Introduction
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
This document provides full details of the 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition, describes the means by which applications should be submitted and details how they will be assessed.
Applicants must ensure they have read this guidance before submitting an application. Applicants are advised to refer to this guidance when completing each section of the application form.
Background
The NIHR works in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients and the public, and we fund, enable and deliver world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth.
Across the NIHR we are passionate about people and developing careers in research. NIHR develops and coordinates academic training, career development and research capacity development through the NIHR Academy’s awards and programmes.
We play a pivotal role in attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future and complement additional NIHR investment in world-class research facilities and a skilled research workforce. NIHR aims to develop a highly-skilled research workforce capable of advancing the best research which improves health and care and benefits society and the economy.
The 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition
Competition aims
The NIHR Incubator competition offers the opportunity to delve into the complex issues and barriers that exist in capacity building in a particular area by the community who are embedded in and who have forged careers in these areas. The funding enables a community to bring together key stakeholders to suggest and implement solutions to building research capacity and developing research careers in a sustainable and meaningful way. NIHR Incubators play an important role in attracting, training and supporting researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future within their specific area/discipline. Their focus will be on building academic research capacity in terms of attracting and retaining people in the area of interest, but there should be consideration of a broad spectrum of research careers.
The key objectives that underpin the Incubator initiative are to:
- Identify the gap and the need to build research capacity at a national level, and to develop and deliver solutions
- Support under-represented groups in which research capacity is particularly low
- Attract individuals into health and care research (within the Incubator specific area/theme)
- Provide additional training and support to increase applications and success rates for NIHR funding
Following an open competition, the NIHR will designate a maximum of 5 Incubators in areas/disciplines where there is a need to build research capacity on a national level. NIHR will not award more than one application in the same In order to try to connect applicants who may be considering applying in similar areas, we are creating a contact list of potential applicants, please contact us at academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk if you would like to be added.
Following a 6 month set-up phase, successful Incubators will run for a 3 year period, during which they will be badged as ‘NIHR-supported Incubators’ and will receive annual funding and support (please see the ‘Scope of Funding and NIHR Support’ section). Incubators must have a ‘Host Organisation’ with which a letter of contract will be put in place, this is usually the ‘Employing Organisation’ of the Incubator Lead or one of the Steering Group members and will be the organisation that employs the administrator/project manager (See Contractual Arrangements and Management section’).
2024 NIHR Incubator Highlight Notices
The 2024 NIHR Incubator competition is open to applications that address areas where there is a need to build research capacity and develop research careers on a national level. We welcome applicants to consider planning for and proposing Incubators in any relevant area for NIHR, being particularly mindful of NIHR’s strategy; ‘Best Research for Best Health the Next Chapter'. For this competition we also particularly encourage applications that focus on the following areas/disciplines:
- Knowledge Mobilisation Research: There is a need to increase the effectiveness of knowledge mobilisation within health and care settings, and further advance understanding of knowledge mobilisation and implementation processes. The NIHR is looking for applications that focus on building research capacity and capability for knowledge mobilisation research. We would also encourage applicants to consider how they would support those undertaking knowledge mobilisation more broadly as well as those researching knowledge mobilisation methodologies and processes.
- General Paediatrics and moving research across the age range: children and young people (CYP) represent almost a quarter of the UK population, and how we support and manage their health and care will have an impact for the next century.
For this year’s competition, the NIHR will welcome applications that focus on building research capacity and capability to address the wide range of health and care challenges facing children and young people. This could include both physical and mental health, public health and social care where it relates to children.
There is currently an NIHR-Supported Incubator in Paediatric Critical Care, and therefore applicants are asked to be mindful of potential cross-over when proposing an Incubator in this highlight notice area.
Please note, only the top-ranked application will be funded in each of the highlight notice areas.
Incubator Ways of Working
Incubators are bespoke in nature, and as such each Incubator will have different priorities and will progress at different rates, they will be expected to set their own objectives and KPIs relevant to their field/discipline.
Incubator ways of working:
- Bring together a community (led by a Steering Group) in an area/discipline to explore the challenges experienced by those working in the field.
- Be field-led, as the very individual nature of the challenges in different fields mean that solutions have to be developed and delivered by the community.
- Be bespoke to the needs and aims of their community, as the nature and scale of the challenges in different fields vary significantly.
- Have a focus on building academic research capacity but consider a broad spectrum of research careers.
