NHRP Research Challenge Fund
Overview
Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHRP) launched its first Research Fund in 2025, providing targeted support for small-scale research projects across partner organisations. In its inaugural year, the fund supported eight collaborative projects.
Building on this success and the insights gained, NHRP will launch a refreshed ‘Research Challenge Fund’ for the 2026/27 year.
Purpose and priorities
NHRP’s mission is to improve health, reduce health inequalities and drive economic growth through research, training and education. This work builds on the combined strengths of our partner organisations.
- moving care from hospitals to communities
- transitioning from analogue to digital
- focusing on prevention rather than treatment
Projects are also encouraged to address health inequalities and develop proposals that outline how planned activities will target groups experiencing poorer than average health access or outcomes.
What the fund supports
The revised fund will:
- encourage collaboration across partners
- support progression along the translational pathway
- catalyse activity aligned with national healthcare priorities as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England
Funding
- Funding is expected to be up to a maximum value of £5,000 per project
- In exceptional circumstances, applications for up to £10,000 will be considered
Eligibility
The fund is open to staff across NHRP organisations. The lead applicant must hold an appropriate contract that exceeds the duration of the proposed project.
Applicants are required to include at least two of the NHRP partner organisations. Additional applicants can be from organisations that are not partners in NHRP where there is clear justification.
Applications from early career researchers are encouraged. We also welcome applications from:
- nursing staff
- allied health professionals
- methodologists
- medics and dentists
- pharmacists
- healthcare scientists
- other health and social care professionals
Submit an application
- Before applying: Please read the Application Form carefully and review the strategic priorities outlined in Appendix 1.
- Application deadline: The completed Application Form should be submitted by email to nhrp@newcastle.ac.uk by Friday 11 September 2026 at 17:00.
- If you have any questions about the application process, please contact nhrp@newcastle.ac.uk.
2025 NHRP Research Fund collaborative research projects:
Vision in autism: a lived experience approach
Led by Dr Rachel Queen, NUAcT Fellow: Ageing and Health at Newcastle University, with collaborators from CNTW Northumbria University, and Newcastle University, this project took a lived‑experience approach to understanding vision in autism.
LUMEN
Led by Dr Judith Harrison, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, with collaborators from CNTW, Newcastle University and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, this project focussed on supporting families to share meaningful personal narratives ahead of dementia assessments.
Capturing developmental histories with AI
Led by Dr Rugile Rozane, CAMHS ST4 Doctor at CNTW, with collaborators from Newcastle University, this project explored how artificial intelligence could support parents to share developmental histories as part of neurodevelopmental assessment pathways.
Health inequalities amongst homebound older people
Led by Prof John Unsworth, Associate PVC for the School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences at Northumbria University, with collaborators from Northumbria University and NUTH, this umbrella review examined existing evidence on health inequalities experienced by homebound older people.
Exploring patient experiences of biosimilar medicine switches
Led by Katie Joyce, Medicines Value Programme Lead at North East and North Cumbria NHS, with collaborators from NUTH and Newcastle University, this project explored patient experiences of switching to biosimilar medicines.
Collaborative workshops to accelerate the use of council data in research
Led by Kate Sheffer, Data Lead for the HDRC Newcastle, with collaborators from Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University, this project focused on bringing together local authority and academic partners through a series of collaborative workshops to explore how council‑held data can be more effectively and responsibly used in research.