# Programme Grants for Applied Research

**Funder:** NIHR
**Budget:** £2.0M–£3.5M over 4–6 years
**Duration:** 4–6 years
**Consortium:** Optional — multi-sector, multi-professional collaboration strongly encouraged across health, social care, education, and charitable sectors; collaboration with third-sector/non-profit organisations highly encouraged
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application → full application (shortlisted applicants only)
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/programme-grants-applied-research-october-2026/2026345-2026346-2026347
**Last updated:** 16 Aug 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Ring-fenced PGfAR call for programmes addressing children and young people's (CYP) health, care and wellbeing, developed with RCPCH. Open to all UK research teams; must include multidisciplinary, multisectoral approaches addressing CYP health inequalities. Research must be conducted in areas of high need; meaningful PPI required throughout; 10–20% of budget must fund embedded early/mid-career capacity building.

## Summary

The NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research funds applied research programmes addressing children and young people's health, care and wellbeing, with budgets of £2.0M-£3.5M over 4-6 years. Applicants must be UK-based research teams taking a multidisciplinary, multisectoral approach to reducing health inequalities in high-need areas, with mandatory meaningful public and patient involvement throughout. All proposals must dedicate 10-20% of the budget to embedded early- and mid-career researcher capacity building, and collaboration with health, social care, education, and third-sector organisations is strongly encouraged.

## Who should apply

- UK research teams with multidisciplinary expertise in child health, social care, education, or wellbeing
- Teams ready to embed early- and mid-career researchers and allocate 10-20% of budget to their development
- Research groups with genuine partnerships across health, social care, education, and third-sector organisations
- Teams conducting research in areas of high need and with meaningful public and patient involvement built in from the start
- Applicants focused on reducing health inequalities in children and young people

## Key dates

- Deadline October 2026 (exact date to be confirmed on NIHR website)
- 4-6 year project duration

## Tips for applicants

- The 10-20% early/mid-career budget ring-fence is non-negotiable; plan explicit capacity-building activities and mentorship structures into your project design.
- Multisectoral collaboration is assessed heavily, name concrete partners from health, social care, education, and charitable sectors in the application, with evidence of buy-in.
- PPI must be meaningful and integrated throughout the research lifecycle, not bolted on; panels expect co-production language and evidence of lay representation in governance.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research award?

£2.0M-£3.5M per project over 4-6 years.

### Who is eligible for NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research?

UK-based research teams working on children and young people's health, with multidisciplinary and multisectoral membership, and a commitment to meaningful public and patient involvement.

### Is collaboration required for NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research?

Collaboration is strongly encouraged and expected to span health, social care, education, and third-sector organisations; consortia are optional but highly valued.

### What is the early-career component of NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research?

All projects must allocate 10-20% of the budget to embedded early- and mid-career researcher capacity building and development.

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

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