- Work proactively with NIHR and partners to increase awareness of, and exposure to research in the relevant areas, and to build solutions, rather than to become a lobbying group.
- Include equality, diversity and inclusion as a founding principle that is reflected throughout the Incubator and its activity, including in the composition of the steering group.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications can be made by previous NIHR Incubators and groups that are new to the competition.
Applications will need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Be within the NIHR’s remit.
- Address an area/discipline where there is a need to build research capacity and develop research careers on a national level. Regional Incubator applications will not be accepted.
- Applicants must not propose an Incubator in areas/disciplines where there is currently an NIHR-supported Incubator. A list of the 10 current Incubators can be found below and on the NIHR web pages.
- The proposed Incubator Host Organisation must be based in England and must be the employing organisation of a member of the proposed Incubator Steering Group.
Applicants and members of the proposed Incubator Steering Group can be based in any of the devolved nations, however, the Incubator Host Organisation must be based in England and will be the employing organisation of a member of the proposed Incubator Steering Group.
Current NIHR Incubators
- Applied Health and Care Research Methodology Incubator
- Mental Health Social Care Incubator
- Clinical Education Incubator
- Paediatric Critical Care Incubator
- Community Rehabilitation Incubator
- Pharmacy Professionals Incubator
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers Incubator
- Race Equity and Diversity in Careers Incubator
- Emergency Care Incubator
- Regulatory Science in AI and Digital Healthcare Incubator
Assessment Criteria
The selection committee will assess all eligible applications using the Assessment Criteria below; all of which will have equal weighting:
- Justification that the proposal addresses areas/disciplines in which there is a need to build capacity and develop research careers at a national level
- A clear plan for delivery; including achievable and realistic objectives and success criteria that outline how the Incubator will achieve its intended goal
- Evidence that the relevant stakeholders and partners have been identified and engaged
- Evidence that equality, diversity and inclusion have been embedded throughout
Appropriate and meaningful patient/service user, carer, and public involvement.
Incubator Set-up
Any new Incubators that are designated in this competition will have a 6 month set up phase between 1st January 2025 and 30th June 2025, and will receive NIHR badging, funding and support for 3 years after this period. All Incubators will therefore go live from 1st July 2025.
Part of the application process will involve outlining an appropriate Incubator Steering Group which should include key stakeholders and partners in the area/discipline being proposed as an Incubator. The Incubator Steering Group will be responsible for providing expert knowledge, identifying issues and providing constructive solutions.
An Incubator Lead must be confirmed during the 6 month set up phase, and recruitment of the Incubator project manager/admin support post should also be completed during this time-frame. A table of roles and responsibilities can be found in Annex A.
Scope of Funding and NIHR Support
Funding for an Incubator award will be provided through an agreement between the Incubator Host Organisation and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). During the 3 year award period, each Incubator will receive the following funding and support:
- £30,000 each year for project manager/admin support£10,000 each year for events/web/engagement activities
- Opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 seed funding each year (further details can be found below)
Static NIHR webpage content - Two invitations each year for doctoral students to attend the NIHR Doctoral Training Camp
- NIHR Senior Programme Manager direct link - involvement in Incubator steering group and development of objectives
- NIHR Academy Dean/Associate Dean periodic link (1 meeting per year)
Invitation to themed meetings for Incubator Leads on cross-cutting topics (~6x per year)
As above, each successful Incubator will receive £30,000 per financial year to cover some or all of the cost of an Incubator project manager/admin support post, this is subject to the post being filled and Incubators should aim to recruit to this post during the 6 month set-up phase. The role of the project manager/administrator will be to support the day-to-day work of the Incubator (an outline of roles and responsibilities is outlined in Annex A).
Incubators will have access to £10,000 per financial year for events, website and engagement opportunities, the use of these funds needs to be pre-approved by a designated NIHR Senior Programme Manager.
Please note, funding will not be available to Incubators during the 6 month set-up period and will start from 1st July 2025 when they are live.
Funding for an Incubator award (as outlined above) is inclusive of VAT and will be paid at 100%, the funding does not cover Full Economic Costs.
Incubator Seed Fund
The NIHR offers Incubators the opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 seed funding each year to explore the capacity building recommendations they have formed and to develop innovative pilots and initiatives. The Incubator Seed Fund will be open to proposals each financial year during the award period.
Funding for an Incubator Seed Fund award is inclusive of VAT and will be paid at 100%, the funding does not cover Full Economic Costs.
