NIHR Pre-doctoral Local Authority Fellowship Scheme Applicant Guidance Notes Round 4
- Published: 15 December 2023
- Version: V1.0
- 60 min read
Introduction
The NIHR is pleased to announce the launch of the fourth annual NIHR Pre-doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (PLAF) competition. The PLAF scheme has been designed to support the academic ambitions of individuals wishing to incorporate research activity into their roles whilst remaining employed, or at least engaged, within local authorities or local authority supporting services.
This document provides full details of this scheme and the 2024 competition, describing the means by which applications for PLAFs should be submitted, and detailing how they will be assessed.
Background
Following successful pilots of the PLAF and Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (DLAF) competitions in 2021, the NIHR secured Department of Health and Social Care funding that, through its Local Authority Academic Fellowship (LAAF) Programme, will continue to support local authorities and local authority supporting services to become more research active.
A growing body of evidence indicates that research active organisations deliver better services and outputs than those that are not. The LAAF Programme will increase the capacity for local authority settings to generate and support research by offering research training fellowships to individuals who intend to build research active careers within them.
The LAAF Programme will again invite applications for PLAFs, DLAFs and the newer post-doctoral Advanced Local Authority Fellowships (ALAFs) in 2024. By offering this tiered suite of similarly focussed funding opportunities to individuals embedded within local authority settings, the LAAF programme will contribute to the development of a credible ‘practitioner academic’ career pathway within local authorities and local authority supporting services.
The importance of Practitioner Academics
Self-sustaining research activity within service providing or policy making organisations is dependent on the employment of practitioner academics. These individuals divide their time between university affiliated research and practice or policy roles.
Some practitioner academic roles, such as that undertaken by the medical Consultant Professor, are well established and understood, but many others are still emerging. As the benefits of a research active workforce become increasingly appreciated, practitioner academic roles are becoming more widespread, and initiatives such as the LAAF Programme aim to accelerate this movement further.
The research questions formulated by practitioner academics are informed by experience and the reality of the practice or policy roles they undertake. As active researchers in fields of relevance to their own continued practice, practitioner academics are also well positioned to critically appraise and utilise research findings in the development of evidence based practice and service redesign. As such, practitioner academics are uniquely placed to make invaluable contributions to the development and maintenance of optimum and adaptive services.
Investment in a practitioner academic career infrastructure has the potential to transform services, inspire staff to develop and innovate, attract and retain talent in a competitive market, and to address quality, governance and safety issues. Such developments benefit individual staff members and their organisations, and can ultimately play a role in accelerating improvements in services provision for users and the public.
The aim of the LAAF Programme, then, is to facilitate the realisation of these benefits for all concerned.
Scope of Fellowship Employment Options
The PLAF is a NIHR personal research training award. As such, Fellowship proposals are written and submitted directly by the prospective award holder. The NIHR cannot, however, contract with the Fellow directly and, therefore, all applicants require the support of a Host Organisation.
Whilst ALL applicants will require the formal support of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) AND by a provider of health and/or social care services, one organisation must be identified as the organisation that will host the applicant’s Fellowship – referred to as the ‘Host Organisation’, whilst the other must act as the ‘Partner Organisation’.
The Host Organisation must be capable of fulfilling the role of research sponsor as set out in the UK Policy Framework for Health & Social Care Research (.PDF). Further guidance on the roles and responsibilities of a research sponsor can be found on the Health Research Authority’s (HRA) website.
The applicant MUST propose to be employed by EITHER the Host Organisation or the Partner Organisation for the hours and duration of the award. This means, for example, if an applicant is currently working in a clinical/practice setting e.g. a county council, and the proposed Host Organisation is a HEI, then the applicant can choose to continue to be employed by the council or move employment to the HEI.
The decision on which organisation should host the award and, indeed, on which should employ the awardee is down to the applicant in discussion with their supervisors, line managers and mentors. The decision should be based on what is best for the applicant, their career development and the research training they are proposing to undertake.
The Host Organisation and Partner Organisation
The Host Organisation
The Host Organisation may or may not be the applicant’s employer, but will be required to hold the award contract and lead on the local management of the award
Examples of the award contract are available to download from the NIHR website.
The Host Organisation for a PLAF must be based in England and can be a:
1. local authority
2. provider of local authority commissioned services
3. nonprofit organisation (such as a charity) that provides services on behalf of a local authority, or that otherwise supports a local authority in meeting its objectives. This support doesn't need to be commissioned or funded, but it does need to be co-designed with, or at the very least acknowledged and signposted by, the local authority/authorities in question.
4. Higher Education Institution (HEI) (The named HEI for a PLAF must be an English university or university college, and employ the proposed primary academic supervisor.)
The Partner Organisation
PLAF award holders, in developing their practitioner academic careers, require support from a local authority / local authority supporting organisation and a HEI, which will work together to support their Fellowship and their developing practitioner academic career.
If the proposed Host Organisation is not an English university or university college. (i.e. of type 1, 2 or 3 above), then the Partner Organisation must be an English university or university college.
If the proposed Host Organisation is an English university or university college, then the Partner Organisation must be an English:
1. local authority
2. provider of local authority commissioned services
3. nonprofit organisation (such as a charity) that provides services on behalf of a local authority, or that otherwise supports a local authority in meeting its objectives. This support doesn't need to be commissioned or funded, but it does need to be co-designed with, or at the very least acknowledged and signposted by, the local authority/authorities in question.
