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Research into the longer term effects of COVID-19 in non-hospitalised individuals- Guidance for Applicants

Contents

Published: 12 November 2020

Version: 1.0

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Please note this call closes at 16.00 on 9 December 2020

ALL applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) of not more than 2 sides of A4 which must be submitted by 02 December.

The purpose of the abstract / Expression of Interest is for administrative purposes only. Abstracts should be top level and provide the underlying objectives and identify lead and key partners. It is recognised that final proposals are likely to continue to evolve up to the application deadline. Therefore, although the full proposal must fully reflect its core elements, the final application need not be restricted to the precise description provided within the initial abstract.

EOIs must be submitted by 4:00 pm Wednesday 02 December 2020.

We recommend Google Chrome is used as the default browser when completing the online application form.WeWe

Section 1: Proposal Summary

Institution

Provide details of the institution who will administer the award.

Title

The title should state clearly and concisely the proposed research. Any abbreviations should be spelled out in full.

Scientific/Technical Summary

Provide an overview of the proposed research which would be appropriate for peer and panel reviewers

Lay Summary

A plain English summary is a clear explanation of your research.

Many reviewers use this summary to inform their review of your funding application. They include clinicians, other practitioners and researchers who do not have specialist knowledge of your field as well as members of the public. If your application for funding is successful, the summary will be used on the NIHR and other websites. 

A good quality plain English summary providing an easy to read overview of your whole study will help:

  1. those carrying out the review (reviewers and committee members) to have a better understanding of your research proposal
  2. inform others of about your research such as members of the public, health and social care professionals, policy makers and the media
  3. the research funders to publicise the research that they fund.

If it is felt that your plain English summary is considered not clear or of low quality, then you will be required to amend it prior to final funding approval.

It is helpful to involve patients/carers/service users/practitioners and members of the public in developing a plain English summary.

Content

When writing your summary consider including the following information where appropriate:

  1. aim(s) of the research
  2. background of the research
  3. design and methods used
  4. patient and public involvement
  5. dissemination

The plain English summary is not the same as a scientific abstract - please do not cut and paste this or other sections of your application form to create the plain English summary.

Further 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).

Proposed Start Date

Projects are expected to start in early 2021.

Proposed Duration of Award (months)

Ensure you include sufficient time to complete all aspects of the research including applications for regulatory approvals (where required) and the final report. The maximum duration is 36 months.

Projects Cost

Enter the total amount of research costs requested.

Finance form

The finance application form provides details of the finance required to deliver the planned research. Requested costs for UK based HEI researchers should be 80% of full economic costs (fEC) and, where relevant, for overseas researchers should be 100% of direct costs only.

Funded projects in academia will be subject to standard UKRI Ts&Cs for fEC research grants. In line with NIHR funding policy this call will cover 100% direct costs for SME and NHS trusts (across the whole of the UK). Applicants will need to complete all sections of the finance form and provide a detailed breakdown of costs for staff posts and salaries, travel, subsistence, conference, equipment, consumables, patient and public involvement and engagement, dissemination, risk management and assurance, external intervention costs, other direct costs, and indirect costs will need to be provided.

A template of the finance form can be downloaded from the application form and should be uploaded once completed.

Keywords

Please provide up to 10 keywords which can be associated with the application.

Section 2: Investigator Details

Complete your name, contact details and other requested information by accessing the ‘Manage my details’ section of your account. An ORCID ID is mandatory for the lead applicant.

Industry/SME

Please select from the options

Administrative Authority Contact Name

Please provide the details of an administrative lead as a secondary point of contact for any queries relating to the application, should it be supported.

NOTE: This person does not need to be a co-applicant.

Administrative Authority Contact Email

Please provide an email address for the Administrative Authority Contact

Co-Investigators

Please provide the name and organisation of co-applicants. The maximum limit for this is 20.

Project Partners

If partners are involved in the project, please provide details of their organisation, a partner contact, the contribution type and the value (£) of the contribution for each partner.

Section 3: Importance, Deliverables, Expertise and Resources

Please define the project’s deliverables and describe and justify how these will provide/lead to benefit(s).

Please describe and justify how proposed work and deliverables are unique and value adding compared to existing COVID-19 activities targeting the same or similar knowledge gap(s) and/or need(s).

