# Speech and Language Therapist-Led Interventions for School-Aged Children with Developmental Language Disorder

**Funder:** NIHR
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application → full proposal
**Frequency:** One-off
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/speech-and-language-therapist-led-interventions-school-aged-children-developmental-language-disorder/2026471
**Last updated:** 16 Aug 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Commissioned HTA Programme call for research on speech and language therapist-led interventions for school-aged children with developmental language disorder. Applicants must be UK-based with a multidisciplinary team; clinical trials must engage with a UKCRC-accredited CTU. Research must address NHS or social care populations using PICO methodology and demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

## Summary

This NIHR HTA Programme call funds research on speech and language therapist-led interventions for school-aged children with developmental language disorder, with a focus on UK-based multidisciplinary teams. Applicants must address NHS or social care populations, use PICO methodology to assess cost-effectiveness, and engage with a UKCRC-accredited Clinical Trials Unit if conducting clinical trials. This is a one-off commissioned call for health technology assessment research.

## Who should apply

- UK-based research teams with multidisciplinary membership
- Clinical academics and speech and language therapy researchers
- Teams with established links to NHS or social care settings
- Applicants planning clinical trials must have access to a UKCRC-accredited Clinical Trials Unit
- Researchers experienced in health technology assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis

## Key dates

- Two-stage process: outline application followed by invitation to full proposal
- One-off call, not recurring

## Tips for applicants

- Multidisciplinary team composition is mandatory, ensure you name collaborators from relevant disciplines (speech and language therapy, education, psychology, health economics) in the outline.
- Cost-effectiveness evidence using PICO methodology is central to NIHR HTA assessment, frame your research question and outcomes around NHS resource use and patient impact from the start.
- If your design includes a clinical trial, confirm UKCRC CTU accreditation status early in proposal planning; lack of this partnership will gate your application.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I apply to this NIHR HTA call if I am based outside the UK?

No, applicants and the research team must be UK-based. International collaborators may be named in a support role.

### Is a clinical trial required for this call?

No, but if your research includes a clinical trial, you must partner with a UKCRC-accredited Clinical Trials Unit.

### What does PICO methodology mean in this context?

PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) is a structured framework to define your research question and assess cost-effectiveness for NHS populations.

### Is this call open every year?

No, this is a one-off commissioned call, not a recurring programme.

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

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