THIS CALL HAS NOW CLOSED. – A repeat call is only likely to be issued as the initial tranche of funded programmes nears completion or as budgets allow.
CSO is inviting applications for applied health research programmes. An applied health research programme is envisaged to comprise a coherent group of inter-related projects that together can have a high level of direct impact to address an important Scottish population health or NHS challenge within the lifetime of the programme or soon thereafter.
Applications should have a well-defined focus related to a topic of major importance to health in Scotland. Topic areas might, for instance, include research towards addressing substance misuse and drug-related deaths, obesity, mental ill health, long-term conditions and multi-morbidity, and/or health inequalities.
However, these examples are only illustrative; this scheme is open to applications addressing topics spanning the range of significant population health or NHS challenges in Scotland, provided a clear and strong justification for the importance of the research and its potential for impact are presented.
Applications for applied health research programmes should:
- provide a strong case for the research programme, demonstrating the value, importance, and potential impact of the research for patients, the public, the Scottish Government, NHS and/or wider health system in Scotland;
- clearly demonstrate how patients, the public, and organisations that may use the research findings have and will be engaged in the design and conduct of the research;
- present a clear pathway for translation and implementation of the research into policy and/or practice, including where appropriate health economic analyses, and well-developed plans for the dissemination, and knowledge mobilisation of the research findings;
- justify the added value of a coherent programme of inter-related projects;
- justify the methodological approaches that will be employed.
Applications for early stage or basic research or animal-based studies should not be submitted.
Applications may be from a single Scottish institution or a consortium of institutions as long as a single lead institution in Scotland is taking overall responsibility for the consortium. The principal applicant must be a permanent salaried member of staff at a Higher Education Institute, NHS Board, or eligible Research Institution in Scotland.
Funding is available for research programmes of up to five years in duration and up to a total of £1 million at 80% full economic costs with an expectation that annual costs should not appreciably exceed around £200,000 per annum. It is anticipated that up to around four research programmes may be funded from this call. Funding requested should support usual research costs and can also include some programme management or coordination support. Equipment costs should be kept to a minimum, and the research infrastructure needed should be in place and provided by the applicants’ host institution(s); requests for funding for new research infrastructure should not be included. If appropriate to the delivery of the research programme, applications may include as part of the resource requested one or more PhD studentships. Additional institutional, public, charity or industry sector funding is welcomed (a letter of support that describes and confirms the support must accompany the application).
Applications will be reviewed through external peer-review with funding recommendations made by an independent expert review panel convened by CSO.