Please see below a list of recent Research Calls from HSC R&D Division (all these calls and schemes are now closed):
COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Call
Training Opportunities at the National Cancer Institute, USA
Capacity Building for Evidence Synthesis
Cross-Border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN) - INTERREG (2017)
Cochrane Fellowships and Courses (2002-2017)
Improving the Impact of Research: Knowledge Exchange Scheme
Joint Stroke Association / HSC R&D Division Lectureships (2015&16)
Commissioned Research - Early Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP) (2015)
Health Economic Fellowship Awards - HSC R&D Division/National Cancer Institute (NCI) (2014)
Commissioned Research - Outcomes of the Implementation of Smoking Prevention Intervention (2014)
Commissioned Research - Dementia Care (2013 stage 1) & (2014 stage 2)
Commissioned Research - Outcomes of the Implementation of Telemonitoring NI (2013)
Doctoral Fellowship Awards - All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (2011 & 2012)
Commissioned Research - Bamford Implementation (2011)
Commissioned Research - Suicide Prevention (2008 & 2009)
Recognised Research Groups (2000-2007)
COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Call
In April 2020 HSC R&D Division invited applications for financial support, for research studies that addresed the COVID-19 pandemic. This support was aligned to the UK Prioritisation Process for COVID-19 studies, and to other funding opportunities available within the UK and Ireland.
For information on the successful applications click here
Training Opportunities at the National Cancer Institute, USA
From 2001-2019 the Ireland-Northern Ireland-National Cancer Institute Consortium on Cancer (Cancer Consortium), provided training opportunities at the National Cancer Institute, USA.
HSC R&D Division and the Health Research Board (HRB), Dublin invited applications for summer courses at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Rockville, Maryland, USA including:
Principles and Practice of Cancer Prevention and Control: specialised instruction on the principles and practice of cancer prevention and control.
Molecular Prevention: molecular biology and genetics of cancer and an overview of the basic laboratory approaches applied to cutting-edge research in cancer.
Over 90 people in NI received bursary's from HSC R&D Division to attend these training opportunities
Capacity Building for Evidence Synthesis
This model of funding will include a range of activities to promote and support capacity building for evidence synthesis. While this may include some current Cochrane activities, it is expected to also deliver a broad suite of training courses and other initiatives that will support evidence synthesis employing a range of methodologies (e.g. rapid reviews, umbrella reviews, narrative reviews, scoping reviews, realist reviews).
The successful applicants will be expected to take over the networking, knowledge exchange and dissemination activities of Cochrane Ireland with the aim to revise and develop these as relevant.
For information on the successful application click here
For information on the original call click here
Cross-Border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN) project
The Cross-Border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN) project was awarded funding through the European Union's (EU's) INTERREG VA Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programme Body.
The CHITIN project will implement 10 Healthcare Intervention Trials (HITs) specifically designed to benefit citizens across a Defined Area that includes Northern Ireland and border counties of the Republic of Ireland by facilitating participation in research studies, and ultimately enhancing their health and social care. The teams funded will also form a network wherein mentoring, training and skills development will be supported, creating a legacy for future research in the Defined Area.
The project partners, the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D Division) of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and the Health Research Board (HRB) in Ireland, have invited applications for funding of high quality HITs of novel but unproven interventions to prevent and cure illness and to promote improved health and wellbeing.
The scheme closed for application on 29 September 2017. All funded HITs should be completed by 31 July 2021.
For more information see the CHITIN website
Systematic Review Courses and Cochrane Fellowships
Between 2002 and 2017, as part of support for Cochrane Ireland, HSC R&D Division jointly funded training courses across the island of Ireland to build awareness and capacity in conducting and using systematic reviews. In total, over 2000 people attended these training courses.
Funding was also provided for a Cochrane Fellowship scheme to allow health and social care professionals, researchers and policy makers protected time to develop their capacity in conducting systematic reviews.The aim of the Cochrane Fellowships has been to build capacity in conducting systematic reviews in the health and social care field in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and to free up protected time for applicants to conduct and maintain a systematic review and to generate a body of systematic reviews, led by Irish and Northern Irish reviewers, for inclusion in the worldwide Cochrane Library.
