Resources For Applicants

Applications to the Health Research Projects Funding Call must comply not only with the requirements outlined in our application guidance document on the funding page, but also with the relevant NIHR regulations and policies. This includes rules relating to costing and finance, governance, ethics, insurance, contracting, and research dissemination.

To support applicants, we have compiled the following links to key NIHR guidance and support resources.

Types of Impact that NIHR Value

For NIHR, research impact is about making a meaningful difference to people’s lives through the research that NIHR fund and support, making a difference to wider society and effecting meaningful change i.e an effect or benefit. NIHR Imperial BRC have developed guidance on the types of impact that they would like to see in the research that they fund, as outlined below. Please consider these impact types when developing your research project proposals.

Types of impact Types of evidence
Improved patient/service user outcomes
  • Improved outcomes in health or social care (also includes prevention of poor outcomes)
  • Decreased time to diagnose or treat
  • Improved health literacy and public awareness
Changes in service delivery
  • Improved patient safety
  • Commissioning or decommissioning of a service
  • Improved patient care pathways
  • Improved management of a disease or condition
  • Improved access to services or quality of care
Policy influence
  • Influencing policy or clinical guidelines and subsequent implementation or de-implementation
Capacity, skills or workforce development
  • Training or skills development that fills a gap
  • Capacity development in under-represented professions or groups
  • Increased capacity and capability to respond to needs of commercial companies and/or the health and care system
Systems influence
  • Relationship building and improved collaborations and ways of working between different parts of the health and care system, including with ICB/S
  • Improved adoption or uptake and subsequent implementation, including through HINs
  • De-implementation or de-commissioning of services
  • Improved operational efficiencies
  • Improved embedding of EDI and PPIE
Developing and delivering operational excellence (particularly relevant for Networks)
  • Developing operational excellence
  • Developing novel or innovative methodology
  • Improving cost-effectiveness
  • Implementation, adoption or spread of good practice regionally or nationally
Economic impact
  • Cost savings to the NHS, public health and social care
  • Increased revenues
  • Jobs created

 

NIHR Policy and Compliance

These resources outline the regulatory and contractual frameworks applicants must align with when designing and delivering their research projects:

Research Inclusion and Public Involvement

Guidance on embedding equity, diversity, and active involvement of communities and service users in your research design:
Other useful resource pages on RI/PPIE:

Updated NIHR PPIE Payment Guidance

As of 16 December 2025, the NIHR has updated its guidance on payment for public involvement in research, including increased recommended payment rates. This guidance should be considered when planning, budgeting for, or delivering public involvement activities in NIHR-funded research.

Revised NIHR Guidelines
NIHR News Item

NIHR Research Design Support

Applicants are strongly encouraged to make use of NIHR’s national support networks for help with study design, public involvement, methodology, and costing: