This document is meant to be additional guidance to complete the application form beyond information that can be found online in the call specification.
A Word Version of the HSC Standard Application Form is available to be used as a template to prepare your answers. Please do not use this as an application form.
Competition Process and Timetable
|
Date |
Stage |
|---|---|
|
09 October 2024 |
Deadline for Expressions of Interest |
|
1pm, 05 November 2024 |
Deadline for submission of full application |
|
December 2024 |
Peer and Public reviews |
|
January 2025 |
Rebuttals to peer reviews |
|
06 February 2025 |
Independent Funding Committee meeting with applicant interviews |
|
March 2025 |
Department of Health and Social Care confirm selected NIHR HSC |
|
April 2025 - April 2026 |
Transition Period |
|
April 2026 |
Expected start date |
Application process
The NIHR HSC application process is a one stage application with the requirement to submit an expression of interest. The expression of interest form is intended to provide an indication of interest to the secretariat to aid in planning of Committee and external peer and public review. Please submit your expression of interest form by 09 October 2024.
Applications will consist of the following:
- Initial scope check by NIHRCC secretariat
- External peer and public review
- Rebuttals to peer and public review
- Committee assessment with applicant interviews
In-person interviews with the Committee are scheduled for 06 February 2025. These interviews will be held in London. Please keep this day free for potential interviews.
Funding Available
The competition will fund a centre for up to £22 million for a period of 5 years with a review built into year 3. Consortium collaborations are welcome to apply with justification as long as one UK research organisation acts as the lead contractor. Sub-contracting of parts of the centre is allowed with sufficient justification. Elements of the funding may be subject to performance versus SLA (service level agreements) which may impact the funding.
Some reasonable costs may be incurred during the transition period. On the application form please include these as Year 1 costs.
NIHR HSC Academic Career Development and Training
The NIHR HSCs are expected as part of their full bid to lay out their academic and career development training offer.
Public and community involvement, engagement and participation
The NIHR HSC will be expected to work with relevant communities and individuals to develop their strategy for public and community involvement, engagement and participation. In agreement with the findings and outcomes of the DHSC independent report on Equity in medical devices, the NIHR HSC will be expected to collaborate widely to help address potential bias that can be introduced at every stage of the health technology lifecycle. The NIHR HSC will have a population focus and complete regional level analysis in order to build evidence around underserved communities and help people with the worst health outcomes. e.g. by working with the NIHR research inclusion team.
NIHR HSC will need to consider how their plans will respond to current challenges and opportunities for involvement, engagement and participation including: reflecting the diversity of the relevant populations, fostering community-led approaches to research, developing new methods and approaches
Research Inclusion
Embedding inclusion in everything we do is one of the NIHR’s key operating principles and is key to the successful delivery of NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027. This requires active involvement of everyone within our NIHR people framework. Award holders will be expected to develop a distinct Research Inclusion strategy along with the allocation of appropriate resources, to demonstrate how this will be embedded throughout their research, culture and systems, in line with the themes outlined in NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy 2022 - 2027.
The NIHR INCLUDE project has issued guidance on improving inclusion of under-served groups in research. The NIHR HSC is expected to consider under-served groups, as well as working to ensure equality of opportunity for individuals who share a protected characteristic as set out in the UK’s Equality Act 2010. Alongside these characteristics, the NIHR also considers socio-economic status, geographical location and access to health and social care:
- Applicants applying to the HSC award will be required to demonstrate how the protected characteristics have been considered and addressed, including steps taken to ensure the work reduces existing inequalities, where appropriate, and should evidence how mitigation measures will reduce such inequalities.
- The HSC should demonstrate how it support greater equality of opportunities through the skills training and workforce development offered. As part of this, the HSC may undertake an assessment of their own diversity, especially within leadership and governance structures. The HSC reflections on equality, diversity and inclusion will be considered as part of the overall assessment process.
Sustainability and Net Zero
In 2024 the NIHR made a set of commitments which highlight the importance to NIHR of engaging in climate, health and sustainability research and capacity building. There is an expectation that the recommissioned HSC will have an additional responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint where possible and make a commitment towards greater environmental sustainability
Outline of the Application Form
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Research Management System (RMS). The following information is requested:
Section 1:
Host organisation:
Please give details of the organisation who will be the contractor if the project is funded.
NOTE: If your organisation does not appear on this list, please contact the HSC Team
Proposed NIHR HSC
The centre title should use the following format “NIHR Horizon Scanning Centre - Host Organisation”
Section 2:
NIHR HSC Director
Some of the responses required in this section will have been pre-populated based on your CV details and any remaining fields must be completed.