Contractual arrangements and Management
Contractual arrangements and finance process
Financial support for an Incubator award is subject to a contract between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the ‘Incubator Host Organisation’ listed on the application form.
Please note that there is no budget section in the 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition application form as funding for an NIHR Incubator award is fixed.
The Incubator Host Organisation must be a HEI or a provider of health and/or social care services based in England, and must be the employing organisation of a member of the proposed Incubator Steering Group. The ‘Incubator Host Organisation’ will ensure that appropriate sub-contracts are put in place for any element of the Incubator award that is to be paid to another organisation.
The Incubator Host Organisation (the ‘Contractor’) will have overall responsibility of employing to the project manager/admin support post, including advertisement, recruitment and salary payment of the individual. Once the project manager/administrator post has been recruited, NIHR will confirm the financial arrangements with the Incubator Lead, and will issue the Incubator Host Organisation with a letter of contract setting out the details of these arrangements.
Payment of the funds for the Incubator support post will be automated and paid directly to the ‘Contractor’ on a quarterly basis. An additional payment of up to £10,000 for pre-agreed incubator related expenditure will be paid in quarter 4 of each financial year. The £10,000 engagement funding must be spent within the designated financial year, and cannot be rolled forward to future years.
Government procurement transparency regulations require publication of details of all contracts made with the DHSC on their website. Confidential information including detailed finance information, bank details, and departmental staff names (other than the names of the team members) will be removed from the published versions.
Reporting Requirements
Financial Reporting
The Incubator Host Organisation will be required to submit a financial forecast in advance of each financial year and an annual statement of expenditure detailing the actual expenditure incurred (on a fully expensed basis) in the 12 month period ending 31st March throughout the duration of the award. This will be requested by NIHR and relevant forms will be provided for completion.
Upon conclusion of the work, the Incubator Host Organisation will submit a Final Statement of Expenditure to the NIHR, accounting for all costs properly incurred under the contract, this will be requested by NIHR and relevant forms will be provided for completion. The final payment of any outstanding funds will be made ONLY upon receipt of this document. Should the total funds provided to the Incubator Host Organisation exceed the amount stated in the Final Statement of Expenditure the NIHR will seek to recover the excess funds.
Annual Narrative Report
There will be an annual narrative report requested from Incubators at the end of each year (during the 3 year period that the Incubator is in receipt of NIHR badging, funding and support).
For the narrative report, a template will be provided by the NIHR. The template will include sections for Incubators to highlight activities from the previous year and the plans for the year ahead. It will also include a section on succession planning and any plans to continue Incubator activity once NIHR support has ended.
Upon conclusion of the award, a final report template will be provided for completion.
Feedback on annual and final narrative reports will be provided by the NIHR.
Application Procedure and Selection Process
- We use an adapted version of the NIHR Standard Application Form (SAF). The application form needs to be submitted by the published deadline.
- We can advise on eligibility and remit inquiries, and answer queries applicants may have when completing the application form, please contact the NIHR via academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
- All applications undergo an initial screen for eligibility and compatibility with the NIHR remit. Following this, the NIHR Incubator Selection Committee will review the applications and meet as a group to decide which applications to recommend for funding and support.
- The NIHR Incubator Selection Committee will include Public Contributor members who will complete lay assessments on all applications.
- The NIHR Incubator Selection Committee will make recommendations for funding that will be considered by the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Director for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Science, Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate.
- Once confirmed, the funding decisions will then be communicated to applicants.
- Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by email when all required processes are complete.
- The selection process and subsequent management of an NIHR Incubator award will be managed by the NIHR Academy.
- All documents must be submitted in English.
Application Deadlines and Timetable
Your application must be submitted by the deadline (please see competition timeline below) and any signatories must have approved your application by this time.
Please give yourself sufficient time to obtain your signatory’s approval before the deadline. No exceptions will be made.
Timetable
NIHR Incubator Competition (2024) launch: 20 March 2024
Deadline for applications: 20 June 2024 at 1pm
NIHR Incubator Selection Committee Funding Recommendation Meeting: September 2024
Applicants informed of outcome: October/November 2024
Set up phase for new Incubators: 1 January to 30 June 2025
Incubators live (with NIHR badging): 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2028
Registering, Completing and Submitting the Application
Please note; in addition to the above guidance, information to support the completion of each section of the application form is provided at the end of this document (see the section on ‘Completing the Application Form’).
