The NIHR has launched a two-stage, open competition to designate and fund NIHR Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs). NIHR HPRUs are partnerships between academic institutions and Public Health England (PHE), and will act as centres of excellence in multidisciplinary health protection research in England.
The aim of the HPRU scheme is to support PHE in delivering its objectives and functions for public health protection, including by building an evidence base for public health policy and practise.
The HPRU scheme will provide designation and funding to:
- create an environment where world class health protection research, focused on the needs of the public, can thrive;
- focus on priority areas which will have the greatest impact on public health;
- provide high quality research evidence to inform decision-making by public health professionals;
- enable translation of advances in health protection research into benefits for patients and the public;
- increase capacity and capability to conduct high quality multi-disciplinary health protection research in England;
- provide a flexible staff capacity in the event of a major health protection incident;
- retain a level of responsive research capacity to address emerging health protection research requirements.
Research partnerships are sought in the following topic-based and cross-cutting priority areas:
Topic-based priority areas:
• Environmental change and health
• Environmental exposures and health
• Chemical and radiation threats and hazards
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Emerging and zoonotic infections
• Blood borne and sexually transmitted infections
• Respiratory infections
• Gastrointestinal infections
• Healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance
• Vaccines/Immunisation
Cross-cutting priority areas:
• Behavioural Science and Evaluation;
• Genomics and Enabling Data;
• Modelling and Health Economics.
How to apply
All universities in England are eligible to apply.
Universities that wish to apply to be part of an NIHR HPRU will need to have a substantial portfolio of world-class health protection research in the relevant priority area.
The total amount of NIHR funding available for this competition will be up to £56 million over a five year period, starting 1 April 2020.
For more information or to apply visit the call website.