To update your CV, please ‘Save and Close’, select ‘Manage My Details’ and then ‘Update My CV’ from the left hand menu.
The NIHR HSC Director may be from an SME, an HEI, an NHS Trust or a non-for-profit organisation.
Full Name
Auto populated from the ‘Manage my details’ section
Position
Auto populated from the ‘Manage my details’ section
Section 3: Other Partners
Please provide details of any other partner organisations
Please list of any collaborating universities and/or other partners.
Letters of Support from partner organisations
Letters of Support from partner organisations are required. All letters of support must be collated into a single document and then uploaded as a single pdf file. Maximum of one page per letter.
Upload field
Section 4: Plain English summary
A plain English summary is a clear explanation of the NIHR HSC.
Many reviewers use this summary to inform their review of your funding application. They include clinicians, other practitioners and researchers who do not have specialist knowledge of your field as well as members of the public. If your application for funding is successful, the summary will be used on National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and other websites.
A good quality plain English summary providing an easy to read overview of your whole study will help:
- those carrying out the review (reviewers and committee members) to have a better understanding of your research proposal
- inform others about your research such as members of the public, health and social care professionals, policy makers and the media
- the research funders to publicise the research that they fund.
If it is felt that your plain English summary is not clear and of a good quality then you may be required to amend it prior to final funding approval.
It is helpful to involve patients / carers / service users / practitioners and members of the public in developing a plain English summary.
When writing your summary consider including the following information where appropriate:
- The nature of the proposed NIHR HSC
- The questions it aims to address and the potential outcomes of the findings
- The focus on engagement and addressing unmet need
Further guidance on writing in plain English is available online at NIHR plain English summaries.
For further support and advice on writing a plain English summary, please contact your local Research Support Service (RSS) (where applicable).
Text field – max 450 words
Section 5: Leadership, Management and Governance
Please describe the leadership and expertise demonstrated by the proposed NIHR HSC Director and senior management to the NIHR HSC.
The leadership and expertise of the proposed NIHR HSC Director and senior management should be clearly demonstrated and include:
- evidence that they are at the forefront of their fields
- evidence of their ability to influence the practice and delivery of research based horizon scanning for healthcare technologies
- their respective track records in terms of (a) publication output and (b) conducting successful research in horizon scanning methodology.
Free text – 1000 -word limit
Please describe the management and governance arrangements for the proposed NIHR HSC.
Please describe the management arrangements for the proposed NIHR HSC and confirm that the proposed Director of the NIHR HSC will have responsibility for, and authority over, the NIHR funding, if awarded.
Please refer to the call specification for more information about what the Committee will be looking for in terms of governance arrangements.
Free text – 1000 -word limit
Please provide organogram(s) outlining the proposed Governance arrangements for the proposed NIHR HSC.
Uploads MUST be combined into a single document provided as a Word or PDF document, or you may not be able to submit your application.
Upload field
Only one diagram is accepted in this section
Section 6: Track Record
Please describe your track record of world-class research based horizon scanning of value to the NHS in the UK and of methodological research in this area, ideally published in peer reviewed publications.
This should include:
- The volume, breadth, and quality of world-class horizon scanning
- The existing strengths and track record of the lead organisation in conducting horizon scanning research
- The track record of any co-applicants including collaborating with the applicant to deliver such research
- The track record of the lead organisation in translating research into benefits for patients and the public
- The track record of the lead organisation in providing tailored information to policy and decision-makers.
Free text – 1000 -word limit
Please provide a references list to support your track record of internationally-excellent horizon scanning
Uploads MUST be provided as a Word or PDF document, or you may not be able to submit your application.
Upload field
Section 7: Strategic Plan
Please describe the NIHR HSC overall strategy to develop and conduct high quality horizon scanning outcomes, in support of stakeholders in delivering its objectives and functions and addressing the need to reduce health inequalities.
- Specific short (1-2 years), medium (2-3 years) and long term (4-5 years) objectives.
- How will the NIHR HSC work with stakeholders in a structured manner to prioritise a detailed annual plan of scanning priorities to coordinate national horizon scanning information collection, tailor outputs to the appropriate stakeholder lens, manage expectations and potential conflicts, and agree resource sign off.
- The expertise and intended roles that each named partner organisation will play in delivering the strategy
- How, working with others, the NIHR HSC will translate advances in horizon scanning methodology research into benefits for its customers, patients and the public.
- How the NIHR HSC will provide high quality research evidence to inform decision-making by NICE, NHSE and other key stakeholders.
- How the NIHR HSC will be established as a centre of excellence and capacity building in horizon scanning
- How the NIHR HSC will better engage with NIHR infrastructure and programmes along with SMEs, charities, and the public to support identifying and addressing unmet needs by working collaboratively in innovative ways to impact the population with the highest health burdens.