All applications must be completed and submitted via the NIHR online application system.
Registering to ARAMIS
The ‘Lead Applicant’ will need to initiate the application process and will be required to register on the system. The lead applicant will be asked to supply a valid email address and to complete some basic information. Once this has been submitted they will receive an email confirming their registration and a temporary password. They should then follow the instructions in the email to log onto the system (the joint lead applicant and co-applicants will also need to register to ARAMIS using the same process).
Once signed into the system the lead applicant will be able to update various details and apply for any applications to any open rounds. To start an application, they will need to go to ‘My Applications’ and select ‘New Application’. They should then select ‘NIHR Incubator Competition’ from the list provided. After answering all the eligibility questions, they will be able to start completing the online form. The lead applicant, any joint lead applicant and co-applicants must ensure they read all available guidance text including this document as well as any online instructions thoroughly whilst completing the form.
Completing and submitting the form
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Lead Applicant
‘The Lead applicant’ will start the application on the ARAMIS online application system. The lead applicant (and any joint lead applicant) will be informed of the outcome of the application.
Joint Lead Applicant (Optional)
If there is more than one lead applicant on an application, there is an option to add a ‘Joint Lead Applicant’. The joint lead applicant must be granted access to edit the application form, and will be one of the final signatories.
Co-Applicants (Optional)
A co-applicant is anyone who has had input in the proposal and if applicable has completed relevant sections of the application form. Co-applicants can be colleagues from the area/discipline being proposed as an Incubator, individuals from key stakeholder organisations, members of the proposed Incubator Steering Group. If required, co-applicants can be granted access to edit the application form.
Proposed Incubator Steering Group
The purpose of the Steering Group is to lead the NIHR Incubator if awarded, and to work in partnership with NIHR Academy to identify challenges and identify solutions to barriers to research capacity development. Proposed Incubator Steering Group members can include colleagues from within the area/discipline being proposed as an Incubator and representatives from key stakeholder/partner organisations.
The Administrative Authority or Finance Officer
The Administrative Authority or Finance Officer will represent the proposed Incubator Host Organisation with whom an Incubator Letter of Contract will be put in place. The Administrative Authority or Finance Officer will be a final signatory on the application.
Granting View/Edit Access to the Application Form
The lead applicant will be required to enter the details of any joint lead applicant and co-applicants into the ‘Applicant Details’ page of the form. They will then give access to the form to any joint lead applicant (mandatory if there is a joint lead applicant) and co-applicants (optional) by inviting them via the ‘Participants and Signatories’ page of the application form (see participants and signatories section below).
Joint lead applicants and co-applicants will then be able to approve their participation:
- The joint lead applicant will access the form using the ‘My Approvals’ tab in the menu on the left hand side on ARAMIS. Once they have agreed to their role by clicking ‘approve’, the joint lead applicant will be able to access and edit the application form via the ‘My Approvals’ tab.
- Co-applicants will be able to access the form using the ‘My Co-Applications’ tab in the menu on the left hand side on ARAMIS, Once they have agreed to their role by clicking ‘approve’, co-applicants will be able to access and edit the application form via the ‘My Co-Applications’ tab.
All participants and signatories must be registered to use ARAMIS by following the instructions provided in the ‘Registering to ARAMIS’ section.
Participants and Signatories
All participants and signatories must be registered to use the ARAMIS application system before they can be added to the application form.
Participants
You are required to supply the names and email addresses (if not already registered on the ARAMIS application system) of the individuals who will be undertaking ‘participant’ roles as part of your application. Individuals named in this section will be acting as ‘participants’ to your application and will need to agree to be part of this application. Participants are required to review the declaration for the role before confirming participation as part of the one-click ‘confirm’ process.
By confirming participation, participants are acknowledging their involvement and input into this application and agree to be involved in it before it is submitted. You must ensure all participants are happy for your application to be submitted before submitting it on the online system.
Required Participants
Co-Applicants: If you would like to grant access to any co-applicants (detailed on the ‘Applicant Details’ page of your application form) to view and edit the application form, you must do this by adding them as ‘Participants’. Any co-applicants added as participants must confirm they have agreed to participate and support the completion of the form.
Participants must confirm their participation in the application before they will be able to press the submit button. Once you have submitted the application, the joint lead applicant will also be required to approve the submission. It is recommended that you contact your participants and signatories as early as possible to ensure they understand any action they must take before you can submit the application.
