The Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) grants are awarded competitively to NHS Trusts for a three to five year period, to ensure stability and support for top quality research groups working within the NHS. Each programme funds a series of related projects under a coherent theme in a high priority area or NHS need.

Emphasis is on delivering research findings that will have practical application for the benefit of patients, typically through improved health care or better health care delivery:

• Promotion of health
• Prevention of ill health
• Optimal disease management
• Emphasis on conditions causing significant burden
  

Typically 30% of the activity funded by the grant will be for development work (together with its integrated evaluation). 

Who it's for:
These awards are directed towards leading researchers who can demonstrate an impressive track-record of achievement in research based on publications, previous research funding and impact on NHS service provision. One of the co-applicants should be an NHS manager with direct or indirect responsibility for clinical service delivery.

Funding:
The programme grants have an annual budget of £75 million. Individual awards will be for a maximum of £2 million for a three to five year period, depending on the scale and nature of the proposed research.

Process:
Application is a two-stages process. First stage is an outline with brief CV of Lead Applicant which will be assessed by an expert Sub-Panel. Successful outlines will then be invited to submit a full application. The full application will be judged by the expert Sub-Panel with comments from referees (you suggest two potential peer reviewers). Applicants get invited to respond to peer review comments. The Sub-Panel will then submit recommendations to the main Selection Panel who make the final decisions.

Time-line:
2 months for first stage outcomes, 4 months between outcome and full application deadline, 4 months for full application outcomes - whole process takes about 10 months.

Criteria:
Applications will be judged on the following criteria:

• Track-record of applicants (breadth and depth of expertise on the team (multidisciplinary), suitability of lead applicant)
  
• Relevance of the proposed research to priorities and needs of the NHS
• Likelihood of significant benefit to NHS and patients within 3-5 years of the end of the funding period
• Quality of the proposal (realistic timeframe; appropriate, valid, robust and feasible methods)
  
• Value for money

PGfAR Website

Feedback on what makes a successful bid:

• Proposal addresses an important area of NHS research
• Significant benefit within 3-5 years
  
• Multidisciplinary team with excellent track record
  
• Clear PPI – specifies people involved, sufficient budget Involvement of CTU / trialist / statistician
  
• Clear programme management – specifies roles and responsibilities of individuals
  
• Sufficient research strands forming a coherent theme
  
• Well written – logical, focused, coherent, uses sub-headings, avoids jargon, acronyms, etc.
  
• Excellent value for money and justification for resources