Global Health Research Development Awards (Call 1)

Deadline Date: May 15, 2024

Donor Name: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Grant Size: $100,000 to $500,000

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is pleased to launch a new Global Health Research Development Awards call that will support underpinning work for the development of high-quality global health research proposals and applications to help award holders and their institutions secure further research funding from the NIHR and other funders.

Through the NIHR Global Health Research (GHR) Development Awards, NIHR provides funding to increase the competitiveness of global health research applications led by researchers based in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) on the DAC list.

Aims

• The GHR Development Awards aim to:
  • build global health research capacity and capability by supporting eligible applicants to complete underpinning work and develop high-quality research proposals
  • support the development of equitable and sustainable research partnerships among collaborators, including community organisations based in ODA-eligible countries
  • support the development of high-quality low and middle income country-led global health research proposals which directly target the needs and priorities of people in ODA-eligible countries and have strong plans for research uptake and dissemination

Priorities and Focus of GHR Development Award 

• NIHR is seeking applications that:
  • Support partnership development activities between applicants and their collaborators, to build sustainable and equitable research partnerships and further develop consortia in preparation for a research proposal, including groundwork for future Collaboration Agreements.
  • Undertake a needs analysis of the local context, to define or refine research priorities and questions through engagement with policymakers, evidence users, local communities and other stakeholders. This can include reviewing existing research literature, testing data collection procedures and/or generating pilot data to support the scientific case for and feasibility of a proposed research project.
  • Develop community engagement and involvement practices/processes to ensure future research proposals are suited to the local context, policy-oriented and practice-relevant.
  • Undertake training activities that will support grantsmanship skills to develop high-quality, applied global health research proposals.
  • Establish plans for developing institutional and individual capacity and capability for management of future larger-scale research projects, for example, research management training or discipline-specific training.
  • Establish plans for developing and embedding approaches and best practices for monitoring, evaluation and learning.
  • Develop a strategy for research uptake and dissemination.
  • Development award holders will also benefit from the NIHR Academy global health training programme offer, which includes academic and grant writing training, networking sessions and ad hoc research skills webinars/workshops.

Scope

• The GHR Development Awards provide funding to researchers based in ODA-eligible organisations who are looking to:
  • strengthen institutional and individual research capacity and preparedness for applying for and managing applied global health research funding
  • create or develop sustainable and equitable research partnerships between award holders and their collaborators, which foster mutual learning, knowledge exchange and ongoing collaboration on high-quality applied global health research projects
  • increase understanding of the health research needs of ODA-eligible countries, and health research questions relevant to ODA-eligible countries
  • develop community engagement and involvement practices and processes to refine research priorities and ensure research proposals are suited to the local context and are policy and practice-relevant

Funding Information and Duration

• GHR Development Awards provide funding up to £100,000 for projects with a duration of 12 months. Funding awards can be led by a principal investigator (lead applicant) employed by a higher education institution (HEI) or a research institute based in an ODA-eligible country.

Key Criteria for Funding

• The NIHR GHR Development Award is a single-stage competition.
• The following key criteria for this call encompass the overarching NIHR principles and contribute towards the aims of the NIHR GHR portfolio. Eligible applications will be reviewed by an independent international Funding Committee using the key criteria for funding. You should write your application in a way that is suitable for reviewers of differing expertise.
• In your application, you must describe how your proposed work addresses the following key criteria for funding:
• Relevance: You should show how the proposed programme of activities will support your team to develop a research proposal by defining a significant evidence gap and identifying unmet needs and priorities in ODA-eligible countries. Relevant activities may include plans to review the local context or existing research literature or develop a needs analysis through engagement with policymakers, evidence users and local communities, as appropriate. NIHR expect you to demonstrate in your application that you have identified potential future funding schemes.
• Equitable and sustainable partnerships: You should show how your proposed activities will shape meaningful and sustainable collaborations/partnerships between your lead organisation and partners and how you will ensure equity in partnerships.
• Capacity strengthening: You should set out plans for assessing and/or developing your institutional and individual capacity and capability needs and how these will be met during the award to support future research. This can include capacity development for research support functions such as project management, intellectual property (IP) management, finance, and assurance functions. 
• Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI): You should show how relevant stakeholders will be involved and how you will develop CEI capacity during the award period for future research. 
• Value for money: You must provide evidence of a clear, well-justified budget that represents good value for money. You must show that all planned expenditure is proportionate and appropriate for your planned activities and consider Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Equity.
• Preparation for research impact and sustainability: You should describe how your proposed work will support future applications for research funding and how your proposed activities can lead to implementable strategies for research uptake and dissemination, to support research impact and sustainability.
• Research quality (where applicable): If you propose to undertake primary research such as testing data collection procedures and/or generating pilot data to support the scientific case for and feasibility of a proposed research project, your application will also be assessed on research quality. Your application should show the quality and appropriateness of the proposed primary research demonstrating clear objectives, sound design, detailed methodology, identification of possible risks and ethical considerations.

