Mental Health Research Groups Committee Meeting Minutes, 4-5 March 2024

Minutes of the Mental Health Research Group (MHRG) committee meeting to discuss applications to Groups & Leader Awards.

In attendance

Committee Members

Professor Peter Bower (Supporting Chair)

Professor Penny Bee 

Ms Samina Begum

Professor Kam Bhui (Day 1)

Professor Victoria Bird (Day 2)

Mrs Wendy Blunden

Professor Cathy Creswell

Professor Lina Gega (Day 1)

Reverend Stephen Habgood

Professor Sonia Johnson

Professor Peter Jones

Professor Richard Morriss

Ms Farrah Pradhan

Professor Alan Simpson

Professor Mike Slade

Professor Dame Til Wykes

Programme Director

Professor Marian Knight (Chair)

Secretariat

Mr Raj Flora

Ms Fiona Giles (Day 1)

Ms Jess Goddard

Mr Tom Hutchinson

Mr Chris Lambert (Day 2) 

Ms Andrea Yanez-Cunningham 

Representatives

Miss Erin Shearman (Day 1) 

Research Liaison Officer, Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC)

Ms Alison Tingle (Day 1)

Research Liaison Senior Manager, Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC)

MHRG Groups / Leader Award applications considered

NIHR207566: RuMOuR: Reducing the Inequalities Associated with Serious Mental Illness and Suicide across Rural Herefordshire and Worcestershire whilst Enhancing Our Research Culture
Lead Applicant: Professor Eleanor Bradley
Conflicts: Professor Sonia Johnson
Outcome: Reject

NIHR207580: Improving sustainable access to high-quality primary and community care mental health care interventions: an asset-based community development approach. (ISACC-ABCD)
Lead Applicant: Professor Greg Irving
Conflicts: Professor Peter Bower and Professor Penny Bee
Outcome: Conditional Support 

NIHR207583: Bath Mental Health Research Group
Lead Applicant: Dr Pamela Jacobsen
Conflicts: Professor Cathy Creswell and Professor Penny Bee
Outcome: Conditional Support 

NIHR207603: University of Central Lancashire MHRG
Lead Applicant: Professor Mick McKeown
Conflicts: Professor Victoria Bird, Professor Sonia Johnson and Professor Penny Bee
Outcome: Reject

NIHR207597: University of Plymouth Mental Health Research Group
Lead Applicant: Professor Richard Byng
Conflicts: Professor Dame Til Wykes, Professor Victoria Bird, Professor Alan Simpson (Direct Conflict), Professor Sonia Johnson and Professor Kam Bhui
Outcome: Reject

NIHR207600: NIHR Social Psychiatry and Applied mental health Research group at the University of Warwick (SPARK)
Lead Applicant: Professor Domenico Giacco
Conflicts: Professor Victoria Bird, Professor Sonia Johnson (Direct Conflict), Professor Alan Simpson, Professor Mike Slade and Professor Kam Bhui
Outcome: Reject

Professor Cathy Creswell left the meeting (for scoring) (572)

NIHR207572: COM-LIFE. COMmunity approaches to managing mental health problems in people in under-served groups across the LIFE course.
Lead Applicant: Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham
Conflicts: Professor Peter Bower, Professor Richard Morriss, Professor Penny Bee, Professor Kam Bhui and Ms Samina Begum
Outcome: Reject

NIHR207587: INSPIRE (INtegrated Strategies for the Prevention of Inequalities and Reducing Early life risk factors for mental health challenges)
Lead Applicant: Dr Paul Sullivan
Conflicts: Professor Cathy Creswell and Professor Lina Gega
Outcome: Reject

Professor Alan Simpson left the meeting (for scoring) (584)

NIHR207584: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Research
Lead Applicant: Professor Thomas Phillips
Conflicts: Professor Dame Til Wykes and Professor Lina Gega (Direct Conflict)
Outcome: Conditional Support 

Professor Alan Simpson left the meeting

NIHR207582: Newcastle MHRG
Lead Applicant: Professor Sheena Ramsay
Conflicts: Professor Marian Knight, Professor Cathy Creswell (Direct Conflict), Professor Sonia Johnson, Professor Kam Bhui and Professor Alan Simpson (RMS Conflict)
Outcome: Reject

NIHR207586: NIHR Mental Health Research Leader Award at York St John University
Lead Applicant: Professor Garry Tew
Conflicts: Professor Lina Gega 
Outcome:  Reject

NIHR207598: Mental Health Leader Award: Teesside University, University of York, and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Lead Applicant: Professor Emma Giles
Conflicts: Professor Lina Gega
Outcome: Conditional Support 

NIHR207590: Kent Mental Health Research Leaders Award
Lead Applicant: Professor Sukhwinder Singh Shergill
Conflicts: Professor Peter Bower, Professor Dame Til Wykes, Professor Victoria Bird, Professor Alan Simpson, Professor Mike Slade and Professor Kam Bhui
Outcome: Reject

Close of meeting