The NIHR funds policy research to enable evidence informed policy making in health and social care.
The NIHR funds high quality and cost-effective research to deliver relevant, timely and accessible evidence to inform national policy decisions across the health, care and public health systems.
We commission policy research to support the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Ministers, and Senior Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and its Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs), through the Policy Research Programme (PRP).
We fund policy research in four main ways:
Guidance on impact of COVID-19 on NIHR funded and supported research
NIHR's Policy Research Programme has set up a rapid response funding process for research into COVID-19.
List of COVID-19 policy research projects
The Policy Research Programme funds high quality research to deliver robust, relevant, timely, accessible and intelligible evidence to government and arms-length bodies.
PRP commissions research across the full policy remit of DHSC. PRP funded research will normally:
The amount of funding available and the funding duration depends on the requirements of the research specification.
PRP funds research through open competitions that are directly competitive commissioning exercises:
PRP has a two stage application process. At each stage, applications are peer reviewed and the scientific quality and relevance of applications are assessed by an independent funding committee. Please see the guidance for stage 1 and stage 2 applications to find out more.
Research proposals are submitted online through the Research Management System. We supply template application forms for stage 1 and stage 2 to help researchers prepare their proposal ahead of submission.
PRP-funded policy research should:
The Policy Research Programme will support:
The programme will not support:
NIHR Policy Research Units (PRUs) undertake research to inform government and arms-length bodies making policy decisions about health and social care. The units create a critical mass of experts for research in priority areas for health and social care policy.
The 15 units provide both a long-term resource for policy research and a rapid-response service to provide evidence for emerging policy needs. The units also offer advice to policy makers and analysts on the evidence base and options for policy development.
Each university-based PRU hosts a multidisciplinary team of researchers from collaborating institutions.
The 15 units represent a £75 million investment over 5 years.
The Policy Research Programme assesses research proposals for funding through its core committee. The committee is chaired by a leading academic and is composed of a core membership of academics, professionals, and patients and members of the public drawn from a variety of areas. The committee is often supported by academic subject experts relevant to each separate application.
The committee recommends projects for funding to the Department of Health and Social Care, which approves which projects should be funded.
Members of NIHR Committees are required to declare any interests which conflict, or may be considered to conflict, with NIHR business, or may be perceived as influencing decisions made in the course of their work within NIHR programmes. All members are asked to complete the Register of Interest form (annually), which is intended to capture long term predictable interests that could be perceived to lead to conflicts of interest. These and other interests are judged on a case by case basis at individual meetings.
Professor Jill Manthorpe is chair of the Policy Research Programme funding committee.
See the full membership of the Policy Research Programme funding committee.
We offer a wide variety of assistance during all stages of the research process. If in doubt, please get in touch.
Tel: 020 8843 8073
Email: prp@nihr.ac.uk
Our operating hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm
Assistant Director
Mario Moroso
Senior Programme Managers
Nicholas Chandler
Chiara Gasparini
Maria Chisholm
Emily Allen
Programme Managers
Mike Nelson
Farheen Shafiq
Olena Myronova
Tahir Bockarie
NIHR Central Commissioning Facility
Grange House
15 Church Street
Twickenham TW1 3NL
The Department of Health and Social Care invites expressions of interest for a single research project to inform the development of the scoring system for a reformed national Clinical Excellence Awards scheme for consultant doctors and dentists and academic GPs.
Policy Research Programme - Policy Research Programme - Working Age Health Call
Understanding recent increases in the prevalence of drug misuse among young people
All Policy Research funding opportunities
Guidance for applicants for funding for a single research project to inform the development of the scoring system for a reformed national Clinical Excellence Awards scheme for consultant doctors and dentists and academic GPs.
Guidance on submitting a Stage 1 application to the Policy Research Programme.
NIHR PRP Research Call on Young People and Drug Misuse - Research Specification
NIHR PRP Research Call on Working Age Health - Research Specification
Details of what support the Research Design Service can offer.