# HTA Programme Researcher-Led

**Funder:** NIHR
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application → full proposal
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/hta-researcher-led/2026491
**Last updated:** 6 Sept 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Funds health technology assessments of NHS/social care technologies evaluated using a PICO framework. Applicants must be UK-based with a multidisciplinary team including clinical, health economics, and statistics expertise. Clinical trials must engage an accredited UKCRC CTU. Systematic reviews must be registered in PROSPERO.

## Summary

The NIHR HTA Programme Researcher-Led call funds health technology assessments of NHS and social care interventions, evaluated using a PICO framework, for UK-based research teams. Applicants must assemble a multidisciplinary team spanning clinical, health economics, and statistics expertise, and any clinical trial must engage an accredited UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit. Systematic reviews submitted under this call must be pre-registered in PROSPERO.

## Who should apply

- Researchers based at UK institutions
- Multidisciplinary teams combining clinical, health economics, and statistics expertise
- Teams proposing trials, with access to an accredited UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit
- Teams conducting systematic reviews, prepared to register the protocol in PROSPERO
- Research questions framed around a clear PICO structure

## Key dates

- Two-stage process: outline application followed by full proposal

## Tips for applicants

- Structure the research question explicitly around Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO), reviewers use this framework to assess fit.
- Name your UKCRC-accredited CTU partner and their role at outline stage if the project involves a clinical trial; late-stage CTU changes weaken full proposals.
- For systematic reviews, register the protocol in PROSPERO before submission and cite the registration number in the application.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does the NIHR HTA Programme Researcher-Led call fund?

It funds health technology assessments of NHS and social care technologies, with research questions structured using a PICO framework.

### Who can apply to the NIHR HTA Programme Researcher-Led call?

UK-based applicants with a multidisciplinary team covering clinical, health economics, and statistics expertise.

### Do clinical trials need a specific unit under this call?

Yes, clinical trials must engage an accredited UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit (CTU).

### Does a systematic review need to be registered for this call?

Yes, systematic reviews must be registered in PROSPERO.

### Is the application process one-stage or two-stage?

It is two-stage: an outline application followed by a full proposal for those invited to progress.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/nihr-hta-programme-researcher-led-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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