For more detail on these awards see Cochrane Fellowship Awards
Improving the Impact of Research: Knowledge Exchange Scheme
HSC R&D Division recognises that research findings should be translated into health or social care benefits as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In response, HSC R&D Division has offered funding under a Knowledge Exchange Scheme with the aim that this will improve the impact and reach of research. The funding has been used to enable effective two-way exchange among researchers who have generated new knowledge, and research users who require an evidence base.
It is intended that the knowledge exchange will deliver practice, policy, social and/or economic benefit in an area relevant to health or social care. It is expected that applications will come from multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral teams who can demonstrate credible arrangements for collaboration.
For more information click here
Joint Stroke Association / HSC R&D Division Lectureships (2015&16)
The Stroke Association and HSC R&D Division collaborated to support rising stars in stroke research and build capacity in Northern Ireland.
The Lectureship programme aims to address succession and sustainability in the careers of stroke researchers. This award will provide secure and stable long-term funding for researchers to establish themselves, whilst leading high quality programmes of research. This award also aims to leverage further funds to support PhDs, Post-Docs or other junior research and fellowship positions, as well as inspiring the next generation through a high quality lecturing and training programme.
Eight different types of award were available for both Northern Ireland only and UK-wide awards:
- Clinical Lectureship for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
- Senior Clinical Lectureship for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
- Clinical Lectureship for Medical Professionals
- Senior Clinical Lectureship for Medical Professionals
- Non-Clinical Lectureship
- Senior Non-Clinical Lectureship
- Reader Award (Clinical)
- Reader Award (Non-Clinical)
For more details see the Stroke Association website.
Commissioned Research - Early Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP) (2015)
HSC R&D Division invited applications for commissioned research on the current outcomes of the implementation of the Early Intervention Transformation Programmes (EITP) under Work Streams 1, 2 & 3.
Applications to this call were expected to include the following:
Inform the process of continuous improvement of EITP work streams.
Inform the development of any subsequent EITP interventions.
Inform future strategy for EITP for children and young people and their families.
Allow generalisable application in contexts beyond the Northern Ireland setting.
For more information on this call please click here or contact the office
HSC R&D/NCI Health Economics Fellowship (2014)
This Fellowship programme aimed to encourage successful applicants to pursue a career in health economics with a cancer focus. The duration of the Fellowship will be four years leading to a PhD degree in health economics.
The Fellowship includes ten months of coursework in health economics, cancer prevention and health policy, based in Northern Ireland/UK; followed by two years of mentored research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Europe/US and a final year of mentored research at a Northern Ireland/UK University.
For more information on this call please contact the office.
Commissioned Research - Outcomes of the Implementation of Smoking Prevention Intervention (2014)
Latest research indicates that 25% of people aged 16 years and over in Northern Ireland are smokers. In 2010, 6.7% of local children aged 11 to 16 were current smokers. 71% of these young people who smoke would like to quit. Most adult smokers (77%) would admit that they started smoking in their teens or younger.
The Dead Cool Smoking Prevention Education Pack is an intervention developed by Cancer Focus Northern Ireland targeted at Year 9 school children, aimed at reducing the numbers of young people who start to smoke and challenging those who influence smoking behaviour: Friends; Parents and Family and the Media
HSC R&D Division issued a call for research on the current outcomes of the implementation of Smoking Prevention Intervention – Dead Cool: Smoking Prevention Education Pack.
One project was funded which will include research to inform: the process of continuous improvement of Dead Cool Intervention; the development of any subsequent Smoking Prevention Education Pack for young people; future strategy for Smoking Prevention for children and young people; and generalisable application in contexts beyond the Northern Ireland setting.
For more information on this call please click here or contact the office.
Commissioned Research - Dementia Care (2013 stage 1) & (2014 stage 2) (co-funded with Atlantic Philanthropies)
It is estimated that at present in Northern Ireland 19,000 people live with dementia, less than 1000 of whom have early-onset dementia. In common with other parts of the developed world, as the local population ages, dementia is increasingly becoming a major public health and societal issue, with numbers of people with dementia projected to rise to 23,000 by 2017 and around 60,000 by 2051. If it is considered that each of these people will have a network of lay and professional carers then it can be estimated that, by 2051, upwards of 500,000 people could be coping with the impact of dementia in their everyday lives in Northern Ireland.
