Open Call: Research and Partnership Hubs for Health Technologies (UK)

Deadline: 18-Jul-23

Apply for funding to establish a large-scale, multidisciplinary research hub in an area of importance to the delivery of EPSRC’s strategy for health technologies with a focus of research and partnership working.

Objectives

• The hubs will:
  • deliver a programme of high quality, multidisciplinary research of importance to one or more of the challenges outlined in the EPSRC health technologies strategy
  • create a critical mass of research capacity in a particular area, driving forward the national research agenda to actively build a wider research and innovation ecosystem
  • act as UK leaders in the field on behalf of the wider research landscape. Hubs will be expected to engage with relevant research partners throughout their lifetime
  • embed PPIE throughout the hub aims, objectives and operations, considering the context of each hub’s specific research area.
  • engage with a diverse range of relevant partners to ensure research is co-created and co-delivered with users
  • ensure a clear route to translation for research outcomes by developing a translation and impact action plan which considers the specific translation context and challenges within the hub’s research area and community
  • Due to the scale of these awards, significant collaboration and leverage (cash or in-kind) will be expected from project partners (for example, business, public sector, third sector).

Scope

• This funding opportunity is to establish a number of large-scale, multidisciplinary research hubs, drawing on expertise across the engineering and physical sciences and health research community to build and develop strategic research capabilities of importance to one or more of the following health challenges:
  • improving population health and prevention
  • transforming prediction and early diagnosis
  • discovering and accelerating the development of new interventions
• These challenges are described in more detail in the new health technologies strategy.
• The hubs will support partnerships across the wider research and health landscape, bringing together complementary expertise to co-deliver advancement in their strategic research area.
• A strategic research capability is that which builds on UK research strengths in areas of computational, engineering, mathematical or physical sciences in order to maintain and advance research capacity for future health technologies. It is your responsibility to advocate for how the research and partnership activities will help build important new capabilities needed to meet one or more of the health technology challenges.

Funding Information

• Total fund: £40,000,000
• Maximum award: £10,000,000.

Challenge Areas

• The aim of this funding opportunity is to fund a portfolio of health research and partnership hubs that collectively will make a signficiant contribution to the the three high level challenges identified in the EPSRC strategy for health technologies.
• Applications may cover more than one challenge area however you should indicate the primary challenge you wish to apply against. It is envisaged that not all hubs supported will be in a single research or geographic area and EPSRC will look to support a balanced portfolio from the highest quality proposals received.
  • Improving population health and prevention
    • This challenge focuses on the need for novel techniques that optimise health, eliminate and prevent disease. Prevention includes promoting wellbeing in a population, addressing the determinants of health as well as the causes of disease and enabling people to have a better quality of life.
  • Transforming prediction and early diagnosis
    • Addressing all aspects of health from physical, mental and environmental, this challenge focuses on the need for novel techniques that optimise patient-specific illness prediction, early and accurate diagnosis.
    • The aim includes reducing the incidence of disease, intervening before full symptoms develop, as well as reducing the impacts of multiple long-term illness and strengthening the ability to take exactly the right steps to combat disease at precisely the right time.
    • Scientific, mathematical, and other techniques, from biomarker identification, research into medical imaging and risk stratification to predictive modelling and real-time, evidence-based decision-making, will all play a role.
  • Discovering and accelerating the development of new interventions
    • This challenge focuses on the need to produce safer, more targeted treatments and interventions fit for the future. This challenge includes therapies, for example advanced therapies, as well as physical interventions such as provision of prostheses to surgery and radiotherapy, which is fundamental to tackling impairment by restoring function, repairing damage, and eliminating disease.
    • Developing novel treatments and therapies which could be personalised and designed for the setting in which they are being delivered for example, home, community or acute care is of key importance.

Eligibility Criteria

• You will be limited to one hub application as principal investigator.
• Standard EPSRC eligibility rules apply. Research grants are open to:
  • UK higher education institutions
  • research council institutes
  • UK Research and Innovation-approved independent research organisations
  • eligible public sector research establishments
  • eligible research and technology organisations
  • NHS bodies with research capacity
  • Check if your institution is eligible for funding.
• You can apply if you are a resident in the UK and meet at least one of the conditions:
  • are employed at the submitting research organisation at a level equivalent to lecturer or
  • hold a fixed-term contract that extends beyond the duration of the proposed project, and the host research organisation is prepared to give you all the support normal for a permanent employee
  • hold an EPSRC, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship aimed at later career stages
  • hold fellowships under other schemes (please contact EPSRC to check eligibility, which is considered on a case-by-case basis)
  • Holders of postdoctoral level fellowships are not eligible to apply for an EPSRC grant.

Ineligible

• Proposals must lie primarily within the remit of EPSRC and be within the scope of this funding opportunity. Any proposals that EPSRC deems out of remit or out of scope may be rejected without reference to peer review.
• While EPSRC does not fund clinical trials, that is, studies that involve large numbers of animals or patients, costs may be requested for proof of concept (PoC) studies where initial data from a small number of tests is being gathered to validate and inform the continual development of the technology developed as part of the project.

For more information, visit EPSRC.