The Partnership
The Host Organisation and Partner Organisation are expected to show a commitment towards the objectives of the scheme. Both organisations must ensure that the award holder is not expected to undertake any additional roles or work that would erode the time available to undertake the approved training and development as detailed in the PLAF application.
As part of the application review, the PLAF Selection Committee will assess the support that the Host Organisation and Partner Organisation will provide to the applicant to develop their practitioner academic career. Applicants are advised to consider this assessment criterion when identifying suitable organisations to support their PLAF.
Host and Partner Organisation Statement of Support
This statement is completed by relevant Heads of Department/Senior Managers at the proposed Host Organisation and Partner Organisation, and should detail how these organisations are going to support the applicant, in partnership,to successfully complete the PLAF if awarded.
This statement should be specific and tailored to the applicant and their training needs, and describe how the organisations intend to support the applicant to develop their practitioner academic career in the long-term.
In addition, the HEI is required to detail the conversion rate from Masters to PhD students at the institution. The Senior Manager at the local authority / local authority supporting organisation is required to detail the plans in place to support the continuation of the applicant’s professional role over the course of, and following the completion of, any subsequent award.
Heads of Department/Senior Managers at the Host Organisation and the Partner Organisation should contribute to the statement. This section can only be edited by the Heads of Department/Senior Managers once they have agreed participation and cannot be edited, but can be viewed, by the applicant.
The NIHR sees Host and Partner Organisations as key contributors to the training and development of our next generation of research leaders. Therefore, information should also be provided that pertains to the organisations’ track records of, and approaches to, supporting early career researchers.
Please note - The Host Organisation Statement of Support is a key element of the assessment process and applicants are advised to discuss the statement with their Heads of Department/Senior Managers well in advance of the competition deadline.
Assessment of Applications
Following the submission deadline, the NIHR will check applications for completeness and eligibility, and distribute eligible applications to the members of the PLAF Selection Committee.
The selection committee will assess all eligible applications using the Assessment Criteria below.
PLAF Assessment Criteria
- the suitability and commitment of the applicant to a career as a practitioner academic
- the appropriateness of the award to the experience and trajectory of the applicant
- the scope for the described field of academic interest to prove relevant to, and provide benefit to, the local authority setting in which the applicant plans to work
- the quality and appropriateness of the proposed academic training plan (specifically to doctoral fellowship application development)
- the quality and appropriateness of the proposed Public, Service User and Carer Involvement and Engagement in the development of the PhD project
- the appropriateness of the proposed academic supervision
- the appropriateness of the proposed academic environment
- the track record of the host university in supporting individuals with existing practitioner/policy roles to develop practitioner academic careers
- the appropriateness of the proposed career mentorship
- the extent to which the local authority / local authority supporting partner will support the applicant to pursue and develop a practitioner academic career
- the arrangements for ensuring protected time for each of the fellowship’s requisite components
- the extent to which the statement of support is tailored to the applicant and demonstrates a partnership between the Host and Partner Organisations to support the applicant's practitioner academic career development.
Competition Timetable
| Competition Stage | Key Dates |
|---|---|
| Competition Opens | 9 January 2024 |
| Competition Closes | 28 March 2024 |
| Funding Recommendation Meeting | June 2024 |
|
If awarded, Fellowships must start on one of the following dates. Fellowships cannot be deferred without the consent of the NIHR. |
1 September 2024 1 October 2024 1 November 2024 1 December 2024 1 January 2025 1 February 2025 or 1 March 2025 |
Completing the Application Form
1. Application Summary Information
Host Organisation
Please detail the organisation that will be the contractor (hold the award contract) if the project is funded.
The Host Organisation for a PLAF must be based in England and can be a:
1. local authority;
2. provider of local authority commissioned services;
3. nonprofit organisation (such as a charity) that provides services on behalf of a local authority, or that otherwise supports a local authority in meeting its objectives; or a
4. Higher Education Institution (HEI)
The support from a nonprofit organisation doesn't need to be commissioned or funded, but it does need to be co-designed with, or at the very least acknowledged and signposted by, the local authority/authorities in question.
The named HEI for a PLAF must be an English university or university college, and employ the proposed primary academic supervisor.
Please note that we do not require the applicant’s substantive employer to act as the contractor.
Please also bear in mind that:
- The contractor is expected to respond to annual financial reconciliation exercises, provide the final financial reconciliation statement for the project and to provide responses to ad hoc requests for financial information during the lifetime of the project.
- The contractor is expected to respond to any queries relating to Intellectual Property, commercialisation and benefit realisation.
If the name of your Host Organisation does not appear in the pre-populated list, please email academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
Partner Organisation
Please give details of the Partner Organisation that will support the fellowship if the project is funded.
If the name of the Partner Organisation does not appear in the pre-populated list please email academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk
If the proposed Host Organisation is not an English university or university college, the proposed Partner Organisation must be an English university or university college.
If the proposed Host Organisation is an English university or university college, the proposed Partner Organisation must be an English:
- local authority
- provider of local authority commissioned services or a
- nonprofit organisation (such as a charity) that provides services on behalf of a local authority, or that otherwise supports a local authority in meeting its objectives
The nonprofit organisation support doesn't need to be commissioned or funded, but it does need to be co-designed with, or at the very least acknowledged and signposted by, the local authority/authorities in question.
Proposed Start Date
This must be the 1st of the month, regardless of whether this is a working day or not.Please be realistic about your possible start date, taking account of any contracting and recruitment that might be necessary before you will be able to start your Fellowship.
