Planning a funding application

Information on all the aspects of planning a funding application, as well as links to support.

Designing your research

Find out where to get help in designing your research study and other important considerations.

Costing your research

Overview of the key costings information you may need to be aware of before you apply for funding.

Regulatory approvals and governance

You need to seek regulatory approval for your research project and register it with an appropriate database. You also need to adhere to the highest standards of research governance.

Setting up your study

Overview of the main areas to think about when you are setting up a research study.

Signing a contract

We fund research by contracting researchers' organisations on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to perform individual research projects. Find out about the process.

Plan knowledge mobilisation

When designing your research, you need to plan how to share it with the people who can use it to effect change. This is known as knowledge mobilisation.

Research Support Service

The Research Support Service provides support to health, social care and public health researchers in England. We can support all aspects of developing and writing an application to the NIHR.  Advice is confidential and free of charge. 

We can help with identifying funding sources, research design, research methods, as well as involving patients and the public.