NIHR Mental Health Research Leader Award Round Two Competition Brief

Introduction

Established in 2006, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) seeks to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Its funding programmes support high quality research in a broad range of topic areas that benefits the NHS, public health and social care. This includes mental health research, and career development funding awards for mental health researchers.

Innovation lies at the centre of the NIHR’s strategic mission, described in Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter. Within this, NIHR has identified seven areas of  strategic focus, one of these includes bringing clinical and applied research to under-served regions and communities with major health needs.

Health & Care Context

Mental health problems are the single largest cause of disability in the UK (.PDF) and represent an ever-increasing burden across all ages of the population, and health and social care systems. The impact mental health problems can have on individuals and the wider societal and economic consequences is vast (.PDF) and people living with mental health conditions often suffer from additional long term physical illnesses, shortened life expectancy, social exclusion, socioeconomic disadvantage, and increased need for provision of health and welfare support. Despite the high prevalence, many populations do not receive the support they need and there are significant regional inequalities in accessing care. To address this mismatch, the NIHR aims to broaden the current research base - which is largely concentrated in a small number of geographical locations - and boost capacity and capability to conduct applied mental health research across England. The NIHR endeavours to support high-quality and timely evidence that delivers mental health improvements to areas and groups where they are most needed, as outlined in the recently established Mental Health Research Goals 2020-2030.

Mental health research is an ongoing priority for the DHSC and the NIHR. Following the 2020/21 Spending Review, the NIHR announced the Mental Health Research Initiative (MHRI) to help tackle the disparity between regional needs and mental health research activity. To date, the four-year MHRI has funded more than 100 new mental health projects in areas of unmet need across its research infrastructure, research schools and funding programmes. The MHRI also provided funding to support a unique collaboration across the NIHR School for Public Health Research, School for Primary Care Research and School for Social Care Research, as well as several capacity building endeavours such as career development awards, Fellowships, and the GROW development programme for budding mental health researchers.

Scope

For the purposes of the MHRI and all associated programmes, the scope of eligible mental health research activity is limited to diagnosable mental health conditions within the HRCS mental health category, including depression, schizophrenia, psychosis and personality disorders, addiction, suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, learning disabilities, bipolar disorder, autistic spectrum disorders, and studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour. Research addressing an alternate HRCS code such as HRCS neurological category, which includes dementia, is out of scope for this call.

The Mental Health Research Groups (MHRG) Funding Programme

The NIHR launched the MHRG funding programme in 2023 under the broader NIHR MHRI. The NIHR MHRG scheme seeks to establish up to ten NIHR MHRGs in geographical areas with high mental health (MH) burden and limited local research capacity and activity (e.g. low recruitment into MH research studies (“target areas”). These will be partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) based in England within target areas, and partner HEIs based in England with more experience and expertise in mental health research, who have a shared interest and vision.

The establishment of the MHRGs marks the NIHR’s ongoing commitment to address the disparity in mental health research, aiming to develop and deliver a balanced portfolio of at-scale, high-impact applied mental health research, relevant to the mental health needs of the target areas and their local communities.

NIHR MHRGs will deliver ambitious five year applied mental health research programmes, with the overarching aims of:

• building capability and capacity in the target geographical areas;
• developing a portfolio of substantive, at scale applied health research with an emphasis on specific needs of local areas, engaging with the local health, public health and social care systems and local communities with lived experience of mental health conditions and of using mental health services and support.

The first round of the MHRG funding scheme opened with two additional sub-scheme opportunities as it was recognised that some HEIs wishing to establish a MHRG may not have the capacity and expertise to design and deliver such a programme of work at the outset. The first round of the MHRG funding scheme thus ran a Mental Health Research Development Award competition and Round 1 of the Mental Health Research Leaders Award, to allow HEIs with limited capacity to build capacity ahead of applying for a MHRG award.

The flow chart below shows the different routes into the MHRG funding scheme for higher educational institutions (HEIs). 

• Higher educational institutions with no current mental health research capacity can apply for a five-year Mental Health Leaders Award (up to £2.5m up to 5 years), to support a dedicated team to work up to a full MHRG application
• Higher educational institutions with some MH research capacity, that are based in target areas, and have identified a suitable partnership, can:
  • either apply directly for a MHRG award (up to £11m up to 5 years)
  • or can apply first for a Development Award (up to £150k up to 1 year) to support development of the MHRG application

We anticipate running at least two more MHRG funding competitions so that those who are successful in obtaining Mental Health Research Leaders Awards in Round 1 and 2 will have the opportunity to apply for a MHRG during their MHLA award period.

