 Home
/ Programmes
/ rfpb
/ faq
 |
|
|
NIHR Central
Commissioning Facility (CCF)
| |
|
|
RfPB: Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
If the lead applicant needs an honorary NHS contract, does it need to be in place when the RfPB application is submitted?
RfPB grants must be administered by an NHS organisation and the lead applicant must have an appropriate relationship with the NHS organisation submitting the application to ensure proper governance and accountability. This will mean that the lead applicant (if they are not already employed by the host NHS organisation) will need to arrange an honorary contract with that NHS organisation. However, it is not necessary for the honorary contract to be in place at the time the application is submitted provided the NHS organisation is able to confirm that it intends to provide an honorary contract if the application is successful.
Is clinical research eligible to be covered under this programme or not?
Much clinically-focussed work and work in the biomedical sciences will be funded elsewhere in the programmes of the NIHR. The scope of the Research for Patient Benefit Programme, however, is wide. The key issue is that we wish to support high quality research that will make a difference to patients. Clinical research can be supported so long as it is "near market" and expected to have an impact on the way NHS services are delivered in the short to medium-term.
Could applications come from and be based in existing DH research units?
Yes, however, if an organisation is already funded by the Department of Health to carry out research then it would have to make a persuasive case for the relevance of additional funding under this Programme and demonstrate that it is not something that could reasonably expect to be covered from its existing budget.
Are universities and third sector providers of health and social care precluded from bidding in their own right under this programme?
Applications must come from an NHS organisation. If the application is successful, a contract will be placed with that organisation for delivery of the project and all funds for the project will be paid to the NHS. It is recognised that where proposals emerge from daily practice, considerable work may be needed to create a sound research design and we expect that all applications will have appropriate academic input.
What other types of organisations can be party to an application to RfPB?
The lead organisation must be an NHS organisation within the region and we expect evidence of academic involvement, other types of organisations (e.g. charities) can be involved as long a clear rationale is provided and their role is clearly explained. A commercial company could also be party to the application but the RfPB award would not include research costs to be paid to a commercial company if that company would obtain financial benefit from the research. RfPB awards could include the research costs of a commercial company only if there is no financial benefit and if the company has a track record in non-commercial NHS research. We would expect any resulting intellectual property from the research to be vested in the NHS.
We are an independent research institute. Are we eligible to bid for research under this programme?
As in the case of with universities, we would normally expect researchers from independent agencies to work in close partnership with NHS colleagues, and often also with patients to devise projects that offer a real chance of improving health, health care and the patient experience.
Could grants be awarded to care providers in the private and voluntary sectors?
Yes, but we would expect there to be a clear link with the NHS and would also look for clear evidence of appropriate academic input. Demonstrating a clear partnership approach will enhance prospects of success.
Does RfPB exclude paying for research that involves a commercial company?
RfPB will not pay research costs to a commercial company if that company would obtain financial benefit from the research. RfPB may pay research costs to a commercial company only if there is no financial benefit and if the company has a track record in non-commercial NHS research. We would expect any resulting intellectual property from the research to be vested in the NHS. If you feel you can make a case to apply to RfPB that addresses these issues then we would encourage you to put forward an application.
I have an honorary NHS contract, is this enough to be the lead applicant on proposal?
Yes, the contract issued by the Department of Health would be with the NHS Trust that provided the honorary contract.
Can an organisation outside of England submit an application?
No, RfPB will not consider an application from an NHS organisation (university or NHS) outside of England.
RfPB is one of a number of responsive funding streams within the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). These response mode schemes introduced as part of "Best Research for Best Health" are devoted to supporting proposals from research teams based in England.
An application from an NHS organisation in England can include an academic partner organisation from outside of England provided a strong case is made that the chosen academic partner is best placed to provide the academic input to the planned research.
Would the programme consider providing part funding for studies where total cost is over £250k?
RfPB will not fund projects jointly with other funders. An application to RfPB must be for a self-contained study with a clearly defined end-point.
Can more than one NHS Trust collaborate in a joint application to RfPB?