Signatories
You are required to supply the name and email address (if not already registered on the ARAMIS application system) of the individual(s) who will be ‘signing off’ your application. Once their contact details have been entered, the signatory will be invited to log into the system and confirm their participation.
The signatories will be required to agree to the role being asked of them in the application before it is submitted, and then approve the final version of the application after it has been submitted via the online system. Signatories must approve the application AFTER the application has been submitted but BEFORE the application submission deadline, signatories will be able to approve the application by going into the ‘My approvals’ tab in the menu on the left hand side on ARAMIS, they will then need to select the application and select ‘Approve’. Please see the 'Application Submission Process Flow Diagram’ in Annex B further on in these Guidance Notes. The signatory approval will result in the application being submitted to the NIHR. All parties (applicants, participants and signatories) will be notified of this with an automated system generated email.
NIHR will not accept any applications unless fully approved by your signatory prior to the 1pm deadline on 20 June 2024. No exceptions will be made.
Required Signatories
The Joint Lead Applicant: The joint lead applicant (if/as detailed on the ‘Applicant Details’ page of your application form) must confirm that they have agreed to participate before they can access and edit the application form. Once the application has been submitted the joint lead applicant will need to sign to confirm that they have provided input and completed relevant sections of the application form.
Administrative Authority or Finance Officer: The Administrative Authority or Finance Officer based at the ‘Incubator Host Organisation’ must sign to confirm that the organisation is in support of the application, and if awarded, the Administrative Authority or Finance Officer can approve an NIHR Incubator Letter of contract on their behalf, and that the ‘Incubator Host Organisation’ is prepared to move money as appropriate
Finance: please note, there is no budget section in the application form as funding for an NIHR Incubator award is fixed. The Administrative Authority or Finance Officer will sign to confirm that the 'Incubator Host Organisation' is in support of this application.
Submitting the Application
The lead applicant will be required to submit the application once it is complete.
The lead applicant will only be able to press the ‘Submit’ button, which will send the application for final sign off by signatories when:
- All mandatory sections of the application form are complete.
- All Participants and Signatories have agreed to their role.
Please note that when completing the application form, you are advised to validate your application as you go. You will find a Validation Summary button in the left-hand menu. This section will detail any points within your application that are either incomplete or incorrect. Failing to validate your answers may result in you being unable to submit your application by the required deadline.
Should you require assistance in completing the online form, please contact the NIHR at 0113 532 8411 or by emailing academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
Application Outcomes
Following approval from DHSC, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application via email as soon as the funding decision is finalised.
Feedback will be sent to applicants via email after the funding decisions have been made.
Completing the Application Form Guidance
2024 NIHR Incubator Competition - Introduction
This page provides an overview of the 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition application process, including links to the scheme guidance and relevant information.
Application Summary Information
Name of proposed Incubator
Please provide the title of your Incubator here. The title should make clear the area/discipline in which the incubator is being proposed. If successful, the Incubator will be referred to as the ‘NIHR-Supported Incubator in xxxx’.
Contracting or Host Organisation
Please provide the name of the proposed Incubator Host Organisation here. The Incubator Host Organisation must be based in England.
Highlight notice areas
If you are proposing an Incubator in one of the highlight notice areas for the 2024 NIHR Incubator Competition, please select the relevant area using the dropdown.
Previous Submission?
Please use the drop-down to indicate whether you have previously submitted an application to an NIHR Incubator Competition.
Applicant Details
Lead Applicant Details
Please enter lead applicant details here.
Professional Background
Please enter the lead applicant’s professional background. This is for NIHR data collection purposes and has no wider use.
Joint Lead Applicant Details (optional)
Please enter joint lead applicant details here. The joint lead applicant must be granted access to edit the application form by inviting them via the ‘Participants and Signatories’ section of the form.
Co-Applicants (optional)
Please enter the details of each co-applicant here (max 20). To grant access to co-applicants to view and edit the application form, please invite them via the ‘Participants and Signatories’ section of the form (see Participants and Signatories Section).
If the number of co-applicants exceeds ‘20’, you may upload a document with additional co-applicants listed in the flexible upload space in the ‘Uploads’ section.
Proposal Summary
Summary
Please provide a summary of the proposal, this should include:
- An outline of the gaps and needs to be addressed by this proposal including why there is a need to build research capacity and develop research careers in the area/discipline at a national level (in terms of attracting and retaining people in the area of interest).
