The NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is inviting outline applications for studies that answer research priorities identified by James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnerships, where patients, carers and clinicians agree together which unanswered questions matter most. This round particularly encourages work on the Addiction Healthcare Goals priorities, but any JLA priority within HSDR’s remit is eligible. Outline applications close at 1pm on 20 January 2027.
This is a two-stage, commissioned funding opportunity (reference 2026/528). You are applying to research a priority a partnership has already identified, not to run a new Priority Setting Partnership yourself.
What it funds
HSDR funds research that improves how health and social care services are organised, delivered and accessed. Your study must sit within that remit, and its primary outcome measure must be health related. There are no fixed limits on project length, budget or the number of co-applicants, but every cost has to be justified as good value for the NHS and social care, and the programme will scrutinise any change in costs between the outline and full application.
The programme is especially keen on proposals that align with the Office for Life Sciences’ Addiction Healthcare Goals programme, which aims to drive innovation in treatments and technologies and build a UK-wide research ecosystem across the NHS, the third sector, criminal justice and community settings. HSDR expects to fund one study against this priority, but you do not have to address it to apply.
You can also embed a methodological sub-study, such as a study within a trial or review (SWAT/SWAR). NIHR is particularly interested in sub-studies that look at practical ways to cut the environmental impact of research.
Does it fit dementia research?
If your work looks at how dementia care and support are delivered, and a JLA partnership has named the question you want to answer, this is a route worth considering. Browse the JLA website for a priority your study addresses, and see how one partnership worked in What are the most important questions about trial retention?
Seven other NIHR programmes are taking part in the wider JLA rolling funding opportunity: Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation, Health Technology Assessment, Invention for Innovation, Programme Grants for Applied Research (through Programme Development Grants), Public Health Research, Research for Patient Benefit and the Research Programme for Social Care. Check which remit fits your study and apply to that programme through the main JLA rolling funding opportunity page. Applications spanning more than one programme are welcome.
What your application needs to show
- which Priority Setting Partnership and which priority you are addressing, with a clear rationale for how your study contributes to it
- the evidence gap your research fills and how it adds value to the existing NIHR portfolio
- why the work matters, including how it supports efforts to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes
- a robust, appropriate methodology that acknowledges its limitations
- genuine co-production, as an equal partnership with service commissioners, providers and service users
- patient and public involvement built into both the application and the study design
If co-production is new to you, the EMPOWER Dementia Network+ co-production toolkit and our piece on four principles for practising and evaluating co-production are good places to start.
The outline application
Your research plan can run to five A4 pages, and anything beyond that will not be considered. It should cover the background and rationale, the problem you are addressing, your research questions, aims and objectives, and your methods, including study design, sample size and analysis. Include a timeline with milestones and a justified recruitment rate, and explain whether a Clinical Trials Unit will be involved or why one is not needed. HSDR funds defined research projects, not programmes or ongoing work.
Two uploads are mandatory: a single-page flow diagram showing the study design and flow of participants or work packages, and a single-page PDF of references. Do not upload a logic model or anything in the flexible upload slot, as these will be removed. The programme also asks you to consider whether UK Biobank data could serve your study before setting up a new cohort.
Key dates
- 13 October 2026: outline applications open
- 20 January 2027, 1pm: outline applications close
- late March or early April 2027: shortlisting decision, and full applications open
- early June 2027: full applications close
- August 2027: funding decision
How to apply
Apply through NIHR’s new awards management system, where you may need to create a new account. Read all the guidance on the funding page first, including the research inclusion guidance on sex, gender and inclusive design. Questions about your application go to hsdrinfo@nihr.ac.uk, and you can request the recording and slides from the applicant webinar from crossprogramme@nihr.ac.uk. If you are based in England, the NIHR Research Support Service can help you develop your proposal. Before you start writing, listen to our podcast on grant writing tips from awardees and reviewers.
Read the full details and apply
Visit funding web page
(https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/nihr-james-lind-alliance-priority-setting-partnerships-rolling-funding-opportunity-hsdr-programme/2026528)