NIHR Research for Social Care – Dementia funding call – deadline 13:00 on 19 October 2021

The NIHR Research for Social Care (RfSC) call is inviting proposals for studies to address important social care questions relating to dementia.

Call summary

• This RfSC call is an important part of the Department of Health and Social Care and NIHR’s ongoing interest in strengthening dementia research in less well-supported areas, better understanding the needs of underserved populations and social care needs, as well as identifying best practice in relation to critical points, including diagnosis, hospitalisation, residential care and end-of-life care.
• The Research for Social Care (RfSC) call, is inviting proposals from eligible research teams to improve the evidence base around social care and dementia
• This call offers researchers considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic providing that it falls within RfSC’s dementia remit.
• This call is open to researchers at all career stages, and standard RfSC eligibility rules and criteria will apply. In particular we are looking for researchers from a wide selection of backgrounds, and early career researchers are especially welcomed.
• The call is for proposals up to £350,000 for a period of up to 36 months with projects needing to commence between 1 September 2022 and 1 March 2023. 
• Applications are expected to have strong involvement and collaboration with organisations that are responsible for delivering social care and related social care services, for example local authorities and third sector, where appropriate. Applicants may wish to consult the NIHR guidance on co-producing research.

How to apply

Research proposals must be within the remit of RfSC. The call is open to researchers at all career stages and standard RfSC eligibility rules will apply, as detailed in the RfSC call specification. Early career researchers are encouraged to apply as lead applicants but it is not considered an eligibility requirement.

RfSC has a two-stage commissioning process. Please see the RfSC call specification for further details. The criteria used by the assessing committee will reflect standard RfSC criteria as detailed in the specification. 

We recommend that you read the Guidance for Stage 1 Applications before completing your application. 

A Word document version of the application form (.DOCX – Word) (.DOCX – Word) is available and can be used to assist in preparing responses for the online application form. This forms may be used as a template only, and you must apply through the Research Management System (RMS).

The deadline for this call is 13:00 on 19 October 2021.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the local Research Design Service for the initial assessment and advice.

For general and scientific queries relating to the call, including queries relating to the administrative process of applying, please contact the RfSC programme team.