The NIHR Multiple Long-Term Conditions Cross-NIHR Collaboration is offering a single pump-prime award of up to £50,000 to support pilot validation of patient-reported outcome measures for people living with multiple long-term conditions.
The call focuses on improving how quality of life is understood and measured among people with multiple long-term conditions. Existing outcome measures do not always reflect the complexity, burden and variation of people’s lived experiences, and this funding is intended to help move MLTC-specific approaches from development towards testing in real-world settings.
What the funding will support
The successful project should address one or both of the following objectives:
- Pilot the validation of MLTC patient-reported outcomes within relevant patient populations.
- Assess the feasibility, acceptability and usability of MLTC patient-reported outcomes across different settings, groups or contexts.
Projects may include several complementary elements, such as work involving different patient groups, settings or methodological approaches, provided these collectively contribute to the pilot validation of MLTC patient-reported outcomes.
Applications should promote interdisciplinary collaboration and bring together relevant expertise from across NIHR infrastructure. Proposals must demonstrate clear relevance to people living with multiple long-term conditions and include appropriate Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement and Research Inclusion, with particular attention to voices that are often unheard.
Funding available
One award of up to £50,000 is available.
Funding may cover up to 100% of eligible direct costs and up to 50% of an early career researcher’s time. Full economic costs and university indirect costs are not covered.
Projects may run for up to 12 months. Extensions will not be available.
Who can apply?
The lead applicant must be based at a UK higher education institution.
Applications must:
- Include at least one MLTC Cross-NIHR Collaboration workstream member as a co-applicant.
- Demonstrate collaboration across MLTC workstreams and cross-cutting priority areas.
- Include appropriate Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.
- Embed Research Inclusion, with a particular focus on groups whose voices are often under-represented.
- Show that the project can be completed within the available timeframe.
Collaboration across disciplines, organisations and different areas of NIHR infrastructure is strongly encouraged.
Early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply as either lead applicants or co-applicants. For this call, an early career researcher is someone who began their independent research career within five years of the start of the award.
Applicants may lead only one proposal but may participate as a co-applicant on other submissions.
Project dates
Projects must begin by 30 October 2026, with all funding used by 1 November 2027.
Applicants should consider the time required to secure approvals, recruit staff and complete the proposed work, as extensions cannot be granted.
How to apply
Applications must be submitted using the official application form. Submissions made in another format will not be considered.
The lead applicant must also provide:
- A two-page CV.
- A project Gantt chart of no more than one A4 page.
Applications should describe the proposed collaborations, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, Research Inclusion plans, anticipated outputs, project milestones, risks and a detailed breakdown of costs.
Deadline
11 September 2026
Applications will be reviewed between 14 September and 2 October 2026, with award letters expected during the week beginning 12 October 2026.
Further information
Questions about the call should be sent to Eleanor Lockhart, CNC Collaborations Programme Manager, at eleanor.lockhart@newcastle.ac.uk.
The full guidance and application documents should be reviewed before preparing a proposal.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.nihr.ac.uk/our-research/multiple-long-term-conditions)
