The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme is inviting outline applications for researcher-led topics that are concerned with the day-to-day practice of health service and social care staff, and that have the potential to have an impact on the health or wellbeing patients and users of the NHS.
As a researcher-led programme, RfPB does not specify topics for research but instead encourages proposals for projects that address a wide range of health service issues and challenges.
To address research gaps in certain geographical regions, this funding programme also includes a series of regional highlight notices, where proposals are invited to address the specific health challenges facing the regions and communities of each funding committee. Rather than setting specific research themes, these highlight notices allow applicants to identify and evidence the unmet patient needs and research priorities within their respective regions and communities. The latest highlight notice in this series will focus on addressing healthcare needs in the West Midlands and East Midlands.
ELIGIBLITY
Applications must be made through an NHS body or other provider of NHS services in England.
‘NHS body’ means:
- the Board
- an Integrated Care System
- a Special Health Authority
- an NHS trust
- an NHS foundation trust.
Note that RfPB allows a maximum of 11 members on a research team (either one lead applicant and 10 co-applicants or 2 joint-lead applicants and 9 co-applicants).
VALUE AND DURATION
Funding up to £500,000 is available for up to 36 months.
NIHR guidance suggests that applicants work within the following broad cost tiers:
- up to £500,000 for research that might have fairly immediate patient benefit (such as a randomised controlled clinical trial)
- up to £300,000 for research in preparation for full trials, including feasibility studies and pilots depending on the extent of uncertainties
- up to £200,000 for more upstream research, such as observational studies or proof of concept studies, that will generate results that may be useful for more downstream investigations or might carry a higher risk of failing to achieve patient benefit
KEY DATES
Outline application deadline: 9 July 2025
Full application opening date: TBC October 2025
Full application deadline: TBC November 2025
Funding decision: March 2026
More information, including application guidance and full details of the regional priorities highlight notice, can be found in the document below and on the opportunity webpage.