PLAF Award Type
Please select the PLAF award type you wish to apply for: 'standard' PLAF or PLAF Bridge.
The extent of existing research experience and formal academic training undertaken to date should be the primary factors in determining which PLAF funding option (‘standard’ PLAF or PLAF Bridge) is the most appropriate.
Applicants who already have research experience and/or research training at a sufficient level to prepare them to undertake a PhD (research doctorate) but who require the time and support to develop a competitive doctoral level application, would be advised to choose the PLAF Bridge option. Applicants who have undertaken limited formal academic training to date and who need to undertake a full Masters or a number of Masters level modules may be better suited to the ‘standard’ PLAF.
Applicants that have previously completed a Masters qualification are advised to review the level of academic training and research experience that this qualification provided. If there was a large research component to the course, further academic training may not be necessary at this level. Holding a Masters level qualification per se, however, does not preclude undertaking a ‘standard’ PLAF if further academic training is required.
Applicants are advised to discuss their previous academic training and experience with their proposed academic supervisors, and to work with them to determine their likely pre-doctoral training needs. Please see below for further guidance regarding the Training and Development Programme proposed in a PLAF application.
Applicants are also advised to consider a timeline for making a doctoral level submission. Completion of a PLAF should not inadvertently delay the progression of any awardee’s academic career.
The funding committee does consider value-for-money and scope for impact when making its decisions. Remember that the selection process is competitive and so a poor choice in this respect can fatally weaken an application.
Be aware that the funding committee will (and does) reject applications for ‘standard’ PLAFs when it feels that the PLAF Bridge would have been a better use of the applicants’ time and the scheme’s public funds.
WTE of Award
Awards can only be undertaken at one of the WTE options given.
Please ensure that your choice allows sufficient time for completion of your proposed fellowship activities.
2. Applicant CV
Please note: some of the responses to these questions are automatically imported from information entered in the ‘Manage My Details’ page of your ARAMIS account.
The Publication Record section of the form is automatically populated from publications added into the ‘My Research Outputs’ page of your ARAMIS account.
Please note: You must ensure that this section contains any information necessary to determine eligibility for the scheme (please refer to the eligibility criteria) or your application may be rejected.
Professional Bodies
Please provide details (via 'Basic Information' of any current registration you hold with a professional body.
Degrees and Professional Qualifications
Please provide the full details of any completed higher degree(s) and, where relevant, the full details of any higher degree(s) you are currently undertaking.Please ensure that your degree classification is included, if applicable.
Present and previous positions
When entering details of your current and previous positions, please indicate at what percentage (WTE) in each post you were undertaking research. For example, if you were a Clinical Lecturer and undertook research for 2.5 days a week and clinical work for 2.5 days per week, please enter 50% for that position. If you have worked part time at 60%, and undertook research for half of that time, please enter 30% for that position.
Research Grants Held
Details of all grants and project funding (research or otherwise) obtained in the last five years should be provided, including personal research training awards or fellowships, plus any additional previous grants (including travel grants and any other small funding awards) relevant to this application. Please indicate clearly any co-applicants and provide brief details of the nature and full extent of your involvement (e.g. project design, project management, day to day running, data collection, data analysis, writing papers for publication, etc.). It is not necessarily expected that applicants at the pre-doctoral level will have been awarded research grant funding as a Principal Investigator (PI) or as a co-applicant, but please details any such achievements here. Please note - your research grant record must be completed within the application form and not via the CV section on ARAMIS.
Publication Record
The publication record is automatically populated from the information added to the ‘Research Outputs’ section of your ARAMIS account. To update, please ‘save and close’ your application, return to the ‘home’ screen and select ‘Research Outputs’ from the left-hand menu.When publications have been added, the applicant’s name can be edited to show in bold within application forms via the ‘Assign Grant Contacts’ option. To ensure publications display correctly, with all of the required information, applicants are strongly advised to use the ‘import’ function and import their publications from Europe PMC. Do not include publications in preparation. If relevant, details of these may be included in the ‘Applicant Research Background’ section. Do include relevant abstracts, conference proceedings and articles (peer-reviewed or otherwise) that have been published.Depending on professional background and expertise, applicants are not necessarily expected to have an extensive list of publications.
Relevant Prizes, Awards and other Academic Distinctions
Please provide details of any awards or distinctions that would be relevant to your application including details of what the award was for.
Examples may include travel bursaries for a conference, presentation prizes, innovation awards etc.
ORCiD
The NIHR is an ORCID member and encourages all researchers to obtain this persistent digital identifier that distinguishes them from every other researcher. Applicants must include an ORCID iD in their application. Without it, your application will not be validated and you will not be able to submit. For more information and to register go to the ORCiD website.
3. Applicant Research Background
Professional Background
Select the one option that best describes your professional background. This will determine any options that appear below for your profession, if applicable.
Please describe your research career to date
Please use this question to describe your research experience and your relevant professional career and experience.
Please also include any of the following:
- research projects that you have led or made a significant contribution to (making clear what your role was)
- the research methods you have experience of
- the impact and outputs of the research you have been involved in (linking to details given in your CV)
- any other relevant experience such as supervisory, management, teaching, public engagement or leadership experience
- any experience of service user and public involvement and engagement activities in health/social care research
- professional experience relevant to your development as a practitioner academic in your chosen field
- other skills and experience that highlight your suitability for the fellowship you are applying for, and that demonstrate your potential as a future health/social care research leader.