- How the Incubator will address the identified gaps and needs highlighted.
- The key stakeholders and groups you intend to work with.
(350 words)
Background
Key Challenges in the Area/Discipline
Provide a clear explanation of the research capacity issues, the gap and the need you are looking to address with this application, referencing relevant evidence. Please include a justification of why there is a national need for this capacity issue to be addressed by NIHR and identified partners. If you are applying from an Incubator priority area please state this here (please see the ‘2024 NIHR Incubator Highlight Notices’ section of these guidance notes).
(350 words)
Target Audience
Detail the target audiences and under-represented groups that the Incubator proposes to support here.
(300 words)
Key Stakeholders/Steering Group
Key Stakeholders/Partners
Please detail the stakeholders and partners you have engaged and consulted as part of developing this application.
Incubator Steering Group
Please provide the outline of an Incubator Steering Group (Including details of members; names, job title and professional background). Please also provide a statement on how you plan to address equality, diversity and inclusion in the composition of the steering group.
Detailed Proposal
Incubator Aims and Objectives
Please detail here the proposed Incubator aims and objectives for the 3 years of NIHR support.
(300 words)
Outline Strategic Plan
Please provide a detailed proposal of how you plan to address the challenges that you have outlined. Please also provide details of planned activities and key milestones that will support the aims and objectives of the Incubator. You may wish to attach a Gantt Chart to outline your proposal.
Please include:
- An outline for the 6-month set-up phase.
- Key milestones and outputs.
- For previous NIHR-Supported Incubators, please detail why you think there is a need for continued support and provide justification of how the aims and objectives from the previous term have evolved from what the Incubator initially set out to achieve.
- How the proposal addresses equality, diversity and inclusion, and how this will be embedded throughout.
- A legacy plan for after the period of NIHR funding.
(800 words)
Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement
Please describe how patients/service users, carers and the public have been involved in developing this proposal. Please also describe the ways in which patients/service users, carers and the public will be actively involved in the Incubator if awarded.
(300 words)
Success Criteria
Please set out the measurements of success you intend to use.
(300 words)
Uploads
To support your proposal, you are able to upload the following documents on the ‘uploads’ page of the form:
- Gantt Chart: You may include a Gantt chart of your planned activities during the award period to aid the selection committee members in understanding the timeline of proposed activities and key milestones.
In the flexible upload space, you may upload the following documents:
- List of collaborators/partnerships/supporting organisations (optional): 1 A4 page listing all collaborations/partnerships/supporting organisations outlined in the proposal.
- Any Statements of support you wish to include.
- A list of any references cited in this application form.
- Additional co-applicants (if the number of co-applicants exceeds 20).
Participants and Signatory
A number of participants and a signatory are required to be added to your application. Details of the required individuals are provided on the online application form along with details of how they should be added. The flow diagram in Annex B goes through the actions required of participants, signatories and the applicant.
Acknowledge, review and submit
Conflict checks
Please declare any conflicts or potential conflicts of interest that you or other applicants may have in leading an NIHR Incubator award, including any relevant, non-personal and commercial interest that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Max 300 words
Agreement to terms and conditions
Please tick the check box to confirm you agree to the Terms and Conditions of submission as detailed on the application form.
Additional Supporting Information
Plagiarism in NIHR funding applications
NIHR expects all content within applications for funding to be original material of the applicant's own work, with the exception of sections that other participants are required to complete. Whilst we anticipate and expect that applicants will get help and advice from various sources when putting together an application, including on occasion input from those previously awarded funding, care must be taken to ensure this does not lead to plagiarism of either published work or other previous applications. If an allegation of plagiarism is raised against an application this will be investigated in accordance with the NIHR’s policy on plagiarism, a copy of which is available on request from academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
NIHR Privacy Policy
Our purpose for collecting information is to communicate with you about your application and have the necessary information to evaluate you for a grant. The data we collect here is collected in the public interest. Information provided here may be subject to Freedom of Information requests.
The NIHR Academy Executive is part of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The contracting agent for the NIHR Academy Executive is the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust (LTHT). The DHSC is the Data Controller and LTHT is the Data Processor under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) EC 2016/679. DHSC NIHR respects the privacy of individuals who share their data and processes it in a manner that meets the requirements of GDPR. The DHSC Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk.
