NIHR Impact Prizes 2026

This year we celebrate 20 years of the NIHR; the health and social care research arm of the nation. Since 2006, NIHR has transformed the UK’s health and care research landscape, improving the care that matters most, strengthening our health system, and boosting the nation’s economy. NIHR’s work has saved lives, improved quality of care, developed new treatments and technologies, and helped make the NHS more efficient and effective for everyone.

The NIHR Impact Prizes celebrates researchers and teams who have maximised the impact of their research and whose research has transformed people’s lives or promoted economic growth. The Impact Prizes recognise research that has received NIHR funding or support across the range of areas NIHR funds, including health, public health, social care, and global health research.

These prizes will showcase research from all areas of NIHR and the variety of ways research supports the health and wealth of the nation.  In March 2025, NIHR awarded 14 Impact Prizes. See the 2025 Impact Prizes winners.

We will award NIHR Impact Prizes for research teams and for early-career researchers. Winners will be nationally recognised at an in-person award ceremony, hosted by Professor Lucy Chappell, the Department of Health and Social Care Chief Scientific Advisor and NIHR CEO.

Eligibility

See the NIHR Impact Prizes page for more information on past winners 

• All submissions must either be from current or previous NIHR award holders OR individuals/teams whose research has benefited from funding and/or support from NIHR programmes, NIHR research infrastructure funding or Academy funding. For NIHR Global Health Research award holders, researchers from HEIs and Research Institutions based abroad are eligible.
• There must be a clear, demonstrable link between NIHR funding and support, the research undertaken, and the impact achieved.
• There must be evidence of realised impact (i.e. demonstrable change(s) has been achieved/has happened, rather than potential impact).
• If you submitted an application for the 2025 NIHR Impact Prizes and were unsuccessful, you can resubmit for the 2026 prizes only if there has been additional impact demonstrated since your initial application.

Webinar

A webinar about NIHR Impact Prizes 2026 was held on 16 March 2026 about the prizes, eligibility requirements, and the submission process.

Please contact the Impact Prizes Team for the recording of the webinar and the slides presented. The questions answered in the Q&A session will be added to the FAQ tab shortly.