It is not necessarily expected that applicants at the pre-doctoral level will have extensive research experience to date, but applicants are advised to describe all relevant academic and professional experience (including audit, evaluation and quality improvement programmes) and any research activities that they have been involved in.
(Word limit: 1000).
Has this application, or a similar application, been previously submitted to this or any other funding body?
Select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to indicate whether this or a similar application has previously been submitted to this or any other funding body. This must include any previous submissions for an NIHR research training award, even if the proposed research has changed. Please detail the title of any previous submission(s), the funding body and scheme, the outcome and the date this is due if a decision is pending. If the application was unsuccessful, please indicate why and detail how this application differs from previous submission(s) and how any feedback received has been used to inform this application.
(Word limit: 500)
Contextual Factors
Please use this question to detail any contextual factors you wish to make the Funding Committee aware of. The NIHR wants to know about any such circumstances so that they may take them into consideration during the assessment of your application. Contextual factors may include:
- Career breaks due to parental leave, or periods of illness.
- Reduced time spent undertaking research due to a disability or caring responsibilities. This could include any physical or mental difficulty that may have impacted your research career. These are situations that have a significant impact on your ability to undertake research
- Reduced opportunities for career support e.g. mentorship, and limited opportunities to undertake prior research and training
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your research carer
Please also use this section to detail any other factors that may have impacted your research career. The impact on your career to date will be specific to your particular circumstances but could include such impacts as limited opportunities to obtain grant funding, or fewer publications. In general terms, mitigating factors should be significant, and relevant.
The NIHR acknowledges that you may be reluctant, or uncomfortable disclosing relevant information that is sensitive, but we are unable to take into account factors that you do not disclose. Please be assured that information provided by you here is sensitive and will be treated confidentially and in line with General Data and Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Use this section to indicate any specific impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your application.
(Word limit: 500)
4. Research Plan
Applicants are certainly not expected to possess a fully developed proposal for PhD study at the point of application (this being an output of the award itself), but they are required to have identified a likely research question, and, ideally, to have conceived strategies for tackling it so as to usefully inform and direct a preparatory training plan.‘Bridge’ applicants are expected to have a more refined plan for PhD study than are ‘standard’ applicants.Using all of the headings and associated guidance below, please use this section to explain the proposal for doctoral study that you intend to develop over the course of the fellowship. It is fully expected that some applicants, and particularly ‘standard’ applicants, may not be able to provide much detail under some of these headings.
- What is the problem under consideration?
Explain the health and/or social care problem to be explored, explaining its impact on service users as well as health and/or social care services.
- What will be the research question/aims and objectives?
Please summarise the likely research question / key aims and objectives.
- Why is this research important in terms of improving the health and/or wellbeing of the public and/or to service users and health and social care services?
Please outline the anticipated value or contribution the study might provide.
- Project Plan
Describe your plan of investigation if you have one, including the methods you anticipate using for data collection and analysis.
- How will you involve service users, carers, the public and other key stakeholders undertaking your PhD project?
The NIHR expects appropriate and relevant involvement of service users, carers, the public and other key stakeholders in the conduct of the research it supports.Information and resources to assist you can be found on the NIHR website (a detailed definition of public involvement in research, and briefing notes for researchers on how to involve the public).
In addition, the NIHR has contributed to a Toolkit for Increasing Participation of Black Asian & Minority Ethnic Groups in Health & Social Care Research, and has produced a further resource on Public Involvement in Social Care Research
Identify all stakeholders who are relevant to your research proposal and, where appropriate, describe your plans for their involvement in the proposed research itself.
Applicants may wish consider seeking input from elected members at their associated local authorities, these individuals being representatives for their communities by definition.
Note: The PLAF award you are applying for will not fund any of the activities you describe here. The description is, however, crucial in that it enables the assessors of your application to appraise the appropriateness of your tailored training and development plan, the appropriateness of your supervisory support, and the appropriateness of your hosting arrangements. (Word limit: 500)
5. Patient and Public Involvement
As noted elsewhere within this document, the NIHR expects appropriate and relevant involvement of service users, carers, the public and other key stakeholders in the development of the research it supports.
Information and resources to assist you can be found on the NIHR website (a detailed definition of public involvement in research, and briefing notes for researchers on how to involve the public).
In addition, the NIHR has contributed to a Toolkit for Increasing Participation of Black Asian & Minority Ethnic Groups in Health & Social Care Research, and has produced a further resource on Public Involvement in Social Care Research.
Applicants may wish consider seeking input from elected members at their associated local authorities, these individuals being representatives for their communities by definition.
Please describe how patients/service users, carers and the public have been involved in developing this proposal
You should describe who has been involved and why this is appropriate, what role(s) they have played and what influence or change has happened as result of their involvement.
(Word limit: 350)
Please describe the ways in which patients/service users, carers and the public will be actively involved the proposed research, including any training and support provided
Service users and the public/community can be involved in every stage of a research project, from developing a proposal through to dissemination and evaluation.
In your description you will need to say who will be involved and why.
Explain why your approach to involvement and engagement is appropriate for this proposal
Describe how you will support and enable involvement and engagement in your research (e.g.: payments, training).
(Word limit: 350)
If it is considered not appropriate and meaningful to actively involve patients/service users, carers and the public in your proposed research, please justify why
Complete / justify as necessary.