MHLA Round 2 

Overview

The Mental Health Research Leaders Award is designed to support HEIs with little to no existing capacity in applied mental health research but which have a long term strategic interest and commitment in undertaking targeted and applied mental health research that will be directly beneficial for the local communities and health and care system. The HEI with little to no existing capacity will act as lead applicant, and should apply in collaboration with at least one ‘established’ partner(s) HEI(s) based in England.

The overall objective of this collaboration is to support the lead institution to develop an applied mental health research team, including the appointment and development of a senior researcher to lead the team, and to develop the institution’s research capacity with a view to applying for further grant funding as the team becomes more established.

MHLAs can be for up to £2.5million over a period of up to five years. The five year term of the award is sufficient to aid recruitment and retention of an applied mental health research team, but MHLAs will be encouraged to develop a proposal within 12-24 months to graduate to the full MHRG award. MHLAs which successfully apply to the MHRG scheme will be supported in their transition between awards; MHLAs which unsuccessfully apply to the MHRG scheme will still have their original MHLA award term and funding agreement honoured. 

MHLA applications will be expected to include well-developed plans for the first 2 years of the MHLA work programme along with outline objectives for years 3-5. Detailed plans for years 3-5 should be developed after commencement of the award and submitted to the NIHR for review and approval at an agreed date.

Institutional Eligibility

The HEI with no/limited capacity will act as lead applicant for MHLA applications and should clearly be in overall control of the research and capacity building strategies of the collaboration. 

HEIs with an existing track record or significant portfolio of applied mental health research will not be eligible to apply for this award as a lead applicant. However, they would be expected to work collaboratively and utilise their experience and infrastructure to support the less experienced HEI. It will be permissible to involve more than two HEIs in the collaborative bid, where appropriate.

Suitability as either a 'Lead' or 'Established' partner will depend on the HEI’s existing capacity and experience within applied mental health research. Applicants will be asked to provide evidence of their relative research capacity and capability to justify being considered either a ‘Lead’ or ‘Established’ partner, within the spirit of the intended outcomes of this funding scheme (further details on the information required will be provided in the Application Guidance). As an example, an ‘Established’ partner would be considered as one known in the research community to be an effective ‘net exporter’ of mental health research of benefit to the UK public. 

Target Area Eligibility

Potential target areas across England include, but are not limited to, those areas highlighted as having a high burden by the Small Area Mental Health Index (SAMHI) Place-based Longitudinal Data Resource.

The suitability of a HEI to be a ‘Lead’ or ‘Established’ partner, as well as the suitability of proposed ‘target areas’, will be made by the advisory committee. Advisory committee decisions can not be appealed, therefore, to avoid any confusion, it is vital that applicants provide clear justification where requested in the application form. 

Broad Selection Criteria for NIHR Applications

The following key criteria for this call encompass the overarching NIHR principles and contribute towards the aims of the MHRG programme. The key criteria for funding will be incorporated within the independent advisory committee selection criteria which will be used to assess applications.

The high level selection criteria for applications will be:

• The quality of the proposed capacity building and applied research programme plans.
• The existing applied mental health research capacity and the plan for developing capacity and capability.
• Arrangements and clarity of the proposed partnership between any research/institutional partners.
• Value for money.

Applicants for Leader awards will be invited for interview by the advisory committee as part of the commissioning process. 

Expectations

The MHLA programme is aimed at HEIs with limited applied mental health research capacity and those with no existing applied MH research capacity, wishing to expand their capacity and are situated within, or within easy reach of, “target areas”.

Successful Lead applicant HEIs to the MHLA will be responsible for recruitment of a Leader and associated research team. The award is expected to support at least three new research posts (professor/reader/senior lecturer, post doctoral, post graduate) together with public partnership and research inclusion activities. 

Once appointed, the primary focus of the Leader will be to create and lead a team to co-develop or further refine the capacity building and research plans the Lead HEI originally applied with. Key areas of work may include research into evidence gaps, local mental health priorities and service delivery challenges, and building relevant academic and local organisation collaborations, which will then inform future funding applications, potentially including an MHRG application. 

Leaders will be a part of the NIHR Academy and will benefit from the support and development activities offered, but will also be expected to have a well-developed training/mentorship plan proposed as part of the application.

