Other sources of funding

The aim of the NIHR is to support outstanding individuals working in world class facilities conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. NIHR funding streams include:

• Programme Grants for Applied Research: these are prestigious awards of up to £2m over a period of three to five years, directed towards leading researchers who can demonstrate an impressive track-record of achievement in applied health research
• Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme - a national response-mode programme for high quality investigator-led research projects that address issues of importance to the NHS. It funds research into everyday practice in the health service.
• Invention for Innovation (i4i) Research Programme - brings together the work of several previous programmes, including the New and Emerging Applications of Technology (NEAT) and the Health Technology Devices (HTD) programmes, with a new investment stream. The programme will help accelerate the take-up and use of proven new treatments and devices by the NHS.
• Research for Innovation, Speculation and Creativity (RISC) Programme - provides small, discrete grants for new speculative and radical health research proposals that could lead to a step change in the care and management of patients.
• Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme - funds research to ensure that healthcare professionals, NHS managers and the public and patients have the best and latest information on the costs, effectiveness and impact of developments in health technology.
• Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme - commissions research on the way health services are organised and delivered by the NHS.

Full details of NIHR funding programmes.

Medical Research Council - The MRC supports and advances medical research in three main ways: by providing research grants and career awards to scientists in UK universities and hospitals, by funding research centres in partnership with universities, and through their own research facilities.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - The BBSRC is the UK's leading funding agency for academic research and training in the non-clinical life sciences.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - The EPSRC is the UK Government's leading funding agency for research and training in engineering and the physical sciences.

The European Commission funds research through Research Framework Programmes (FP 6&7).

FP7 is divided into four programmes:

• 'Ideas' funds investigator-driven research through a newly created European Research Council (ERC), which is designed to support the best scientists, engineers and academics in Europe. It has a budget of € 7.51 billion for 7 years (2007-2013). ERC funding activities involve two major grant schemes: the ERC Starting Independent Researcher grant scheme and the ERC Advanced Investigator grant scheme .
• 'Cooperation' supports research cooperation in a number of key thematic areas, addressing specific sectors such as life sciences, information and communication technologies and food quality and safety research.
  
  The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) was funded through the ‘cooperation’ stream. It aims to overcome research bottlenecks in the drug development process, reduce drug development time and the clinical attrition rate for new medicines. U-BIOPRED was funded through the IMI to advance the development of new treatments for severe asthma.
• 'People' programme supports training and researchers' career development
• 'Capacities' funds the coordination and development of research infrastructure, regional research clusters, international cooperation and closer ties between science and society.

Wellcome Trust - the largest charity in the UK, spending £600 million each year on research.

British Lung Foundation - invests an average of £1 million pounds a year in research projects aiming to improve the diagnosis or treatment of lung conditions.

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association - supports and promotes research carried out in Northern Ireland into the areas of chest, heart and stroke illness.

Action Medical Research - As of 2009, their research focuses on child health to include problems affecting pregnancy, childbirth, babies, children and young people.

Academy of Medical Sciences / Health Foundation – the Academy’s Clinician Scientist Fellowship Scheme offers five years of funding to talented clinicians to pursue academic research alongside clinical practice.

British Medical Association - Offers grants for medical research on an annual basis through its Board of Science.

A wide range of regional charities exist that will fund research in their locality.

When applying for charity funding, you might wish to refer to AMRC guidance on the Charity Research Support Fund.