(Word limit: 350)
6. Training and Development and Research Support
Proposed training and development programme
Please use this section to detail the training and development (including doctoral-level Fellowship application development) you will undertake as part of the fellowship. Please answer this question using the headings relevant to your training plan from the list below. As this is the main part of your application you should ensure that the information is accurate, succinct and clearly laid out. 1500 words are available for this section if needed.
- full Masters course (note – this must be a Research Methods Masters, or at the very least a Masters with a strong (and taught) research methods component)
- formal courses (including Masters modules)
- training in specialist skills and research methodologies
- placements with other research groups or centres
- leadership training
- conference attendance
- research visits
- training in public, service user and carer involvement and engagement
- dissemination of relevant research
- research experience
- professional development
- other training and development
- preparation of an application for a competitive, peer-reviewed doctoral level research training fellowship
Impact of the Fellowship
Please describe the impact this fellowship will have on your career, remembering that a fellowship should provide you with a step change in your career trajectory.
(Word limit: 1500)
Primary Academic Supervisor
Please provide details of your proposed Primary Academic Supervisor and the support that they will provide.The individual listed here must also be added as a participant in the ‘Participants and Signatories’ section of the application form. Details of the following must be included here:
- the numbers of Masters students currently supervised and successfully supervised to completion
- the number of PhD students currently supervised and successfully supervised to completion
The primary academic supervisor must be employed by the university named as Host or Partner Organisation.
Please note that the Primary Academic Supervisor of the fellowship is not required to remain as the proposed Primary Academic Supervisor in any subsequent application for a doctoral fellowship. It is the the responsibility of the supervisor to help the fellow to identify a replacement if the project evolves in anunforseen direction.
(Word limit: 1000)
Mentor
Applicants are required to identify an individual (ideally an established practitioner academic) who will act as a career mentor over the course of the fellowship.
Mentors need not be of the same profession as the applicant, but should be in a position to provide guidance and insight into the barriers and enablers facing an aspirant practitioner academic.
Please provide details of your proposed career mentor and the support that they will provide.The individual named here must also be added in the ‘Participants and Signatories’ section of the application form.
(Word limit: 250)
Collaborations
Explain what collaborations you intend to establish to support your training and development programme. Collaborations should complement and enhance the skills and experience you are looking to gain through this award and can include (but not limited to) individuals, research groups,CTUs, organisations and industry partners.
(Word limit: 600)
Host Organisations support statement
This statement must be written and added by relevant Heads of Department/Senior Managers at the proposed Host Organisation and Partner Organisation, and should detail how these organisations are going to support the applicant, in partnership, to complete the PLAF if awarded.
This statement should be specific and tailored to the applicant and their training needs, and describe how the organisations intend to support the applicant to develop their practitioner academic career in the long-term.
The NIHR views Host and Partner Organisations as key contributors to the training and development of our next generation of research leaders. Therefore, information should also be provided that pertains to the organisations’ track records of, and approaches to, supporting early career researchers.
The Head of Department at the academic organisation is required to detail the extent to which Masters students progress to PhD study at the institution. The Senior Manager at the local authority / local authority supporting organisation is required to detail the plans in place to support the continuation of the applicant’s professional role over the course of, and following the completion of, any subsequent award.
NIHR see the responsibility for training the next generation of research leaders as a joint enterprise with host organisations. Information should, therefore, also be provided on the organisations’ track records of supporting early career researchers, such as evidence of bridging or other support provided to fellows upon completion of an award.
In addition, the statement should also describe the organisations’ approaches to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive research culture for all. The statement should provide evidence of how the organisations’ value and support equality, diversity and inclusion as well as acknowledging the organisations’ responsibilities with respect to research integrity. Statements may wish to refer to the principles and best practice outlined within relevant Charters and Concordats in these areas, such as the Researcher Development Concordat and Advance HE’s Equality Charters. It should be noted that being a signatory to Concordats or holding bronze/silver status from the Equality Charters isn’t a requirement of funding and evidence can be provided through other means.
Organisations are expected to comply with the relevant Principles and obligations for clinical academic training and it is recommended that contributors read these documents, where relevant, before completing the statement of support.
NIHR expects that all commitments made to the applicant within this statement will be honoured for the lifetime of the award.
This section can only be edited by the Heads of Department/Senior Managers once they have agreed participation and cannot be edited, but can be viewed, by the applicant.
Please note - The Host Organisation Statement of Support is a key element of the assessment process and applicants are advised to discuss the statement with their Heads of Department/Senior Managers well in advance of the competition deadline.
(Word limit: 1000)
7. Uploads
To support your training and development proposal you are required to upload the following document in the ‘uploads’ section of the form:
- Training timetable: One page (readable when printed on a single side of A4) detailing specific milestone and deliverables.
8. Budget
Guidance for the completion of the finance section is available in the next section of the Applicant Guidance Notes.
9. Participants and Signatories
A number of participants and signatories are required to be added to your application and, where applicable, to complete sections of it.
Details of the required individuals are provided in the Applicant Guidance Notes and on the online application form along with details of how they should be added. The flow diagram in Annex A describes the actions required of participants, signatories and the applicant.
10. Acknowledge, review and submit
Conflict checks
Please declare any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that you may have in undertaking this Fellowship, including any relevant, non-personal & commercial interest that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Agreement to terms and conditions
Please click the check box to confirm that you agree to the Terms and Conditions of submission as detailed on the application form.