The NIHR privacy policy includes further information including ways we may use your data, our contact details and details on your individual rights regarding how your data is used. Your data may be shared across the NIHR, including with other coordinating centres, to allow the application to be managed and for statistical analysis, and with external grant reviewers as part of the process for managing the allocation of a grant. Information collected from you will not be shared outside the EEA without your consent.
This notice is under constant review and will be updated and/or revised based on that review as appropriate.
NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines
Researchers applying for NIHR funding are asked to consider the carbon footprint of their research and take steps to reduce carbon emissions where appropriate. Advice on how to do this can be obtained from the NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines.
Transparency Agenda
In line with the government’s transparency agenda, any contract resulting from this tender may be published in its entirety to the general public.
Freedom of Information Act
The NIHR manages the NIHR Team Science award (2023) on behalf of the DHSC. As such the findings of researchers funded by the programme are incorporated into the Department of Health and Social Care Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.
Diversity Monitoring Information
NIHR is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in research and asks applicants to provide Equality and Diversity Monitoring Information. By answering these Diversity Monitoring Information questions, you will help us to better understand the different groups of people that apply to us for funding and their experiences of the funding process – particularly the groups protected by UK equality legislation. Although it is mandatory to answer these questions, it is possible to select “prefer not to say” as a response. However, the more information you provide, the more effective our monitoring will be. This information will not be used to make decisions about funding.
The NIHR is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, as outlined in our Research Inclusion strategy 2022-2027. We want everyone to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution. We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and communities. We are committed to having leadership and teams that are made up of diverse skills and experiences. To find out more, visit our equality, diversity and inclusion page.
We will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to remove barriers in the application process. If you have any access needs or require any support throughout the application process, please contact us (Phone: 0113 532 8410, Email: academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk). If appointed, we will also work with you to identify adjustments to carry out the role.
Public Involvement
The NIHR expects the active involvement of patients/service users, carers and the public in the research and activities it supports. NIHR recognises that the nature and extent of active involvement is likely to vary depending on context. The term involvement refers to an active partnership between patients/service users, carers and members of the public and researchers in the research process. It is essential to set out your plans to involve patients and the public in this application. Your patient/service user, carer and public involvement plans will be assessed by the selection committee including patients/service users, carers and public members (Public Contributors). Public Contributor members of the Selection Committee will complete a lay assessment on the whole application
Further information and resources about funding research can be found on the NIHR website. This includes:
- a detailed definition of public involvement in research
- briefing notes for researchers on how to involve the public and payment guidance
- the NIHR Research Support Service provides advice on developing research applications including on public involvement.
The James Lind Alliance also has a step-by-step guide on involvement in research identification and priority setting.
James Lind Alliance
The James Lind Alliance (JLA) is an NIHR funded non-profit making initiative, bringing patients, carers, and healthcare professionals together in Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs).
PSPs identify and prioritise unanswered questions or evidence uncertainties to form an agreed ‘Top 10’ list of research questions in an area of health or social care. The aim of this is to make sure that researchers and funders are aware of the issues that matter most to the people who need to use the research in their everyday lives. Top 10s have been agreed in over 160 areas and all of those priority research questions are published on the JLA website.
JLA PSPs provide a useful resource to prospective applicants for NIHR funding.
Guidance and Advice
Please read these Guidance Notes carefully. If you require any further information, advice or guidance please contact the NIHR using:
Phone: 0113 532 8411
Email: academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk
Annex A
Incubator roles and responsibilities
Chair/Steering Group
- Participate in regular incubator steering group meetings (Chair to lead these meetings).
- Provide expert knowledge on the incubator area - identifying issues and providing constructive solutions.
- Produce a terms of reference and activity plan for the incubator.
- Attend relevant events and ad hoc meetings linked to the activities identified in the work plan.
Project Manager/Admin Support
- Set up incubator steering group meetings as agreed in the Terms of Reference, and provide secretariat support.
- Arrange relevant incubator events and ad-hoc meetings linked to the activities identified in the work plan including:
- Internal and external communications
- Management of web presence for the incubator as appropriate
- Supporting co-production of training materials
Project management of the activities within the incubator plans, including:
- Financial management
- Performance tracking
Coordinate the timely submission of annual reports and provide updates to NIHR including case studies and feedback on impact of activities.
- Internal and external communications
Annex B
Application Submission Process Flow Diagram
Please note that any joint lead applicants (signatories) and co-applicants (participants) will complete all sections of the form as directed.