Joint applications are welcome from Trusts but one Trust will need to take the lead role and we expect to see evidence of academic collaboration as well. It is not essential that the collaborating Trusts are within the geographical boundary of the RfPB Regional Funding Committee RFC. The application will be considered by the RFC for the lead organisation. Please note that the same application may not be submitted to two RFCs. See also the question on nationwide studies.
Will a nationwide study be considered under the scheme or is it intended only for studies carried out within regions?
If you can identify a lead site within one of the ten regions then the application will be looked at on that basis. The lead site will be responsible for the administration of the grant and could distribute funds to other sites if necessary, effectively sub-contracting the work. It will be for the RFC concerned to take a view on the priority ranking of any application with a national dimension.
I am confused. Can I revise and resubmit an application that has been turned down – or not?
The programme does not have a resubmission track that treats proposals as resubmissions – requesting you, for example, to submit comments on how you have altered your proposal in the light of feedback and judging the application in this basis. There is nothing, however, to stop you submitting a new application that builds on and benefits from the feedback you have received. It is important to realise that it will be treated as a new application and to write it in an appropriate way, starting with a new ROI. In doing so, please note that there is no guarantee that the new proposal will be sent to the same reviewers as the previous application; it may be sent to the previous reviewers or to new ones. Remember too that although some RFC members may recall that there was previous proposal, there may well be new committee members who will be seeing it for the first time. Addressing the feedback points is, of course, recommended, but there can be no guarantee that this will result in funding and it will not necessarily advance your case if you choose to point out that you have done so.
Some people have also asked whether there is a limit on the number of times a similar application can be submitted. The answer at the moment is no, but if similar proposals have been rejected more than once, you would do well to get advice from a RDSU.
Patient and Public Involvement
Do I need to involve patients in the research itself?
There are many different ways in which patients and the public might be involved in research and you should consider how the involvement of patients can specifically benefit your project. Useful guidance can be obtained from INVOLVE which is a national advisory group, funded by the Department of Health, which aims to promote and support active public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research. INVOLVE's web site can be found at: http://www.invo.org.uk/
Scope
I still don't understand exactly what kinds of projects this programme covers - can you explain more?
RfPB is a responsive mode programme. It is intended to provide a real opportunity for projects to emerge out of health care practice and to be designed to improve that practice. While it deliberately does not specify topics to be covered, you are encouraged to read the aims and scope statements in the Guidance to Applicants and to ensure that you make a clear case for the potential for patient and/or public benefit arising from the study. Alongside rigorous research designs and methodologies, we also look for dissemination strategies that will enhance the likelihood that the results can be rolled out within the NHS.
What if I have a good research idea that seems to fit under this programme but I haven't got the time or the right skills to work on the project myself?
You will need to approach a potential academic partner or use the services of one of the RDSUs (see Section 5 of Guidance for Applicants).
My proposed project is very local, to do with service design for a small group in a particular community. Is this likely to be acceptable?
The RfPB Programme will look with favour on projects that hold out the prospect of outcomes that are likely to make a difference for patients and to the health of the public in an area. We recognise, for example, that a small change sometimes can make a big difference. What you also need to do, however, alongside demonstrating the rigour and appropriateness of the research design, is to pay particular attention to the sections of the application form that allow you to include some discussion of the potential transferability of findings to other locations or perhaps other groups.
If this Programme is supposed to be responsive mode, why have you set any criteria at all?
Generally, other NIHR commissioned programmes closely specify the research questions to be answered whereas the RfPB programme exists to provide a possible source of funding for practitioners and researchers who have developed their own research questions. Nonetheless, we have chosen to specify aims and objectives that set some limits on the type of research we wish to support. This is because the programme forms part of the overall DH strategy and because we need to ensure that the resources spent on this programme meet the needs of the NHS.
We have been asked to be a partner in a large-scale international collaboration in health research. Can I apply for funding for our component?
RfPB has not been designed with this in mind. What we are hoping for is work with clear practical outcomes and local applicability in the fairly short term. Most projects will build on knowledge that has been established locally. We would not rule out such an application, however. Once again, the case that is made or patient benefit is likely to be a crucial consideration.
Will RfPB fund basic science?