Finance Guidance
The Detailed Budget section of the application form must be completed by the applicant in conjunction with the Research Support Office or Finance Office at the Host Organisation.
Applicants must make a copy of these Applicant Guidance Notes available to the Finance Officer in question.
The funding requested in the finance section will form the basis of the Fellowship should the application be successful.
This fellowship does not include, or pay for, any research costs or full economic costing.
Applications for a PLAF can request:
| Options | PLAF | PLAF Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Applicant salary costs to cover time spent undertaking the fellowship | Applicant salary costs to cover time spent undertaking the fellowship |
| Training and Development | Up to £5,000 towards Masters level training and associated travel and subsistence | Up to £400 for formal courses and associated travel and subsistence |
| Conferences/ meeting | Up to £1,000 for conference/meeting fees and associated travel and subsistence | Up to £500 for conference/meeting fees and associated travel and subsistence |
| Research development support (incorporating Public, Service User and Carer Involvement and Engagement, and travel for supervision) | Up to £1,000 | Up to £500 |
| Award Uptake | full-time for 12 months (5 days per week) part-time over 24 months (2.5 days per week, 0.5 WTE) part-time over 30 months (2 days per week, 0.4 WTE) |
4 days per week for 6 months (0.8 WTE) 2 days per week for 12 months (0.4 WTE) |
Note: The NIHR expects all awardees to be charged for training at UK Home Student rates, irrespective of background.
Detailed Budget
Justification of costs
Please provide a breakdown of the costs associated with undertaking the fellowship as described in the application and provide justification for the resources requested.
All costs provided should be ‘value for money’ and will be assessed by the NIHR and members of the PLAF Selection Committee. The NIHR reserves the right to reject any costs that it considers unreasonable or insufficiently justified.
Detailed Budget Breakdown
General Information
- The information entered in this section (excepting salary information) will be used to assess value for money.
- It is in your best interest to undertake a thorough, realistic and accurate costing. You must provide a clear and full justification for all costs. You must also ensure that you include all costs required.
- Costs must be provided at current prices. An adjustment for inflation will be made annually thereafter at rates set by DHSC. Whilst allowances for incremental increases should be included on the form, nationally or locally agreed pay increases should be excluded.
- Years should be calculated starting from the anticipated start date of the proposed fellowship. For example, if your fellowship is expected to start on 01 September 2023 then its second year starts 01 September 2024.
- Further itemisation of costs and methods of calculation may be requested to support the application at a later date.
- Payments will be made to the contracted organisation only and the contracted organisation will be responsible for passing on any money due to their partner organisation(s).
- Appropriate sub-contracts must be put in place for any element of the fellowship that is to be paid to another organisation.
- It is expected that the finance section of a fellowship application form has received appropriate input from the supporting organisations.
- NIHR Fellowships are not project or programme grants; extensions to allow for completion of research and/or training and development are not permitted. Suspensions of awards to allow for periods of maternity, paternity, adoption or sickness leave are supported.
Information on different types of organisations
Higher Education Institution (HEI) Indirect Costs may not be claimed on this award, however all approved costs will be paid at 100% irrespective of the type Host Organisation.
Please note, if the Host Organisation is a Higher Education Institute, please select the “other” option when entering the “Type of Cost” to prevent costs being submitted at 80%.
Details of Post and Salaries
This section presents an overview of the salary costs for the applicant.
The Applicant
‘Details of Posts and Salaries’ should show the full current staff costs independent of percentage WTE etc.
Please state the proposed salary point and scale at the start of the Fellowship.
Please note - immediate promotion to a higher grade as a result of securing a fellowship will not be funded. Please do not include any Clinical Excellence or Discretion/Merit awards or discretionary points. NIHR agrees to fund consultant salaries at a full-time rate equivalent to 10 Programmed Activities per week.
The apprenticeship Levy can be included in the salary costs from 1st April 2017 where relevant.
Direct Costs
These are costs that are specific to the Fellowship, which will be charged as the amount actually spent and can be supported by an audit record. They should comprise:
Salary costs
This section specifies the annual costs of the applicant. You should now allocate the individual staff member costs to each year of the fellowship, allowing for increments. Use current rates of pay, and build in any known annual increments (again at current rates). You will not be able to claim for pay awards retrospectively / once the fellowship is contracted.
Please note - the salary figures need to be calculated using the current annual costs, percentage WTE and number of months.
It is important to double check that the %WTE, total months and yearly costs information are consistent with the information presented in ‘Details of Posts and Salaries’ (‘Details of Posts and Salaries’ should show the full current staff costs independent of percentage WTE etc. whereas the yearly costs in ‘Salary Costs’ depend on percentage WTE etc.).
Please ensure that you check the ‘Type of Cost’ box that describes the employing organisation for a member of staff as this impacts on the level of funding provided. If the Host Organisation is a Higher Education Institute, please select the “other” option when entering the “Type of Cost” to prevent costs being submitted at 80%.
Travel, Subsistence and Conference Fees
This section includes journey and subsistence costs and conference fees. Where applicable, you can also include the travel and subsistence costs that will be incurred by the applicant in travelling for meetings with individuals providing supervision.
Journey Costs:
Enter the total cost of transport for all journeys. If travel is by car, apply your institution’s mileage rates (however, this should not exceed HMRC approved mileage allowance payments, which is 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p thereafter).
Travel by the most economic means possible is encouraged. NIHR fellowships do not usually fund first class travel.
