National Institute for Health and Care Research

Funds National Institute for Health and Care Research, the United Kingdom's largest public funder of health and care studies.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK's largest funder of health and care research, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care to turn public R&D spending into clinical and economic value. In 2024/25 it invested more than £578 million in directly funded research awards, and its remit runs from applied health research to translational development and NHS-embedded clinical trials across England.

NIHR funds through a family of programmes rather than a single grant line. The i4i stream is the clearest industry-facing route, with Product Development Awards, THRIVE, FAST, Challenge Awards, and Connect supporting medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, digital health, and other patient-facing technologies. THRIVE offers up to £150,000 over nine months, FAST offers £50,000 to £100,000 over six to 12 months, and the wider portfolio also includes global health funding and career development awards.

The institute is organised as a national delivery system rather than a light-touch mailbox. LGC Ltd runs the i4i and fellowship channels, NETSCC at the University of Southampton runs HTA, EME, PGfAR, RfPB, PHR, and HSDR, and applications move through the NIHR awards management system. That structure makes NIHR especially strong for teams that need repeated competition cycles, staged review, and a route into NHS adoption rather than a one-off award.