Deadline: 16-Sep-2025
Apply for funding to coordinate and facilitate activity in the field of gambling harms research as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Research Programme on Gambling (RPG).
The Centre will identify gaps in gambling research, lead and manage a multidisciplinary research programme, collaborate with stakeholders to boost high-quality independent studies, explore how UKRI and other data assets can support the evidence base, and coordinate Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnerships (GHRIPs).
Aims
- The Centre is expected to fulfil the following aims:
- Coordination of GHRIPs
- coordinate the Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnerships (GHRIP) and strengthen collaborations between researchers and stakeholders, attracting resources for research, innovation, knowledge exchange, and skills
- facilitate connections between GHRIPs and UKRI-funded investments, and support policymakers at both UK and national levels to engage with GHRIP initiatives,
- Own research
- deliver a multidisciplinary programme of devolved funding activities, and develop and run open opportunities for research projects that will directly engage with the priorities of UKRI’s Research Programme on Gambling (RPG)
- develop new methods and approaches in gambling research, ensuring that data is accessible and useable for a wide range of stakeholders
- Scoping
- assess and determine what the UK needs in terms of research, research and data infrastructure, and skills to support the development of this research area, addressing emerging challenges, and forecasting potential future developments
- identify research challenges, opportunities, and priorities for the programme with users, academia, government, industry, and third-sector stakeholders that need to be addressed over the lifetime of the Centre
- Governance
- co-design elements of the project with UKRI and the wider levy system during the initial stages of the Centre, incorporating any relevant research and policy inputs
- establish an appropriate management and governance model with effective monitoring and evaluation, and support early career researchers
- facilitate engagement with national government and policy stakeholders, providing access to policy intelligence, evidence, and GHRIP experts
- Capacity building
- build future research capacity via a cohort of funded PhD studentships engaged in the work of the Centre, and develop a programme of training and development for students to support their research and future careers
- build multi and interdisciplinary capability by leveraging existing partnerships, establishing new ones, and increasing diversity within the field of gambling research to include a wider set of researchers and academic disciplines, including routes for early career researchers and mid-career researchers
- ensure inclusive public engagement through collaborative and consultative processes, representing people from different regions, backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs across the UK in the research
- develop a clear EDI plan in all aspects of the Centre’s work, that fosters an inclusive and equitable research environment, with tangible/measurable impacts and process for evaluation.
- Coordination of GHRIPs
Streams
- Levy funding will be directed in specific proportions for the purposes of research, prevention, and treatment. Each stream of the levy system will also have a central commissioner. The streams are:
- research: 20% of funding to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Gambling Commission for the establishment of a bespoke research programme
- prevention: 30% of funding to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to create a co-ordinated GB-wide approach to prevention
- treatment: 50% of funding to the NHS in England, Scotland, and Wales to commission treatment and support services
Funding Information
- Total fund: £10,000,000
- Maximum award: £10,000,000
- The duration of this award is five years.
Expected Outcomes
- Expected outcomes include:
- creating stronger and more diverse partnerships by investing in the capability and capacity required for multi-partner collaboration, bringing the right stakeholders together at the right time
- enhancing understanding of thematic priorities by surfacing evidence gaps, stakeholder needs and opportunities for innovation through collaborative scoping and analysis
- increasing readiness for delivery by developing credible, co-designed models for phase two activity that reflect the scale, ambition and complexity of the challenge
- strengthening capacity for collaborative research by embedding inclusive, interdisciplinary approaches and supporting the involvement of underrepresented voices and sectors
- supporting collaboration across the GHRIP network by fostering shared learning, alignment of approaches and opportunities for joint activity, coordinated through the GHRCC
- embedding meaningful public and community engagement by involving people with lived experience and wider publics in shaping research priorities and approaches
- enhancing the evidence base to inform a future national strategy on the reduction of gambling harms
Eligibility Criteria
- This is a UKRI funding opportunity led by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It is open to the research and innovation communities of all UKRI research councils and Innovate UK.
- Standard UKRI eligibility requirements will apply. To host the award your organisation must be:
- a UK academic higher education institution (HEI)
- an independent research organisation (IRO) recognised by UKRI
- a UK registered business that can demonstrate the capacity to lead and manage a significant research and innovation project
- Third sector institutions can act as partners and collaborating organisations.
- To ensure that the project is suitably interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, the core team leading the Centre should include representatives from across UKRI’s research and innovation communities.
- List of different types of research organisation that are eligible for UK Research and Innovation funding including:
- higher education providers
- research institutes
- public sector research establishments
- NHS bodies
- independent research organisations
- Catapult centres
Ineligibility Criteria
- The following organisations are not eligible to host the award:
- government and third sector organisations
- Gambling Commission operating license holders subject to the levy
For more information, visit UKRI.