PGfAR funds collaborative multidisciplinary programmes of research, bringing together expert researchers and leading methodologists. Therefore, they are ideally suited and have great scope to make a significant contribution to applied health and care research capacity development.
As part of NIHR's drive to develop research capacity, PGfAR is now offering the opportunity to develop and advance health and care research careers. Applications that include research capacity development for methodological and under-represented disciplines and professions are particularly encouraged. This will be an ongoing opportunity, available to applicants in each round of the competition.
Applicants to PGfAR can include funding for academic capacity development and training competitively recruited across all stages of the academic career pathway (i.e., from internships to Masters to PhD to post-doctoral).
Please refer to the application guidance for stage 1 and application for stage 2 applications. Please refer to the NPC welcome pack for more information.
Application requirements at Stage 1:
Developing academic research capacity and training
NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) has a remit for academic capacity development and training across the full career spectrum, from pre-doctoral to post-doctoral, that supports greater equity of opportunities for all. While the focus should be on developing our early career researchers, consideration should be given to all stages of the academic career pathway, in particular, skills for future career development. Training and support should be in line with the principles and best practice set out within the Researcher Development Concordat.
Those invited to submit an application at Stage 2 will be expected to demonstrate how they plan to address areas of need for research capacity development.
Successful PGfAR awards will be expected to appoint a “Named Point of Contact for Training and Development (NPC)”, who will be the first point of contact for all NIHR Academy related communication and queries. They will work in partnership with NIHR Academy to share best practice and encourage excellence in career development and training. Competitively recruited individuals whose academic career development is being supported through NIHR PGfAR funding will also benefit from NIHR Academy membership.
At Stage 1, the selection committee will be looking to understand why it would be beneficial to increase the research capacity in the specific selected discipline(s) and the area of research being addressed with the proposal, and what stages of the academic career pathway require capacity building. Under the sub-heading ‘Capacity Development’ within the ‘Project plan’ section,’ you can outline the plans and specific rationale for increasing research capacity, including through the provision of training which supports diverse career paths and promotes equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as which competitively recruited post(s) this will apply to.
In addition, please consider:
- The overall ‘estimation of research costs’, by considering research capacity building staff salary/stipend costs, time commitment, and as appropriate academic tuition fees. We encourage programmes to ring-fence a maximum budget of £7,500 per individual whose career development will be supported for training in technical research skills, personal development skills and conference attendance.
- Indicate who will be the “Named Point of Contact for Training and Development (NPC)”. The NPC will be the first point of contact for all NIHR Academy related communication and queries. The NPC has to be listed on the application form, and can be the Lead Applicant, a Co-Applicant with relevant experience, or an existing dedicated career lead from the contracting or collaborating institutions. The NPC should be different from the Academic supervisor. More information about the role of the NPC can be found in the NPC welcome pack.
Please refer to the guidance for stage 1 applications.
Application requirements at Stage 2
Within the ‘Detailed‘ Research plan’ section under the sub- heading ‘Capacity building’, please outline your plans and specific rationale for increasing research capacity, including through the provision of training, which supports diverse career paths and promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. Please note:
- Once the contract is in place, individuals must be competitively recruited.
- Plans for training support and mentorship should be described. Individuals should be embedded within a supportive host environment, with appropriate plans to support their research training and academic career development in place throughout the duration of their award. Training and support should be aligned with the principles and best practice outlined within the Researcher Development Concordat.
- Individuals must be well supported as part of the positive research culture of the wider organisation with strong public involvement and engagement embedded within the research they undertake.
- Positions can start at any time of the year in accordance with the overall programme grant timeline, but should be completed within the grant’s lifetime. We would expect that most positions will be fully funded through the PGfAR programme.
- Timelines for recruitment should be detailed in the Gantt chart, together with which elements of the programme which will be dedicated to capacity building.
- As a general rule, no more than 10% of the overall programme grant budget should be spent on capacity building within the grant, however each request will be reviewed on its own merit.
- Funds can be requested for studentship fees, salaries and full or partial formal training posts (including but not limited to BSc, MSc, MPhil, MRes, PhD, Post docs).
- We encourage programmes to ring-fence a maximum budget of £7,500 per individual whose career development will be supported for training in technical research skills, personal development skills and conference attendance. Noting that the Researcher Development Concordat recommends an annual allowance of 10 days of training and development.
- Please also include the direct salary costs for the time dedicated to capacity development within this award for the Named Point of Contact for their Training and Development.
At Stage 2 the committee will be looking to see that the following aspects of research capacity building covered:
- What stages in the career pathway need to be developed?
- Why has this particular career stage and discipline been chosen that you are planning to support?
- What will the individuals be doing and when: where possible, the parts of the programme used to support capacity building should be clearly indicated in the Gantt chart)?
- What supervision arrangements will be in place, and what training, mentorship and support will be available so that they can forge a sustainable research career beyond the lifetime of the award?
- Recruitment will occur using a competitive process, and how you will ensure equitable engagement of methodological and under-represented disciplines and professions.
- Positions are appropriately funded
Our selection process included the following criteria related to research capacity building:
- the relevant range of applicants’ expertise in conducting high quality applied health and care research, and as appropriate the quality and relevance of any embedded career capacity development.
Named points of contact
- To support their NIHR Academy members, successful PGfAR awards will be expected to appoint a “Named Point of Contact for Training and Development (NPC)”, who will be the first point of contact for all NIHR Academy related communication and queries. They will work in partnership with NIHR Academy to share best practice and encourage excellence in career development and training. They take an active role in providing advice and support for academic development to ensure members can thrive as successful academics and future leaders, as well as sharing examples of best practice and development opportunities.
- The NPC has to be listed on the application form, and can be the Lead Applicant, or a Co-Applicant with relevant experience or an existing dedicated career lead from the contracting or collaborating institutions. The NPC should be different from the Academic supervisor. More information about the role of the NPC can be found in the NPC welcome pack.
NIHR Academy membership
Individuals whose academic career development is being supported through NIHR PGfAR funding and are undertaking a formal training/career development award, which meets the following criteria, will be NIHR Academy members:
- have been competitively recruited,
- have a formal training plan,
- have a defined end point, and
- receive at least 25% funding through the PGfAR award for salary/stipend over the lifetime of the individual’s award.
Individuals undertaking formal academic capacity development within the research programme will be a member of the NIHR Academy and will benefit from:
- Career development and support activities, such as mentorship and leadership
- Eligibility to apply for some short term research training and academic career development awards
- Networking and career development events that embed them within the NIHR family
Please refer to the guidance for stage 2 applications.