Whilst there is no formal expectation or guarantee that recipients of a MHLA will be successful in obtaining a subsequent Group award, and all proposals for the Group award will be judged on their own merits, the aim of this scheme is to facilitate the long term development of MHRGs in the target areas.

Host/Lead HEI Commitment

The principal aim of the MHRG, and associated schemes, are to create new applied Mental Health research groups that will become self-sustaining and long outlive the initial funding period. To make this possible, significant commitment, support, and investment will be required from the Lead HEI. We would expect applications to demonstrate the long-term research vision of the Lead HEI (including links to any published R&D or Mental Health research strategies), and detail how the Lead HEI will commit to maintaining the research group over the long term.

In order to be successful in developing and maintaining an applied mental health research team, the Lead HEI and their appointed Leader will need to be able to draw on broader mentorship, support, and advice from researchers, and other senior leaders, within the HEI with expertise in general applied health methodologies and infrastructure development. HEIs that currently possess such expertise will be expected to demonstrate how this will be harnessed to support the Leader and the new team. HEIs that lack the capability to provide such support internally will need to ensure that the Leader will be supported by mentors with relevant expertise from partner institutions, whilst also providing a clear plan for how they will begin to develop their own capacity in these areas during the award.

Mentoring & the role of the ‘established’ partner(s) HEI

The role of the ‘established’ partner(s) will be to use their expertise in mental health, along with their experience in undertaking at-scale applied research, to support the development of the lead institution, the researcher Leader and the wider team.

Please note that we expect mentoring and evidence of mentoring to be embedded throughout the proposal, and to be based on an analysis of the development needs of the institution, department and (where possible) personnel. Mentoring activities might include peer mentoring/support for investigators and support staff, sharing of resources, access to training courses, knowledge exchange and applied mental health research expertise. Infrastructure support for the Lead HEI intended to develop their expertise across all aspects of grant delivery and management, for example support for R&D and technology transfer departments, finance teams, and grant writing, may also be supported where required. 

It is acknowledged that mentoring plans may require further development and specification in order to meet the actual needs of the research leader, and wider team, once they have been appointed.

Mentoring should be provided from both the ‘established’ partner(s) and from existing skills and expertise within the Lead HEI.

Capacity building

The application should detail explicit plans to develop the Lead HEI’s capacity in defined areas through the award period. Evidence of pre-submission work to identify those areas  in the Lead HEI should be included in the application. This work could take the form of gaps and needs analyses or prioritisation exercises, for example. Areas identified can be research-based or methodological, and should cover all broader grant management expertise requirements. This work may also look beyond the Lead HEI and into the target area’s mental health research and care landscape in order to inform plans for the roles and/or expertise that will be needed in the Leader’s new team. We expect MHLAs to found novel, interdisciplinary collaborations which will facilitate improvements to mental health outcomes for people in the local, underserved areas, e.g. across local health, primary and public health partners, social care and the third sector, and grassroots organisations, as well as with allied healthcare professionals, health economists, data scientists, behavioural and social scientists, and statisticians. 

Similarly to the mentoring expectations, we expect capacity building to be embedded and practicably supported throughout the term of the award and beyond. We recommend that applicants seek support from the existing NIHR-funded Mental Health Research Infrastructure, in their local and target areas particularly, to support the development of their MHLA application. The following NIHR webpages may provide a starting point:

• NIHR Mental Health
• NIHR Research Infrastructure
• NIHR Collaborating in applied health research, Applied Research Collaborations 
• Mental Health Translational Research Collaborations

Research Strategy Development 

The presubmission capacity-based gaps and needs analyses, in whatever form they take, should inform and complement the research plans proposed within the MHLA application. For the MHLA, we expect research areas to be identified based on place-based needs and co-production with local communities and stakeholders, and to see plans to develop high quality research in these areas. We do not necessarily expect to see plans for specific studies as we anticipate that the Leader, once appointed, will develop the research trajectory of the MHLA, but suggestions for possible studies, based on the place-based needs identified, would be welcomed. Details of how the research development strategy will be supported by the Lead HEI and established partner(s) should be proposed, as well as an indication of how those support systems will be flexible and adaptable, as will be needed to adjust responsively to the Leader’s direction. The strategy proposed should reflect the aims and objectives of the MHLA, and MHRG scheme more broadly, to provide some stability of funding to support the long-term development of high quality applied mental health research groups.

