# Public Health Research Researcher-Led

**Funder:** NIHR
**Consortium:** Optional — stakeholders (decision-makers, commissioners, public, people with lived experience) strongly encouraged to be meaningfully involved as costed or rewarded members of the research team
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application (5 A4 pages) → full application if shortlisted
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/phr-researcher-led/2026494
**Last updated:** 6 Sept 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Researcher-led primary research, evidence synthesis, and public health evaluations addressing prominent public health questions and health inequalities. Proposals must include economic evaluation (health-related quality of life and distributive impact). Studies may be feasibility, pilot, or definitive; progression criteria required for staged designs. Independent research only; conflicts of interest must be managed.

## Summary

The NIHR Public Health Research Researcher-Led programme funds primary research, evidence synthesis, and evaluations addressing prominent public health questions and health inequalities in Great Britain. It supports feasibility, pilot, or definitive study designs, and every proposal must include an economic evaluation covering health-related quality of life and distributive impact. Stakeholders such as commissioners, decision-makers, and people with lived experience are strongly encouraged to join the research team as costed, meaningfully involved members.

## Who should apply

- Researchers proposing independent, researcher-led public health studies
- Teams addressing prominent public health questions or health inequalities
- Applicants based in Great Britain
- Studies designed with economic evaluation and, where staged, clear progression criteria
- Teams willing to meaningfully involve and cost stakeholder or lived-experience contributors

## Key dates

- Two-stage process: outline application (5 A4 pages) followed by full application if shortlisted

## Tips for applicants

- Build the economic evaluation into the study design from the outset, reviewers expect both health-related quality of life and distributive impact analysis, not a bolt-on cost analysis.
- For staged designs (feasibility to pilot to definitive), spell out explicit progression criteria in the outline application itself.
- Cost stakeholder involvement (commissioners, public contributors, people with lived experience) as genuine team members with defined roles, rather than listing them as advisors.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does the NIHR Public Health Research Researcher-Led programme fund?

It funds researcher-led primary research, evidence synthesis, and public health evaluations on prominent public health questions and health inequalities, including feasibility, pilot, or definitive studies.

### Is an economic evaluation required for this NIHR grant?

Yes, all proposals must include an economic evaluation covering health-related quality of life and distributive impact.

### How many stages does the application process have?

Two stages: a 5-page A4 outline application, followed by a full application for shortlisted proposals.

### Do I need a consortium to apply?

A consortium is optional, but stakeholders such as commissioners, decision-makers, and people with lived experience are strongly encouraged to be costed, meaningfully involved members of the research team.

### Who is eligible to apply for NIHR Public Health Research Researcher-Led funding?

Applicants must be based in Great Britain and propose independent research, with conflicts of interest managed appropriately.

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

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