Funding opportunities for NIHR Clinical Trial Units
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is to strengthen the capacity for conducting clinical trials within the NHS, through the establishment of a new system to provide priming funds to units who intend to conduct NIHR trials. The funding opportunity will offer some stability to registered clinical trial units (CTUs) and help address the need for ensuring sufficient research capacity to support expansion in clinical trials as identified in both the national R&D strategy, Best Research for Best Health, and the Cooksey review of UK health research funding. This initiative is part of the NIHR and MRC joint health research strategy.
Currently few CTUs have stable funding and this new scheme aims to strengthen registered CTUs through advanced funding to be partly offset and repayable against future trial funds. This will also encourage CTUs to increase the volume of NIHR trials they conduct.
The arrangements will initially introduce a system of three year or longer rolling contracts for CTUs who intend to submit research applications to the NIHR HTA or EME programmes. The funding is in three bands and CTUs can apply for the appropriate band based on their record of achievement in publicly-funded pragmatic clinical trials. This should provide CTUs with some additional stability and flexibility, allowing them to offer longer contracts to staff, and encourage higher quality applications to the NIHR HTA and EME programmes.
Sally Davies, Director General of Research and Development, Department of Health said, "Clinical Trials Units are central to our vision of expanding clinical trials in this country. This programme will ensure our excellent units are placed on a sound financial footing which is sustainable so they can play their key role".
CTU Funding - now closed.
The first round of funding has now closed and applications have been reviewed by the NIHR CTU Infrastructure Assessment Group.
View decisions from the first round
Further funding opportunities may arise which will be advertised on this site.
Eligible CTUs will also be contacted individually when new opportunities are announced.
If you have a query, please contact us on, email: nihrctu@southampton.ac.uk
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