Wider Care Funding

WIDER CARE FUNDING APPICATIONS OPEN NOW

New funding available to help NHS and wider care organisations increase access to research

NHS and wider care settings organisations are invited to apply for 2 new funding calls for 2026/27, offered by the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN). The funding calls are aimed at helping to improve access to research opportunities for health and care staff, and those they care for.

The 2 funding calls are for:

·        Strategic Funding

·        Wider Care Settings (WCS) Funding 

Both funding calls also aim to support the delivery of the 3 government ‘shifts’ identified in their 10 Year Health Plan (hospital to community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention).

Who can apply?

·       NHS trusts can apply for Strategic Funding

·       NHS trusts who have experienced a reduction in funding through the RDN Funding Model for hospitals, and are currently delivering research within wider care settings, can apply for Wider Care Settings Funding

·       Wider care settings organisations* can apply for both.

*Wider care settings include: GPs, pharmacies, care homes, hospices, ambulance services, prisons, schools, opticians and other community based care organisations.

When do applications open?

Applications will open in stages across the NIHR’s 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) from mid November.

In the North West, applications for both funding calls will open today (19th November, 2025) and will close on 9th January 2026. RRDNs will inform applicants of their submission outcomes by 27 February 2026.

Strategic Funding Call 

Strategic Funding can be used to initiate projects with longer-term goals and empowers regions to:

·        trial new ways to reach more people with research opportunities

·        improve the speed and quality of study delivery

·        build stronger research teams, foster collaborations and strengthen research systems

·        bolster capacity and capability to deliver life sciences research

·        support expansion of capacity and capability for research delivery.

In all settings, including wider care settings, Strategic Funding can complement delivery investment by supporting enablers rather than direct research delivery activities.

Wider Care Settings Funding Call

Wider Care Settings funding is intended for research delivery infrastructure support in 2 ways:

·        Prospective funding: covers the time for staff to undertake research activities, providing capacity and capability within an organisation for research (it is often called ‘infrastructure funding)

·        Retrospective funding: pays for research activity undertaken in support of specific studies (including Service Support Costs, research costs and Excess Treatment Costs).

Find out more

For more information, including guidance on eligibility criteria and the application process, visit the NIHR website or contact your RRDN team.

 Recordings and slides from our drop in sessions can be viewed here: