Ageing, dementia and frailty are national priority areas for the NIHR. A consortium comprising ARC Wessex, working together with ARC Greater Manchester, ARC Yorkshire and Humber and ARC Southwest Peninsula, has recently been awarded £1.85 million by the NIHR. These funds will be used to commission outstanding research on these topics with the aim of delivering evidence-based service change at the supra-regional and/or national level.
This announcement is to alert the research community to the imminent call for proposals. We will commission excellent applied health and social care research proposals with proven impact for older people. Proposals should aim to evaluate the implementation of innovations shown to be effective within at least one region, in order to develop them for national roll-out. The eligibility criteria for proposals are:
Research should target priority health areas identified in NHS Long Term Plan and adoption at scale anticipated to have a significant impact on health outcomes of older people
- Proposed innovation proven to be cost-effective in at least one ARC region, with work already undertaken to support implementation and adoption
- Interested community of practice with commitment and capacity to adopt innovation evident in new region(s)
- Proposed research offers value for money
- Clear public and community involvement, engagement and participation
- Confirmed support from an NIHR Applied Research Collaboration to host the programme of work
This call will support research to further evaluate the innovation, for example in new settings or populations. It will not support the costs of implementation.
The costs of implementation should be supported by the new region’s community of practice, for example NHS trusts, care home organisations or the third sector. We aim to commission studies of up to two years duration. Support for individual proposals are unlikely to exceed £500,000 unless there is clear and convincing justification for funding in excess of this amount. Studies requiring smaller amounts of funding that offer value for money will also be welcomed.
Key dates:
- The call for proposals will be formally announced in early September 2020
- Applicants will be invited to submit proposals to NIHR ARC Wessex with an anticipated closing date of 23rd October 2020
- Applicants will be notified of the outcome in mid-December 2020
- Studies should plan to start in March 2021, and complete no later than March 2023
Further information will be available on the ARC Wessex website or email arcwessex@soton.ac.uk for further information.