Subsistence:
Subsistence covers accommodation (if necessary) and meals associated with periods of travel, excluding any alcoholic beverages.
Conference Fees:
There is a limit on the amount that can be spent on conference related costs (including all related travel and subsistence as well as conference fees) depending on the level you are applying for. These are as follows:
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PLAF: up to £1,000
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PLAF Bridge: up to £500
Please ensure you tick the “tick if conference” box if the cost relates to conference associated travel or subsistence or to conference fees.
Training and Development
Please itemise and describe fully the costs associated with training and development. Please provide estimates if exact costs are not available at the time of application.
The NIHR expects all awardees to be charged for training at UK Home Student rates, irrespective of background.
Please note - Any travel and subsistence associated with training and development should not be included here and should be included in the “Travel, Subsistence and Conference Fees” section of the Detailed Budget.
This section should also be used to itemise any Public, Service User and Carer Involvement & Engagement costs: These costs might include, for example, reimbursements for time given and for travel expenses incurred, room hire costs and refreshment costs. All such costs should be categorised as ‘other’ on the ‘description, drop-down. Please note - Funding for ‘Research Development Support’, which includes Public, Service User and Carer Involvement & Engagement costs as well supervision associated travel costs is capped as follows:
PLAF: £1000 in total
PLAF ‘Bridge’: £500 in total
Summary of cost
Please note that whilst these percentages will be used to calculate the maximum grant payable, the programme reserves the right to award a grant for less than this maximum where it is considered appropriate.
Additional Supporting Information
Information for line managers of prospective applicants
Although not formalised through the submission process, the NIHR recognises that many prospective applicants will want/need the consent of their current line and/or service manager before seeking to recruit colleagues as participants and signatories. In order to facilitate this parallel process, the following 'Summary for Managers' has been produced as an additional resource for applicants to draw on.
NIHR Research Support Service
The NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) provides free and confidential advice to those developing applications for NIHR funding.
Assistance is primarily focused around refinement of research questions, research design and methodological support. Complementing the advice applicants receive from supervisors and/or mentors. The RSS also assists prospective applicants to understand the scope of the NIHR’s various funding streams and to develop public involvement and engagement strategies. This includes involvement of service users, carers and/or practitioners in social care.
The RSS is delivered collaboratively through eight hubs, each a partnership of research groups and organisations.
All hubs support a broad range of research designs, from pre-application through to post-award delivery, as well as providing specialist topic or methods expertise. There are also specialist centres with expertise in public health and social care research.
CRN support
The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports researchers and the life sciences industry in planning, setting up and delivering high quality research to the agreed timelines and study recruitment target, for the benefit of the NHS and social care and patients/service users/carers in England.
In partnership with your university’s R&D office, we encourage you to involve your local CRN team in discussions as early as possible when planning your study to fully benefit from the support the NIHR CRN offers as outlined in their Study Support Service. To find out more about how you can apply for this additional support to help deliver your study, please visit the Study Support Service webpage.
Public, Service User and Carer Involvement and Engagement
The NIHR expects appropriate and relevant involvement of service users, carers, the public and other key stakeholders in the development and conduct of the research it supports.
Information and resources to assist prospective applicants can be found on the NIHR website (a detailed definition of public involvement in research, and briefing notes for researchers on how to involve the public).
In addition, the NIHR has contributed to a Toolkit for Increasing Participation of Black Asian & Minority Ethnic Groups in Health & Social Care Research, and has produced a further resource on Public Involvement in Social Care Research.
Applicants may wish consider seeking input from elected members at their associated local authorities, these individuals being representatives for their communities by definition.
NIHR Applied Research Collaborations
NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems.
These 15 local partnerships between NHS providers, universities, charities, local authorities, Academic Health Science Networks and other organisations also undertake implementation research to increase the rate at which research findings are implemented into practice.
The ARCs, announced in July 2019, aim to improve outcomes for patients and the public; improve the quality, delivery and efficiency of health and care services; and increase the sustainability of the health and care system both locally and nationally.
The ARCs undertake research on a number of areas of need highlighted by the NIHR Futures of Health report, including: the challenges of an ageing society; multimorbidity; and the increasing demands placed on our health and care system.
The £135 million five-year funding also aims to deliver national-level impact through significant collaboration between the ARCs, with individual ARCs providing national leadership within their fields of expertise.
The 15 ARCs are:
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North Thames
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber
Peer Support
Titled ‘Developing Local Authority Researchers’, a new workspace on the FutureNHS platform supports developing researchers based within local authorities and allied settings to network, share knowledge and receive notifications of future development opportunities. The workspace is open to all, and includes a forum and members directory, as well as links to other resources and opportunities.
NIHR Schools
The NIHR has funded the development of three national NIHR Research Schools. The Schools for Primary Care Research (SPCR), Public Health Research (SPHR) and Social Care Research (SSCR) are unique collaborations between leading academic centres, undertaking outstanding research in their respective fields and sharing learning with policy makers, practitioners and the public.
The Schools are committed to equipping researchers in training with the tools to develop and build a research career, and offer a range of training and career development opportunities. Further information, including the opportunities and support available at each of the Schools can be found on their respective websites:
- NIHR School for Public Health Research
- NIHR School for Social Care Research
- NIHR School for Primary Care Research
MRC Complex Intervention Guidance
Where appropriate applicants are encouraged to read the MRC complex interventions guidance.