HSC R&D Division in collaboration with The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP), issued a call for research to address the increasing prevalence of dementia in NI and the burden it places, and will place, on health and social care staff and resources, and on the quality of life and wellbeing of service users and their wider network of carers.
The development of this call followed from the launch of the NI Dementia Strategy, Improving Dementia Services in Northern Ireland, in 2011 and will complement and align with the work of the Dementia Strategy Implementation Group (DSIG), chaired by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and HSC Board (Commissioners of HSC Services) and charged with delivering the strategy’s accompanying action plan. The Strategy advocates the need for further research in dementia care through initiatives aimed at building inter-disciplinary and inter-professional research in health and or social care.
The priority areas for research which were developed in consultation with key stakeholders including service users, health professionals and commissioners utilized initial topics identified by national priority setting exercises in the UK led by the James Lind Alliance (part of the National Institute for Health Research, NIHR) and the Alzheimer’s Society to derive a locally agreed priority list of topics on which robust evidence is currently unavailable.
Seven projects were funded under this call. For more information on this call please contact Dr Gail Johnston.
Commissioned Research - Outcomes of the Implementation of Telemonitoring NI (2013)
Telemonitoring NI is a service designed to improve the clinical care, self-management and outcomes for patients by facilitating high quality and safe service delivery through a remote monitoring, end-to-end managed service.
HSC R&D Division issued a call for commissioned research on the current outcomes of the implementation of the Telemonitoring NI managed service.
One research project was funded and will provide new knowledge and robust evidence which will: inform the processes of continuous improvement of Telemonitoring NI; Inform the development of any subsequent telemonitoring contract; inform future strategy for technology deployment in healthcare in NI; enable organisational learning and well-informed decision-making during the initial contract period and beyond; and allow generalisable application in contexts beyond the Northern Ireland setting.
For more information on this call please click here or contact Dr Julie McCarroll
All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care Doctoral Fellowship Awards (2011 & 2012)
HSC R&D Division in conjunction with the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) offered Doctoral Fellowship Awards in Hospice and Palliative Care to support and develop research capacity across the island of Ireland. The three-year Fellowships will enable the individual to undertake research training as a means of developing a research career in Palliative Care, and to follow a training programme leading to a PhD.
Two Fellowships were Awarded. For more information on this call please contact Dr Gail Johnston
Commissioned Research - Bamford Implementation (2011)
The 2007 Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities (‘Bamford’ ) identified a considerable number of areas of research need. The Review’s recommendations for research were further developed in the Bamford Action Plan launched by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety in 2009.
HSC R&D commissioned and published (30 November 2011) a series of Rapid Reviews in each of the agreed priority areas of: Children and Young People; Primary Care; Patient outcomes; Advancing Psychological Therapies; Intellectual Disability; Personality Disorders. These reviews aimed to: consider the available literature; identify policy implications; examine specified sub-themes; and determine the key research questions to inform the current call. The Rapid Reviews also provide immediate outputs for use by policy-makers, practitioners and commissioners. Bamford Rapid Review Summary
The Rapid Reviews were peer reviewed by an external panel of international experts who then identified eight priority research questions which formed the call for research within a Northern Ireland Context in the fields of intellectual disability and mental health.
Five projects were funded under this call. Click here to view our project portfolio. For more information on this call please contact Dr Gail Johnston
Commissioned Research - Suicide Prevention (2008 & 2009)
HSC R&D Division commissioned research in the area of Providing meaningful care: using the experiences of young suicidal men to inform mental health care services
A short report using the experiences of young suicidal men to inform mental health care services is available: Providing Meaningful Care (Short Report)
Recognised Research Groups (2000-2007)
Recognised Research Groups (RRGs) were an integral part of the HPSS R&D Strategy between 2000-2010 and accounted for a large component of the HPSS R&D Fund expenditure.
The RRGs were established in the period between 2000 & 2002 with additional calls for proposals following on in 2003, 2005 & 2007. The concept was intended to facilitate focused good quality research and to create critical mass within vibrant co-operative research environments.
A list of funded projects can be found on our portfolio page
Research Fora
HSC R&D Division has funded a small number of research fora following a top down identification of strategic need.
Funding has been provided for researchers, HSC professionals, patients and the public to come together with the aim of building research capacity in particular topic areas, prioritising research topics, facilitating grant writing and encouraging dissemination among key stakeholders.
Areas supported include: