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Social Care: Opportunity for additional work

  Friday, 29 Oct 2021 | Funding Deadline

Expression of interest to be sent to netsmonitoring@nihr.ac.uk with a copy to your research manager by 29th October 2021

Evidence-based or evidence-informed practice can lead to better outcomes for people who use social care and support. For people working in the social care system, policy makers and commissioners, having access to high quality research and evidence is key to supporting decision making, challenging ingrained ways of working and strengthening transformational change. Social care research can change lives, support independence and build the evidence base to support a health and social care system that works for everyone.  

As an ongoing priority for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) additional investment for social care research is available in this financial year (2021/2022).  Current NIHR award holders (projects funded by the EME, HTA, HS&DR and PHR programmes) are invited to apply for funding up to 20% of their existing contract value to undertake additional research activities focused on social care.

Examples of additional research activity include:

  • social care needs and outcomes
  • new recruitment sites*
  • social care work packages
  • social care expertise in the research team

*The NIHR encourages research to be conducted in geographic populations and groups which have been historically underserved by research activity or where there is an unmet need and, therefore, has an aim to address this disparity in social care research.

The new work must include relevant users of social care and social care practitioners as part of the study team. There will also need to be appropriate independent expertise on the study steering committee. 

Successful applicants will be expected to start the additional work rapidly and ensure completion within the timeframe of their existing NIHR study.   

Your expression of interest should not be more than 1000 words. It will include the following:

  • Summary of the evidence gap and the proposed social care research
  • Location and details of the additional workstream, including where appropriate, timescales for opening, staffing and recruitment targets, etc.
  • The impact of the additional workstream on other aspects of the existing project, for example, recruitment targets. How the work will enhance the existing project and how it will address the needs of underserved communities
  • Cost (please note the limit).
  • Duration (as above, any additional work must be completed within the duration of the existing NIHR study)
  • Justification of the proposed cost and value for money.

Your expression of interest will be reviewed by the Programme Director and if agreed, the additional work will be managed through the variation to contract process which therefore will include completing a variation to contract request

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