Ethics / Regulatory Approvals
Guidance on the application process for ethical and other approvals should be sought from the supporting university in the first instance, but can be found on the HRA website. Please note that if your study is led from England and involves the NHS in England you should apply for HRA approval.
If you are using service user information from an existing database, you should check whether the service users have given their consent for their data to be included in that database for research purposes, or if not whether the database is exempt under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006. Where exemptions are not already in place, approval to use confidential service user information without consent must be requested from the HRA who make decisions with advice from the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG).
NOTE: NIHR is interested in taking advantage of the growing utility of routine data (such as HES, GP records etc.), and would like investigators, where appropriate, to ask study participants to consent to long term follow up (e.g. beyond the outcomes to be collected in the funded trial) using routinely collected data, and appropriate linkage to allow this data to be best used.
Plagiarism in NIHR funding applications
NIHR expects all content within applications for funding to be original material of the applicant's own work, with the exception of sections that other participants are required to complete. Whilst we anticipate and expect that applicants will get help and advice from various sources when putting together an application, including on occasion input from those previously awarded funding, care must be taken to ensure this does not lead to plagiarism of either published work or other previous applications. If an allegation of plagiarism is raised against an application this will be investigated in accordance with the NIHR Academy’s policy on plagiarism, a copy of which is available on request from academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
NIHR Privacy Policy
Our purpose for collecting information is to communicate with you about your application and have the necessary information to evaluate you for a fellowship. The data we collect here is collected in the public interest. Information provided here may be subject to Freedom of Information requests.
The NIHR Academy is part of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), NIHR. The contracting agent for the NIHR Academy is the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust (LTHT). The DHSC is the Data Controller and LTHT is the Data Processor under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) EC 2016/679. DHSC NIHR respects the privacy of individuals who share their data and processes it in a manner that meets the requirements of GDPR. The DHSC Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk.
The NIHR privacy policy includes further information including ways we may use your data, our contact details and details on your individual rights regarding how your data is used. Your data may be shared across the NIHR, including with other coordinating centres, to allow the application to be managed and for statistical analysis, and with external grant reviewers as part of the process for managing the allocation of a grant. Information collected from you will not be shared outside the EEA without your consent.
This notice is under constant review and will be updated and / or revised based on that review as appropriate.
Requirements for systematic reviews to be registered with PROSPERO
Applicants undertaking systematic reviews should note the commitment of NIHR to publication in the database. PROSPERO was developed by the NIHR’s Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), and is the first online facility to register systematic reviews for research about health and social care from all around the world. Access is completely free and open to the public. PROSPERO registration is a condition of NIHR funding for eligible systematic reviews.
Existing data resources
Applicants are encouraged to consider whether existing data resources may be able to provide suitable data for their study. We do not want to discourage establishment of new collections of participants and their data where this is necessary to address the research questions under consideration, but to avoid applications for funding to set up cohorts where the use of existing data would prevent wasteful duplication of effort and activity.
The UK Data Service provides a unified point of access to an extensive range of high quality social and economic data, including UK census data, government funded surveys, longitudinal studies, international macrodata, qualitative data and business microdata.
NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines
Researchers applying for NIHR funding are asked to consider the carbon footprint of their research and take steps to reduce carbon emissions where appropriate. Advice on how to do this can be obtained from the NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines.
Transparency Agenda
In line with the government’s transparency agenda, any contract resulting from this tender may be published in its entirety to the general public. Further information on the transparency agenda is at: Procurement and contracting transparency requirements: guidance.
Contractual Arrangements
Financial support under an NIHR Fellowship is subject to a contract between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Host Organisation.
Once funding for a Fellowship has been discussed and agreed, NIHR will confirm the financial arrangements with the Host Organisation. NIHR will provide the Host Organisation with a contract setting out the details of these arrangements.
Government procurement transparency regulations require publication of details of all contracts made with the DHSC on their Website. Confidential information including research proposals (Plain English Summaries will be published), detailed finance information, bank details, and departmental staff names (other than the award holder’s name) will be removed from the published versions.
Freedom of Information Act
The NIHR Academy manages the NIHR Fellowship Programme on behalf of the DHSC. As such the findings of researchers funded by the programme are incorporated in to the Department of Health and Social Care Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.
Equal Opportunities and Diversity
NIHR is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in research and asks applicants to provide Diversity Monitoring Information. By answering these Diversity Monitoring Information questions, you will help us to better understand the different groups of people that apply to us for funding and their experiences of the funding process – particularly the groups protected by UK equality legislation. Although it is mandatory to answer these questions, it is possible to select “prefer not to say” as a response. However, the more information you provide, the more effective our monitoring will be. This information will not be used to make decisions about funding.
Guidance and Advice
Please read these Guidance Notes carefully. If you require any further information, advice or guidance please contact the NIHR:
Phone: 0113 532 8401 Email: academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk
Responsible NIHR Senior Programme Manager: Dr Mal Palin
Annex A: Application Submission Process Flow Diagram
Outlined are the steps for submitting an application. The applicant starts the application and adds participant and signatory details. The participants and signatories can then log in and confirm their participation and signatories can complete the sections of the form as directed. The applicant can continue entering data and completes all relevant sections of the form (step 3). The applicant then presses the ‘Submit’ button. Once the applicant submits, signatories will receive automated emails to approve the application. However, automated ‘out of office’ replies to these emails will not be relayed to the applicant. Once all signatories have approved the application, it is automatically submitted to NIHR for consideration. Rejection of the application by any individual at this stage will return the application to step 3.