Better methods, better research (£2 million)

Deadline: June 15, 2022

Application is open for funding to improve the methods used by others in biomedical and health research. Your project must focus on an area within MRC or NIHR’s remit. You must be a researcher based at an organization eligible for UKRI funding. You must have a graduate degree, although we expect most applicants to have a Ph.D. The full economic cost of your project can be up to £625,000. MRC and NIHR will fund 80% of the full economic cost. This is an ongoing scheme. Application rounds open twice per year, closing in June and November.

Eligibility

You can apply for this opportunity if you are a researcher based at an eligible research organization. These include:

higher education institutions
UKRI-approved independent research organizations or NHS bodies
government-funded organizations
public sector research establishments
MRC institutes
MRC units and partnership institutes (including those in Gambia and Uganda)
institutes and units funded by other research councils.

You must have a graduate degree, although we expect most applicants to have a PhD. They recognise the diversity of skills necessary for a successful research team, and encourage proposals to recognise the contribution of technical professionals. This includes through the use of researcher co-investigator status, as appropriate. They welcome collaboration with industry, which should be managed through an MRC industry collaboration agreement. You should check any specific eligibility criteria for the type of grant you are applying for: MRC guidance for applicants.

Project categories: They are seeking research within the remit of MRC or NIHR that includes at least one of the following project categories.

Methodology research: Your project can include research into methodologies underpinning health or biomedical research that extends beyond a single case study or application. Research outputs should be designed to maximise:

accessibility
informative value
utility across broader research communities, sectors or systems.

Improving methods used: Your research should respond to an evidenced barrier to uptake of optimal research methods. It should be framed within a pathway to improve community practice by methodologists or non-methodologists, or both. This can include:

research standards
theory
implementation
adoption of optimal methods.

Improving research outputs: Your methodology research should make the outputs of biomedical and health research more useful to others. For example, this can be across:

scales
experimental approaches
systems
disciplines
translational pathways.

Research themes in scope: They encourage applicants to learn from others where possible, and welcome multidisciplinary teams or approaches. You can choose from a number of research themes that are in scope for your project, such as the ones outlined. However, this list is not exhaustive. You are encouraged to contact the program manager ahead of developing a full application. You can find the contacts in the ‘contact details’ section. Research themes in scope include:

Integrative biological systems: You can include:

molecules to humans and mechanisms
methods for discovery and translation.

Phenotyping, endotyping, populations and people: You can include:

cohorts
epidemiology and public health (including geography and anthropogenic change)
complexity for ageing and multimorbidity
precision medicine
prevention
measures
health psychology, behaviours and social science for health.

Clinical and translation for health: You can include:

health economics, policy and evidence development
decision making, including clinical, operations and management
fiduciary activities, such as:
- jurisprudence
- ethics
- regulatory science
- data protection
- privacy
- intellectual property rights.
digital health and in silico vigilance, including:
- performance monitoring
- safety
- validation
- calibration
- audit
- reporting.
trials, assessment and comparisons
underpinning methods for advanced therapies.

Global health: You can include:

implementation
transportability, both complexity and context.

Health research systems and culture: You can include:

research on health research
knowledge exchange, reporting and learning research systems
public trust
commercial engagement and responsible innovation.

Activities we do not fund: Technology or biomarker development is out of remit for funding. However, we may consider projects that include new methodological approaches that are essential to improve their implementation or broader uptake.

If you are seeking support for development of a methodology for a specific research question you should instead apply for funding via opportunities offered by MRC research boards. If you are applying via an MRC board opportunity, please include a covering letter noting the relevance to the ‘better methods, better research’ programme. If you are seeking support for biomarker identification and validation, you should also apply through the relevant MRC research board. See MRC remit, programmes and priorities.

Benefits

The budget for each opportunity is £2 million.
The annual budget is £4 million annually with two opportunities occurring each year.
The full economic cost of your project will typically be up to £625,000. MRC and NIHR will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Funding of more than £625,000 will be considered but requires written approval from the programme manager ahead of submitting an application.
If you hold active or pending funding from NIHR, you may apply to embed an additional ‘better methods, better research’ award into existing research activity through the current ‘better methods, better research’ opportunity.
Embedded awards need to demonstrate additional methodological insight and added value from the integration of this research into an ongoing study.

Application process

You must apply through the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system.
They recommend you start your application early. You can save completed details in Je-S at any time and return to continue your application later.
You must apply for funding through the normal application process for the type of MRC grant you wish to apply for. These are:
research grants
new investigator research grants
partnership grants.
The MRC guidance for applicants gives more details on how to apply.
When applying, select:
council: MRC
document type: standard proposal
scheme: research grant
call/type/mode: Better methods, better research: June 2022.
If you are applying for a new investigator research grant, you should prefix the application title with ‘NIRG:’.
You can find advice on completing your application in the Je-S handbook.
Your host organization will also be able to provide advice and guidance on completing your application.
This program is open twice a year with deadlines in June and November.