RfPB will not fund projects that are solely basic science. It may be possible to make a case for a project, which has an element of basic science, but the justification will be around the likely benefit to health and health services in the short to medium-term.
Will RfPB fund systematic reviews?
Systematic reviews may be funded as apart of a larger grant, when appropriate, but the RfPB is not a primary source of funding for systematic reviews. The RfPB will fund small stand-alone systematic reviews where the likely outcome is aligned clearly with the remit of the programme. We will consider funding reviews:
· that are likely to provide a guide to action (what the service providers should be doing or what they should stop doing) as opposed to identifying knowledge gaps.
· where a practitioner or researcher has identified a particular area where it is important to have clarity about the best evidence available.
Is research to do with social care eligible for this programme?
DH R&D funding comes from the NHS therefore the research should benefit the NHS. Some aspects of social care research will if there is a demonstrable benefit to NHS patients. We would expect the lead organisation to be an NHS organisation.
Are RCTs (even small scale RCTs) explicitly excluded?
RCTs are not explicitly excluded. The proposals that RfPB will fund are generally not geared towards clinical trials (unlike HTA) as they can be relatively expensive, considering the budget of £250K. However, if your proposal is within the financial limits of the programme; clearly demonstrates the need for a RCT; and has an expected patient benefit output then it will not be ruled out for funding.
Will any special criteria apply to requests to fund pilot studies?
Carrying out pilot work is frequently essential for a sound research design and lack of preliminary feasibility work can result in a waste of resources, especially when a complex intervention is proposed. We are aware that it can be difficult to find funding for this. For this reason, and notwithstanding its strong emphasis on patient benefit outcomes in the short to medium term, the RfPB programme will consider requests for funding of pilot studies. Pilot studies must address the published criteria for RfPB awards and should amount to a self-contained study with a clear and defined output. You should make clear your long-term goals and the potential gain for patients and if you know which funder you plan to approach to fund the full study then it would be useful to include this information in your application. Success in gaining the resources for a pilot study does not imply that this programme or any other NIHR programme would fund the full study.
Will RfPB consider a proposal where preliminary work must be completed before detailed planning of work on subsequent stages can be finalised; for example, where preliminary work is need to determine the correct sample size?
It is unlikely that such an approach would be successful within the context of RfPB because there would be insufficient detail in the protocol for proper peer review. Such an application could only be considered where the arguments put forward were good enough to convince an expert in the field that this is the only viable approach to answer the research question. In some cases, it might be better to put forward an application for pilot funding (see the FAQ on pilot studies).
Project costing
One of the things we need to do in our Trust is to build research capacity - can we write this into a proposal? The remit of the RfPB programme is not explicitly to fund research capacity building, such funding is provided by other NIHR funding streams. There may well be instances where a junior member of the research team stands to gain research experience or a research qualification as a result of taking part in a project, but this will not be a major consideration when the project is assessed for funding. The key criteria are around scientific merit of the proposal and the likely benefit to the NHS.
What level of overheads can NHS organisations include in their application?
We have deliberately allowed flexibility for NHS organisations to set their own overhead. The application form asks for a breakdown of how the overhead is calculated and the Central Commissioning Facility will check these costs. We expect that RfPB contracts will be placed with NHS organisations (as stated in the guidance). We expect the NHS organisations to be working with academic partners and this may mean that part of the costing (where money is to be passed on to the academic partner) will be based on FEC.
Do researchers need to include NHS support costs in their bid? Are these included in the grant?
NHS support costs should NOT be included in the bid as these are not funded through RfPB.
Are there any guidelines on how the funding should be split between the NHS and any partner organisation(s) e.g. a university?
There are no set guidelines as to the percentage breakdown of funding between an NHS institution and a University when they are collaborating on a proposal. However, if the majority of the funding will be going to the University, then the necessity for this to be the case will have to be made explicitly clear in the application submitted.
Application process
Will the NIHR act as research sponsor for the projects that are funded via this programme?
The NIHR is a virtual organisation providing a strategic framework for the different elements of NHS and Department of Health funded and supported research. For RfPB the funder will be the Department of Health and the sponsor will be the organisation which hosts the research.
| 
Competitions