Health & Social Care Research Across North East & North Cumbria.
Funding & Support
Access funding and support
Good news! Lots of help is available across our region. Let's find what's right for you.
1 Funding from our region
Aside from time, another common issue is how to get funding either to create the time to get more involved, or indeed cover the costs of research itself.
Here are some examples of funding awards from the North East and North Cumbria.
Taking your first steps
A small grant scheme where up to £1000 is awarded to six novice researchers undertake a small research project which has the potential to inform clinical practice.
The scheme is open to allied health professionals in the North East and North Cumbria.
The Greenshoots scheme currently runs every financial year, from April to the following March. It supports those who wish to act as a principal investigator on an NIHR portfolio research study. Successful applicants will receive funding for two financial years, up to the value of around £4500 per year.
Greenshoots is open to consultant medical staff, specialist doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, as well as clinical research practitioners and public health employees across the North East and North Cumbria.
Advancing your career
Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT) Award
This £5000 award is to support applicants to develop and lead on an Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT), as well as providing practical support to assist you in achieving Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio status.
Residents within the North East and North Cumbria who work in a health, social care or academic setting are eligible to apply. Applicants must also have a confirmed funding agreement from a commercial company with written documentation of how much support they will receive. A study proposal, which details the organisation in which the study will take place, is also an essential requirement.
The Research Delivery Awards (RDA) scheme is a one-year funding award up to the value of £4500. RDAs can fund: commercial and non commercial portfolio research, generating new portfolio studies, supporting researchers in the early stages of their career and engaging with future research leaders by encouraging their continuing professional development.
The RDA scheme is open to staff who wish to develop their research career, progressing beyond the role of a principal investigator. Those who have previously had a Greenshoots award are encouraged to apply, as well as consultants, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, practitioners and employees of the health and social care sector.
2 Sources of funding from around the UK
Here you will find examples of the funding to support your involvement in research from around the UK.
Taking your first steps
This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.
Advancing your career
HEE-NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic (ICA) Programme
The ICA Programme comprises four schemes that each support individuals at different stages of their research career:
- HEE Internship Scheme
- HEE/NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF) scheme
- HEE/NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) scheme
- HEE/NIHR Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) scheme
It supports health and care professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) to develop careers that combine research with continued practice and professional development.
NIHR Senior Research Leaders (SRL) Programme
A three-year programme to realise the untapped potential of senior nurses and midwives to increase research capacity and capability and support their development as future research leaders. It provides space and protected time for senior research leaders to share their learning across organisations and the wider NHS.
The Programme will fund each senior research leader to be seconded for three years at 0.4 WTE, at an agenda for change midpoint band 8/or equivalent level, within a health and/or social care setting.
3 Research infrastructure support in our region
Here you will find some of the regional organisations that can support your research journey; this is not intended to be an exhaustive list. To grow your awareness of the wider regional and national network do talk to your local R&D lead and other research colleagues. More information about the NIHR infrastructure in the North East and North Cumbria can be found on the CRN website.
Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC)
Supports the health and care system to accelerate innovation which improves people’s health and the regional economy.
Works with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System and its member organisations, including the NHS Trusts and universities across the region to help them identify, evaluate, adopt and disseminate transformative innovation.
Applied Research Collaboration (ARC)
A region-wide and responsive network of people, focussed on applied research, innovation, partnership and collaboration to prevent illness, improve care, promote health and reduce health inequalities.
ARC members work together and with local communities to design, deliver, and implement research that helps to achieve better fairer health and care at all ages and in all places.
Become a member of the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria
Membership is open to anyone involved in researching, planning and delivering health and social care in the North East and North Cumbria region. This includes anyone linked to our six regional universities, health and care providers, community and voluntary agencies and local authorities. We also welcome members from business or industry.
Fuse - The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, brings together the five North East Universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside in a unique collaboration to deliver world-class public health research.
Fuse is keen to work with everyone working to improve health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities, whether you are a member of the public, an academic, or a policy and practice partner from health, local authority or a third sector organisation.
Fuse hosts a responsive research and evaluation service called AskFuse, and is one of nine leading academic centres of excellence in applied public health research which make up the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR).
Local Clinical Research Network (LCRN)
Provides the infrastructure to allow high-quality health and care research to take place across the region. Their vision is to improve health and care outcomes for the people of the North East and North Cumbria through research.
The LCRN has regular funding awards and their Study Support Service offers expertise and advice to help make your study a success.
Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
The only BRC in England dedicated to the study of ageing and long-term conditions, improving the lives of people in the North East, across the UK and beyond.
Learn how you can collaborate with the Newcastle BRC and access guidance and support for trainees and investigators.
Newcastle Clinical Research Facility (CRF)
NIHR CRFs have skilled clinical trial support staff who can advise on and support complex/high intensity experimental research.
The NIHR Newcastle Clinical Research Facility delivers high-quality, cutting-edge experimental medical research and early phase clinical trials.
Click below to discover more about the NIHR Newcastle Clinical Research Facility and find out how to access facilities for early-stage research.
Newcastle Health Innovation Partners (NHIP)
Works with innovators to discover, develop and deliver new solutions in healthcare to improve the population’s health in the North East and North Cumbria.
Plays a major role in shaping the future of research training and education for clinicians, health and care practitioners and methodologists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
You will also find the NHIP Academy - a great resource to find out more about health and care academic training programmes.
NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) Specialist Centre for Public Health
The NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health aims to support the creation of high quality research evidence needed to inform policy and practice to improve public health and reduce health inequalities.
RSS support includes:
- Local Authority support and resources
- Fund Public Health Engagement Leads, Local Authority Research Practitioners and Grassroots Awards to support research at all stages in Local Authorities.
- Pre award research design advice
- Provide researchers at all stages of their career with research design and funding applications for research.
- Training and development
- Offer training and development opportunities to increase capacity and capability to undertake research.
- Governance and ethics
- Scope current and emerging systems around ethics and governance. Foster shared learning, develop guidance, templates and a repository of best practice.
In addition, here are some other important organisations that are involved in health and care research.
Integrated Care System (ICS): Brings together hospital, community and mental health trusts; GPs and other primary care services; local authorities; other care providers; and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector across the whole of our region. The ICS in North East and North Cumbria aims to provide better joined-up health and care for patients.
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): Provides expertise, specialist facilities, a workforce and support services to support the research pipeline, from discovery and delivery through to diffusion and implementation.
NHS England (NHSE): Provides national leadership for the NHS. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, it promotes high quality health and care for all, and supports NHS organisations to work in partnership to deliver better outcomes for patients and communities.
NHS England has recently merged with Health Education England (HEE), which supports excellent healthcare and health improvement by ensuring the workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to excel in their work. Find out more about HEE on their website.
4 Support with commercial research
Commercial research refers to studies that are both sponsored and funded by independent pharmaceutical or medical technology companies. Clinical trials supported by the life sciences industry play an important part in keeping the NHS at the forefront of modern treatments and research.
Here you can find out more about the types of support that are available to carry out commercial research.
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