As this is the main part of your application which will be considered by the reviewing committee, you should ensure that the information is accurate, succinct, clearly laid out and provides sufficient methodological detail. Please use the call specification to see what the Committee will be looking for.
Text field – max 10,000 words.
Please upload the Gantt Chart
NOTE: Please include the transition period if relevant into your gantt chart.
Please note that if uploaded in a file format other than .doc or .docx this will not appear in the body of the application and instead, will form part of the Supporting Documentation section at the end of the application.
It is mandatory to attach a Gantt Chart indicating a schedule for the completion of work, including the timing of key milestones and deliverables.
When uploading, applicants must only use the filename description ’Appendix_Gantt Chart’.
Section 8: Detailed Budget
Please refer to the associated finance guidance document to aid filling in this form. In addition, there is a short video to visually demonstrate how to complete this form. This should be read in conjunction with Section 10 of the guidance for applicants for details about costs.
For any finance queries, please NIHRHSCCommissioning@nihr.ac.uk.
Justification of Costs
You should indicate here how this research will potentially benefit the NHS and/ or public health and social care sector. For example, where appropriate, describe the likely cost savings or benefits in terms of numbers of patients treated, treatment times, service users or carers supported etc.
You should describe the value for money of the conduct of the proposed research.
Please also provide justification for the NHS Support and Excess Treatment costs detailed in the SoECAT. If there are no NHS Support or Excess Treatment Costs associated with the research, you must explain why you think this is the case. If there are no NHS Support or Excess Treatment Costs associated with the research you must explain why you think this is the case.
Section 9: Uploads
Please note that all supporting documentation uploaded should be given concise and clear file name descriptions. These should be headed by a numbered ‘Appendix’ and a brief filename description that clearly describes the file (e.g. Appendix_References).
If claiming endorsement/support from regulatory bodies or commissioners (e.g. NICE, CCGS etc.) the following files are considered mandatory:
- Letter of support.
The following file(s) are considered non-mandatory to submission; please number your files and attach;
- Any further supporting documentation (flow diagrams, pictures, logic models, trial protocols, any letters of support etc.)
No more than 10 separate files are permitted. The total file size should not exceed 6Mb (this includes the SoECAT form uploaded under the Detailed Budget section and the Gantt Chart uploaded under the Detailed Research Plan section). Total file sizes larger than this may not be considered as part of this submission. We strongly recommend that only .doc or .pdf files are uploaded as some file types are not supported by the system (such as .xls and .zip file types which will not render out into the final version of the application form). Should you wish to upload documents of other file types, we encourage you check that they appear in the PDF of the application form prior to submission as changes cannot be made after the deadline has passed.
NOTE: Uploads MUST be provided as a Word or PDF document or you may not be able to submit your application or it may be difficult for the committee to view the required information in order to assess your application.
Please ensure that the document uploaded containing the list of references does not contain its own page numbering.
Section 10: Administrative contact details
Administrative contact details
Please provide the details of an administrative lead as a secondary point of contact for any queries relating to the application, should it be supported.
NOTE: This person does not need to be a co-applicant.
Section 11: Research and Development office contact details
R&D contact name
Please provide the contact details and job title of a person in the R&D office so that we are able to notify them of the outcome of this application including any associated feedback.
NOTE: This person does not need to be included as a co-applicant.
Section 12: Acknowledgement, review and submit
COI declaration
Please declare any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that you or your co-applicants may have in undertaking this research, including any relevant personal, non-personal and commercial interest that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Please declare any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that you or your co-applicants may have, including any facts that, should they come to light at a future date, could lead to a perception of bias. Include any relevant personal, non-personal and commercial interest that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Examples include (this list is not all encompassing) secondary employment, consultancy, financial or commercial gain (pensions, shareholdings, directorships, voting rights), honoraria, etc. In a case of commercial sector involvement with the application or the study, please state clearly the relationship to ownership of data, access to data, and membership of project oversight groups.
Text field – Max 300 words
Section 13: Validation Summary
Please follow the next steps in order to complete your application submission process;
- Validate all mandatory/required fields listed below (that are required to be completed/amended before submitting)
- Check all co-applicants have completed their CV details as appropriate and review the PDF final version for any formatting issues
- Click 'Save and Close'
- Click the 'Submit' option (this must be completed by 1pm, 05 November 2024
You will receive an automated email containing the acknowledgment that we have received your application.
If there are no validation requirements above you may be ready to submit the application. To do so 'Save and Close' the application and then click ‘Submit’.