Funding opportunities

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has been awarded additional Pre-Application Support block funding from NIHR. This funding is available to support healthcare professionals at all career stages who need additional assistance in preparing competitive and successful applications for future NIHR career development fellowships or research grants.

The aim of this funding is to provide enhanced opportunities to those who may not otherwise have sufficient support to apply for NIHR career development funding. We encourage applications from healthcare professionals from all backgrounds and communities to promote diversity and inclusivity in the research field.

Priority will be given to:

• Applicants seeking to apply for NIHR fellowships or research grants, including:
  • Pre-doctoral Fellowships
  • Development and Skills Enhancement (DSE) Award
  • Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF)
  • In-practice Fellowship
  • Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award
  • Pre-doctoral Local Authority Fellowship Scheme (PLAF)
• Individuals who can clearly demonstrate the need for additional support and how this funding will strengthen their planned application to an NIHR career development scheme.

What the funding can be used for:

•  Salary contribution up to £10,000: To allow time for the preparation of an application.
• Training and development: Relevant training, mentorship or supervisory costs directly related to developing your application.
• Additional support: For instance, costs associated with Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE).

Please note if successful, you will be required to submit your competitive application to NIHR for the career development fellowship or research grant supported by this funding by December 2027.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the Pre-Application Support Fund Application Form and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Form, outlining your clinical-academic experience and detailing how you intend to use the funding to support your career ambitions. Applicants must also outline their supervision plans and include approval from their line manager.

If you are currently applying to another NIHR career development scheme, please state this within your application.

Please note, the awards are competitive and will be reviewed by a panel.

Key dates:

• Submission deadline: Monday 12 May 2025 at 12 noon.
• Outcome announcement: Friday 30 May 2025.
• Awards start from June 2025.

For an informal discussion or to submit your application, please contact Lisa Murray, BRC Education and Training Manager at lisa.murray@mft.nhs.uk.

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*Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Advancing Inclusive Practices in Commercial Clinical Trials

Up to £15,000 of funding is available per project for collaborative projects between industry and research partners that drive inclusive practices in commercial clinical trials.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) invites project proposals for this Core Pump Priming Call, which aims to address critical health equity challenges, such as:

• Overcoming language barriers
• Enhancing diverse recruitment strategies
• Refining inclusion/exclusion criteria
• Novel approaches to analysis of research data.

We particularly encourage projects that focus on under-served groups, including women, as well as those underrepresented due to age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, health conditions, sexual orientation, digital exclusion, or other structural barriers to participation in clinical trials.

Successful projects should demonstrate a clear pathway for scaling into larger funding opportunities.

Funding call timeline

• Project duration: Up to 6 months – activity can go on for up to 8 months, but funds must be spent by 31 March 2026
• Funding call opens: 10 March 2025
• Funding call closes: 2 June 2025
• Panel review: w/c 23 June 2025
• Award letters issued: 7 July 2025
• Project start date: 1 August 2025
• Project end date: 31 March 2026

The Core Pump Priming Call will fund direct costs:

• Directly incurred staff costs, in line with the call guidance
• Materials and consumables – these should be project specific and not general costs
• Equipment/facilities access
• Equipment purchases (capped at £5,000 per item and must be justified against the duration of the project)
• Workshops and patient engagement activities
• Other engagement, knowledge exchange, training and culture change activities can also be supported.

Applicant eligibility

Applications from early career researchers are encouraged. We would also welcome applications from nursing, allied health professional, psychologist, pharmacist and healthcare scientist staff groups along with other healthcare professionals.

You do not need to have prior links with Manchester BRC however lead applicants are expected to have approached the associated Themes, prior to submission, to help foster collaboration. We can facilitate this through the enquiry details below.

The lead applicant must hold an appropriate contract with a Manchester BRC partner organisation and/or with a Higher Education Institute within the Greater Manchester area. This contract must exceed the duration of the proposed project.

The industry partner should be a commercial organisation (Pharma, MedTech, CRO, Digital Health) with an in-kind contribution (e.g., resources, expertise, patient engagement tools, technology).

How to apply

Please review the following documents before applying:

• Information document
• Terms and Conditions document

Please complete and submit the application form below to brc-crfpartnerships@mft.nhs.uk

• Application form

For further enquiries please contact:

Dr Colette Inkson, BRC Innovation and Partnerships Manager: colette.inkson@mft.nhs.uk

Prof Rick Body, BRC Partnerships Lead: richard.body@manchester.ac.uk.

View current funding opportunities from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on their website.

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Horizon Europe
• Innovate UK
• Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Wellcome