Balance between research & capacity building

The dual requirements of capacity building and research development strategy should be considered with equal weight and afforded equal consideration in MHLA applications. As indicated, plans for capacity building should complement research plans and vice versa. This balance should also be reflected in the financial arrangements, and justification for the proposed arrangements can be included in the ‘Justification of Costs section’.

PPIE

The overarching aim to develop and build the capacity to deliver a portfolio of applied mental health research with emphasis on specific needs of local places will only be achieved through engaging and working in partnership with the local health, public health, social care systems, local communities, and people with lived experience of mental health conditions living in the specific target area. 

We expect successful applications to have been genuinely co-produced and have a co-productive framework in place and embedded throughout the MHLA. This includes the application development phases as well as throughout the award activities. Genuine and bespoke co-production endeavours should be foundational to building capability and capacity in the target areas (beyond what already exists), and developing a sustainable trajectory for the future MH Leader, and their research group, within the target areas to improve mental health outcomes in those areas.

The NIHR has many resources for designing meaningful PPIE work into grants such as:

• PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) resources for applicants to NIHR research programmes
• Payment and recognition guidance
• Guidance on co-producing projects

MHLA-specific criteria

While remaining flexible, we anticipate supporting applications that:

• include research partnerships with a clear, shared ambition to address the challenges faced by people in areas historically under-served by applied mental health research.
• propose a coherent and sustainable plan for capacity and capability strengthening at individual and institutional level, and include a trajectory for establishing a pipeline of future leaders within applied mental health research within the target areas
• Individuals whose academic career development is being supported through NIHR MHLA funding can benefit from NIHR Academy membership and the support and development activities offered as part of this.
• demonstrate the strength of institutional commitment from both the Lead and supporting HEI to the research partnership, and to sustained research capacity strengthening beyond the lifetime of the award.
• Demonstrate developed and considered mentorship arrangements and plans which will meet the needs of the Leader, the Lead HEI and target area, and which are supported and contributed to by the Lead HEI and supporting institutions
• address issues of inclusivity around sex, gender, age, ethnicity, social barriers to health and economic impact, specific to the target area’s context, when formulating research questions and research plans.
• propose a coherent plan for engagement with the local community and people with lived experience of mental health problems, demonstrating the ways they will help inform the design and conduct of the research, with an emphasis on co-production.
• include relevant engagement with policy makers, local communities, service users/patients, carers and the public, civil society organisations, and charities over the lifetime of the award.
• include plans for knowledge mobilisation and dissemination to relevant stakeholders in the target area.
• support and embed bi-directional learning between partner institutions and collaborating organisations within the target geographical area.
• demonstrate plans for embedded and continuous evaluation of the work streams within the proposal. 

Mental Health Research Leaders Awards will NOT support applications which:

• do not meet the published call criteria for the Mental Health Research Leaders Award.
• are led, or clearly directed, by institutions with a pre-existing substantial applied mental health research portfolio.
• do not include a clear collaborative partnership led by a HEI with limited applied mental health research capacity in collaboration with at least one HEI with a substantial applied mental health research capability.
• are not clearly expanding the applied mental health research capability/capacity of the lead HEI to deliver applied mental health research pertinent to the target area in a sustainable manner.
• include basic laboratory/discovery research, experimental medicine or research involving animals.
• consist solely of one of the following:
• large single randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of interventions; any RCT must be part of a wider cohesive programme of research and capacity development work
• epidemiological studies
• evidence synthesis (e.g., systematic reviews)
• evaluations of existing services, where the programme of work does not include evidence-based development and improvement of these services
• dissemination
• establishing new patient cohorts, biobanks or bio-sample collections or data collection studies (samples or data from existing biobanks, patient registries cohorts may be used)

Funding Arrangements

Detailed information on eligible and non-eligible costs, as well as guidance on completing the budget forms are available within the Application Form Guidance.

We would expect to see a substantial majority of the funding allocated to the lead HEI with appropriate development assistance costs for the partner. The NIHR accepts that the level of development assistance costs may be significant and will depend on the resources, expertise and infrastructure available to the lead HEI (for example lead HEIs that do not host a Health Economics (HE) team may need to buy-in significantly more HE support from the partner that those lead HEIs that do already have a HE team.) 

For MHLA awards up to 100% of full economic costs (FEC) will be available.

Process and Timetable for MHLA Round 2

An independent advisory committee, who will make recommendations to the DHSC on award designation and funding, will consider all applications for NIHR Mental Health Leader Awards.