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Funding Opportunities

Updated on 30th January 2011

For general information on funding sources, go here.

Calls for Proposals currently open include :

Big Lottery Funding
Dunhill Medical Trust
Technology Strategy Board R&D Grant
Big Lottery - Connecting Older People
Posture & Mobility Group (PMG) Grants
European Commission Applications for Health
NIHR EME programme - Commissioned research
NIHR i4i Challenge Awards
NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operatives
NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research
NIHR Programme Development Grants
5th call for proposals of the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme

1. Big Lottery Funding

The Big Lottery Fund’s Research programme is making up to £25 million available for high quality social and medical research projects across the UK.

Third sector organisations are able to apply for grants for up to five years from the programme, which will be administered by Momenta and supported by Third Sector First.

Grants of between £10,000 and £ 500,000 are available, with up to £1 million for exceptional projects. Applicants who need extra support will be able to apply for development grants of up to £10,000 to help develop their research proposal.

Momenta have developed an online application process which can be accessed at http://www.bigresearchprogramme.org.uk Registered applicants will be able to access advice and support on the conception, design and management of research from Third Sector First. For further information call 08450 711 068 or email researchprogramme@aeat.co.uk

More details from this [external] link.

2. Dunhill Medical Trust

Funding available for research into rehabilitation and disabilities affecting older people, with an emphasis on areas which find it hard to attract funding from other sources (eg incontinence).

More details here: http://www.dunhillmedical.org.uk/researchgrants.html

3. Technology Strategy Board R&D Grant

This new Technology Strategy Board scheme is offering funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in R&D projects in the strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services could emerge.

The Grant for Research and Development (Grant for R&D) scheme will support R&D projects which offer potentially significant rewards and could stimulate UK economic growth. In contrast to the Collaborative R&D programme, Grant for R&D funding is available to single companies.

Three types of grant are available:

Proof of market
Proof of concept
Development of prototype

All pre start-ups, start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses from all sectors across the UK may apply for the Grant for R&D programme, which opened on 4th April 2011 and has a rolling programme of assessments through to mid 2012. To find out more, go here.

4. Big Lottery - Connecting Older People

The Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland is making up to £20 million available over the next two years to promote the inclusion of older people by targeting those individuals at greatest risk of exclusion or isolation.

Older people can go through a number of transitions in their lives where they are especially at risk of becoming isolated and excluded, such as retirement, health changes, bereavement, or moving into residential care or sheltered housing.

We will support projects that:

focus on older people aged 60 and over
last from three to five years
target older people at greatest risk of exclusion and isolation, who could be perceived as ‘hard to reach’
involve older people in designing and running the project

We want to fund projects that promote wellbeing, provide support or contribute towards independence and active citizenship, for example, social support activities including volunteering, advice provision, community safety, and intergenerational work.

This programme is an open and competitive programme that will mainly make revenue grants. Deadline for applications is 29th February 2012 and there is more information via this link.

5. Posture & Mobility Group (PMG) Grants

The Posture & Mobility Group is keen to support research which will help the group to achieve its aims i.e. to promote best practice, provide training, collate information and advise stakeholders in relation to posture and wheeled mobility services.

Since 2005 PMG has funded several small research projects. Many have now completed, with several further studies still in process.

PMG has announced that applications for grants are now open, with a deadline of 31st March 2011. For more details, go here.

6. European Commission Applications for Health

The European Commission has published a new Call for Applications for Health 2012 which includes the following: .

Call for Proposals - operating grants (for NGOs and specialised networks)
Call for Proposals - grants for action (projects)
Call for Proposals - grants for conferences

For receiving a European grant projects generally have to contribute at least to one of the 3 main objectives of the Health Programme (2008-2013):

to improve citizens’ health security
to promote health, including the reduction of health inequalities
to generate and disseminate health information and knowledge

The grants for projects include activity to support active and healthy ageing and to prevent chronic disease (details here). Details of operating grant applications are here and for conference application details go here.

The deadline for submission of proposals under each call is 9th March 2012.

7. NIHR EME programme - Commissioned research

The Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme invites research proposals from collaborating partners including industry, NHS and academia, in the following areas:

Neurodegenerative disorders and myopathies
Point of care tests

The closing date for applications is 13th February 2012 and there is more information via this link.

8. NIHR i4i Challenge Awards

The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme is launching a new funding stream – thei4i Challenge Awards programme. This will offer £15 million over the next three years to support researchers to demonstrate the healthcare benefits of their prototype medical devices in a clinical setting.

The i4i Challenge Awards will hold an annual competition to address a particular ‘challenge’ facing the NHS. The first competition will address the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in England and worldwide -- and will open on 27th February 2012. More details via this link.

9. NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operatives

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is launching a new competition to establish NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operatives (HTCs). These centres of expertise will be focused in clinical areas or themes of high morbidity and unmet need for NHS patients. Working collaboratively with industry, they will lead to the development of new medical devices, healthcare technologies or technology-dependent interventions, which improve treatment and quality of life for patients.

This new scheme builds on learning from a pilot scheme that funded two HTCs from 2008. One of these, based in Sheffield, was responsible for the innovative dignity bidet commode developed for stroke survivors which won an NHS Innovation Award in 2009.

A briefing meeting for potential applicants will be held on the 29 February 2012.
The closing date for submission of the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire by NHS Trusts in England is 19th April 2012. Full details here.

10. NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research

The NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research Applications invites research proposals from leading research groups for a coherent series of related projects to tackle high priority health issues. Proposals should provide evidence to improve health outcomes in England through promotion of health, prevention of ill health, and optimal disease management (including safety and quality), with particular emphasis on conditions causing significant disease burden. Funding of up to £2m is available over a period of three to five years.

The deadline for outline proposals is 19th March 2012 and there is more information here.

11. NIHR Programme Development Grants

The NIHR Programme Development Grants invites proposals from leading research groups to undertake preparatory work that will position them to submit a successful Programme Grant for Applied Research application in a subsequent funding competition. Funding of between £20k and £100k is available over a period of 6-18 months. The closing date for applications is 5th March 2012 and the details are here.

12. 5th call for proposals of the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme

The AAL Association is to announce the 5th Call for proposals of the AAL Joint Programme: ICT-based Solutions for (Self) Management of Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home. Call 5 aims at the development of ICT-based solutions which enable and sustain older adults to continue managing their daily activities in their home. This call aims also at ICT-based solutions which support informal carers in their assistance.

It is anticipated that the call will be launched end of February 2012, with a proposal submission deadline end May 2012. There will be an information event on 13th March 2012, in Brussels. All potential proposers are strongly advised to come to the information event, and those wishing to attend should register their interest by sending an e-mail to Jacqueline.Teller@aal-europe.eu before 24th February 2012. More details via this link.