Find out if you are eligible for funding
The NIHR Global Health Research Portfolio funds high quality applied health research and training for the direct and primary benefit of people in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
Our research is funded via the UK Government’s commitment to Official Development Assistance (ODA), also known as UK aid.
Our global health funding programmes are open to researchers in higher education institutes and research institutes in the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) and in LMICs eligible for ODA funding.
Applicants should check the guidance documents for individual funding opportunities to find out specific eligibility requirements.
ODA-eligible countries
To be eligible for NIHR global health research funding, research proposals must be for the direct and primary benefit of people in ODA-eligible LMICs.
Countries eligible for ODA are defined by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) and listed on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list. This list is updated every three years.
Demonstrating ODA compliance
Applicants to global health research funding will be asked to provide an ODA Compliance Statement that outlines:
- which LMIC(s) on the OECD DAC list will directly benefit
- how the application is relevant to the development challenges of those countries
- how the outcomes will promote the health and welfare of people in the relevant LMIC(s).
Where all or part of the research is not undertaken in an ODA-eligible country during the course of the award (including where a country graduates from the DAC list during the lifetime of the award, or there is a need for specialist expertise from a non-eligible country), the application must clearly state the reasons for this, with due consideration to the benefit of the research to ODA-eligible countries.