Please provide a brief description of the resources required in the different contributing environments (staff, materials, data, facilities etc.), including whether these are in hand, or if not, what gives you confidence that they will be accessible when required

Section 4: Investigators

Please provide evidence that the team has the necessary expertise, track record and contacts to undertake the proposed work and ensure its impact.

Section 5: Patient and Public Involvement

Where applicable, please describe (i) how patients and the public have been involved in developing this proposal; (ii) the ways in which patients and the public will be actively involved in the proposed research, including any training and support provided.

Section 6: Plan of Research

Using all of the headings in the order presented below, please use this section to clearly explain your proposed research. As this is the main part of your application which will be considered by the reviewing panel, you should ensure that the information is accurate, succinct, clearly laid out and provides sufficient methodological detail.

NOTE: Applicants should aim to reserve a significant proportion of the word count for the project plan to enable methodological approaches to be fully specified.

  1. What is the problem being addressed?
  2. Why is this research important in terms of improving the health and/or wellbeing of the public and/or to patients and health care services?
  3. Review of existing evidence – How does the existing literature support this proposal?
  4. What is the research question / aims and objectives?
  5. Project plan, including: Research design, Methodological and statistical details, Timelines, Project milestone ich should include SMART objectives and provide key decision making points
  6. Team and team managements
  7. Risks and Mitigation

Section 7: Annex 1: Regulatory Requirements

a. Legislative/Ethical requirements

  1. Animals: The use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, whether or not it requires licensed procedures. Please select one of the options.
  2. Human Tissue: The use of human tissue as defined in the Human Tissue Act 2004. Please select one of the options.
  3. Stem Cells: Does the research involve the use of Stem Cells or regenerative medicine? Please select one of the options.

b. Additional information for clinical research

  1. Human Participation: Research which requires face-to-face contact with patients, or with healthy human participants (by holders of a clinical contract) and may involve use of patient records as a concomitant, e.g. a clinical trial. Please select one of the options.
  2. Records Based Studies: Research which requires access to personal data on health or lifestyle without involving face-to-face contact with any people, e.g. public health interventions, health economic studies, epidemiological studies, health services research and meta-analyses - information may be obtained by telephone, postal questionnaires/surveys or electronic/manual data retrieval. Please select one of the options.
  3. Clinical Samples: Research which involves laboratory studies on human material which are specifically designed to understand or treat a disease/disorder. N.B. Basic biomedical research remote from application to a disease/disorder, such as the use of immortalised human cell lines in model biological systems, is excluded. Please select one of the options.
  4. Technology Development for Clinical Use: Development or adaptation of technologies for diagnosis or therapy, e.g. instrument development for diagnostic or surgical use; development of new techniques, such as photodynamic therapy, for clinical use. Please select one of the options.

C. Additional Analysis Data

  1. Research Setting: Based on direct patient contact, indicate whether the research involves a particular medical setting such as primary care or secondary care. Please select one of the options.

Section 8: Uploads

Mandatory

One single-side A4 page, listing references used throughout your proposal.

One single-side A4 Gantt chart

One single-side A4 page, indicating a schedule for the completion of work, including the timing of key milestones and deliverables.Non-mandatory

A total of 10 pages of additional supporting documentation can be uploaded, however these should be limited to key information to assist the panel in its assessment and could include items such as:

  • a flow diagram illustrating the study design and the flow of participants
  • letters of support from key collaborators
  • confirmation of access to necessary datasets

NOTE: Uploads MUST be provided as a Word or PDF document or you may not be able to submit your application or it may be difficult for the panel to view the required information in order to assess your application.

Please ensure that the document uploaded containing the list of references does not contain its own page numbering.

Section 9: Validation Summary

Please follow the next steps in order to complete your application submission process;

  • Validate all mandatory/required fields listed below (that are required to be completed/amended before submitting)
  • Check all co-applicants have completed their CV details as appropriate and review the PDF final version for any formatting issues
  • Click 'Save and Close'
  • Click the 'Submit' option (this must be completed by 09 December 2020 

You will receive an automated email containing the acknowledgment that we have received your application.

If there are no validation requirements above you may be ready to submit the application. To do so 'Save and Close' the application and then click ‘Submit’.