NIHR Three Research Schools’ Mental Health Programme
Improving mental health and wellbeing in underserved populations through collaborative research
April 2024 to March 2026
PHASE TWO
We are thrilled to announce that the National Health Institute for Health and Social care (NIHR) has invested a further £4.98 million in the Three NIHR Research Schools’ Mental Health Programme. This second phase will build on our early successes in phase one, supporting the implementation of evidence into practice and policy and will be prioritised to populations and themes not significantly represented in phase one.
The funding includes further capacity development awards (master’s scholarships, postdoctoral launching fellowships and short placement schemes), additional funding for phase one projects (including Impact accelerator awards and follow on funding grants) and new commissioned and investigator led research funding streams. We will also be supporting a number of projects to improve public and community involvement and engagement.
Phase one funding has supported 53 projects at a total cost of £6.89M. This includes 8 project grants, 18 fellowships, 7 career development awards and 6 mental health service evaluations. Funding was awarded to a diverse range of partners, including practitioners, local authorities and those working in the third sector. Funding also achieved a wide geographical reach, actively working with populations and communities not traditionally engaged in research.
We have conducted a gap analysis on the phase one portfolio and identified a number of areas for prioritisation:
· Suicide prevention in high-risk groups (including those working in the agricultural sector and young men)
· Mental health in pregnancy
· Prison mental health
· Mental health in different religious groups
· Mental health in military veterans.
Several funding calls will be published on the School for Primary Care Research website on 19 February 2024