Eligibility Criteria

• ODA Eligibility
  • The NIHR GHR portfolio supports high-quality applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list, using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding.
  • Where some activities are 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) you must clearly state the reasons for this in your application with due consideration to the benefit of the research to ODA-eligible countries.
• Individual Eligibility
  • Applications must be led by a Lead Applicant employed by a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or Research Institute based in an ODA-eligible country. Joint leadership is not supported under this call.
  • You must demonstrate in your application how you meet the eligibility criteria. If your application does not clearly demonstrate your eligibility, your application will be rejected and will not be considered by the Funding Committee. NIHR will not permit any changes to the Lead Applicant after the application has been submitted.
  • As an individual, you cannot be named as a Lead Applicant on more than one application. If you are listed as a Lead Applicant on more than one application submitted to this call, all your applications will be rejected and will not be considered by the Funding Committee.
• Institutional Eligibility
  • As a Lead Applicant, your organisation must be a HEI or Research Institute from an ODA-eligible country. NIHR will only accept applications from Lead Applicants with a substantive FTE at an HEI or Research Institute in an ODA-eligible country. You must provide details of all other institutional affiliations, if applicable, as part of your application.
  • An eligible LMIC Research Institute as a contracting organisation is defined as a not-for-profit research organisation with a:
    • demonstrable track record in obtaining funding for research through competitive processes, and delivering successful outcomes from this funding
    • track record in building and strengthening research capacity including Masters, PhD, and other formal training
    • ability to manage internationally competitive awards through research support functions to include finance, intellectual property (IP), and procurement.
      • this includes, if relevant, the capacity to transfer funds to partner organisations in different countries and knowledge of any national restrictions on transferring funds to other country partners
    • capacity to track all expenditure, complete quarterly financial reports, manage virements between budget headings, and respond to audit requests
• Non-health Research Organisations
  • If your organisation is not focused on health research, such as an institute of engineering, you can act as a Lead Applicant, provided the organisation is based in an ODA-eligible country, your expertise is relevant to the plans, and your work will fall within the remit of the call. You are also eligible to join an application as a co-applicant or collaborator.
• Non-Governmental Organisations and Charities
  • If you are employed by a Non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity you can apply as a Lead Applicant, provided the organisation is based in an ODA-eligible country and meets the definition of a Research Institute. Employees of NGOs and charities are also eligible to join an application as a co-applicant or collaborator.
• Commercial organisations
  • If you are employed by a commercial organisation, you cannot be a Lead Applicant. You may be a co-applicant or collaborator via a service-level agreement if you can clearly demonstrate the benefit your commercial organisation would bring to the project, that your contributions are compliant with ODA eligibility criteria, and that you provide value for money.
• Government agencies
  • If you are employed by a Government agency, you cannot be a Lead Applicant but you are eligible to join an application as a co-applicant or collaborator.
• NHS Trusts, arms-length bodies, and executive agencies of the UK Government
  • If you are employed by an NHS Trust, arms-length body or executive agency of the UK Government, you cannot be a Lead Applicant but you may be eligible to join an application as a co-applicant or collaborator where there is clear justification for your involvement.
• Multilateral Organisations
  • If you are employed by a Multilateral Organisation, you cannot be a Lead Applicant but you are eligible to join an application as a co-applicant or collaborator.
• Non-LMIC Co-applicants or Collaborators
  • As a non-LMIC co-applicant or collaborator, you are eligible, provided that:
    • ODA eligibility criteria are met overall
    • there is clear justification for your involvement
    • your resources and expertise cannot be found within LMICs

For more information, visit NIHR.