The Mental Health Research Development Award is designed to support higher education institutions (HEI) to carry out targeted preparatory work to develop a competitive Mental Health Research Group (MHRG) application. Development Awards are aimed at HEIs that have some pre-existing applied mental health research capacity (in the sense that they feel they have a team which could apply for an MHRG) but are not currently in a position to apply for a MHRG in Round 1.
Individual awards can be for up to £150,000, up to 12 months. The amount of funding awarded, however, is determined by the scale and nature of the development work to be conducted. There is no formal expectation or guarantee that recipients of a Development Award will be successful in obtaining a subsequent Group award in the future.
Broad ranging development work is permitted, with an expectation that award-holders will work towards the following objectives:
- Create collaborative research partnerships, such as with service providers/Trusts, community groups, HEIs with established applied mental health research capabilities.
- Undertake preparatory research to identify local needs (e.g. research prioritisation).
- Develop an inclusive applied mental health research strategy/plan.
- Develop a credible Group application.
Further details can be found by reading the competition brief or visiting the call landing page.
The submission deadline for applications is 13:00 on 06 December 2023.
If you require any further information, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the team via mhrg@nihr.ac.uk.