. If you do not receive this email within two working days of submission of your application, please contact the NIHR. 

Please note that while the confirmation email reaffirms that all documents comprising the application have been submitted, and that all mandatory fields have been completed, it does not guarantee that it meets the requirements of the assessment process. 

A live document containing frequently asked questions about the NIHR SSCR competition has been produced and will be updated regularly.

We wish to ensure that applicants fully understand what is needed in their applications before submission. We are therefore very happy to respond to requests for clarification from the application lead or their nominated person. We cannot, of course, provide advice on what an applicant should say or how they should say it. 

Members of the Selection Committee are bound by confidentiality and are not able to discuss this scheme with applicants. Any enquires should be sent to the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility at researchschools@nihr.ac.uk.

If you have submitted the wrong version of a document, please let us know and we can return the application for you to attach the correct version. You will be permitted to resubmit the application up until the submission deadline.

Submission Deadline

The deadline for submitting the application is Wednesday 15 March 2023 at 1:00pm.