# NIHR-NICE Rolling Funding Opportunity

**Funder:** NIHR
**Application:** 2-stage: outline → full proposal
**Frequency:** Continuous
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/nihr-nice-rolling-funding-opportunity/2026490
**Last updated:** 30 Aug 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Funds health and social care delivery research (HSDR Programme) aligned with NICE research recommendations. No fixed limits on project duration, funding amount, or number of co-applicants. Research must demonstrate relevance to NHS and social care decision-making, service improvement, and generalisable impact on UK health and care delivery.

## Summary

The NIHR EME Programme funds hypothesis-driven evaluations of healthcare interventions that have already demonstrated proof of concept in humans, aligned with NICE research recommendations. UK-based researchers and clinicians are eligible; the lead applicant's institution must serve as the study sponsor. Patient and public involvement is required from the project outset.

## Who should apply

- UK-based researchers and clinicians with a clear healthcare intervention ready to evaluate
- Lead applicants whose employing institution can act as study sponsor
- Teams committed to meaningful patient and public involvement from the start
- Researchers with hypothesis-driven study designs aligned to NICE priorities

## Key dates

- Rolling deadline; applications accepted continuously
- Two-stage process: outline application followed by full application
- No fixed submission window

## Tips for applicants

- NICE alignment is gating, check the published research recommendations before framing your intervention and study question.
- Hypothesis-driven design is mandatory; if your study aims to explore rather than test a specific outcome, it will be desk-rejected.
- Patient and public involvement cannot be bolted on; name your co-investigators and describe their engagement plan in the outline.

## Frequently asked questions

### What type of healthcare interventions can I evaluate under the NIHR EME Programme?

Interventions that have already demonstrated proof of concept in humans, hypothesis-generating early-stage studies are ineligible.

### Who can be the lead applicant for an NIHR EME Programme application?

UK-based researchers and clinicians whose employing institution is able to act as the study sponsor.

### Is patient and public involvement required in the NIHR EME Programme?

Yes, meaningful patient and public involvement must be embedded from the project outset, not added later.

### Does the NIHR EME Programme have fixed application deadlines?

No, it operates on a rolling deadline with no fixed submission window, applications are accepted continuously.

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

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