The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Funding

Programme

Jon Scales - Research Advisor

NIHR Research Design Service for the East of England

HSS - University of Essex

• NIHR programme of funding for applied health service research.

• National budget £25 million a year • Delivered through regional

committees• Regional funding proportional to

regional population

The RfPB funding programme

“This programme is intended to support research which is related to the day-to-day practice of health service staff and is capable of showing a demonstrable impact on the health or health care of users of the service.”

Aims and scope of RFPB funding

Projects that research:• The effectiveness of interventions

• Ways that NHS services are provided and used

• Alterative means of providing healthcare

• Innovations and developments in healthcare

In scope of RfPB programme

• Laboratory-based research or basic science research

• Setting up or maintaining research units

• Service development– the programme will fund research aimed at

evaluating the effectiveness of a service or intervention but it will not fund the costs of providing the service or the intervention itself

What will not be funded

Individual research projects can:

• Be funded up to £250,000

• Last up to 36 months

• Funding to cover:– salary / staff costs

– equipment (IT etc)

– administration

£££££ - How much is available?

RfPB projects must:

• Have the budget held and managed by an NHS organisation

• Have an academic partner

An opportunity for NHS-Academic collaboration

• Robust design

• Impact on patient care

• ‘Close to market’

• Show Patient / Public Involvement (PPI)

Key factors for a successful RfPB bid

The application process

1. Registration of Intention (ROI) (Lasts up to one year) (electronic)

2. Submission of full application (electronic)

3. Declaration and signatures (paper based)

4. Submission outcome

Application deadlines

Competition 9

Registration of intention 17 April 2009Submission of full proposal 29 May 2009 Declaration and signatures 5 June 2009Outcome Mid November 2009

Competition 10Registration of intention

Submission of full proposal

Declaration and Signatures

Outcome

14 August 2009 25 September 2009 2 October 2009 March 2010

Contact:

NIHR Research Design Service for the East of England

Tel. 01206 874856 (administrators: Lynn Loaring or Nikki Pockett)

E-mail: eoferds@essex.ac.uk

For help developing an RfPB funding bid

• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) website at:

www.nihr.ac.uk/programmes.aspx

For more information on RfPB funding