Investigator-Led Clinical Trials (ILCT) Programme

Investigator-Led Clinical Trials (ILCT)

Invests in investigator-led clinical trials to strengthen health and life-science programs.

The Investigator-Led Clinical Trials (ILCT) programme is a standing Health Research Board funding scheme that supports clinical trials addressing patient care improvement and health service questions with direct practical application. The programme operates three submission cycles per year, with deadlines falling approximately in April, August, and December, making it one of the more frequently accessible clinical research funding mechanisms in Ireland. It replaced the earlier Definitive Interventions and Feasibility Awards (DIFA) scheme and introduced one-stage applications alongside higher funding caps.

Two streams are available within ILCT. The Definitive Interventions stream funds high-quality effectiveness evaluations and provides awards of up to €1,300,000 including overheads, for projects running between 12 and 60 months. The Feasibility stream supports preparatory studies designed to inform future definitive trials and carries a ceiling of €430,000. Both streams permit the inclusion of embedded trial methodology sub-studies (SWATs or equivalent). A dedicated portion of the overall ILCT programme budget — €3 million — is specifically aimed at supporting cancer-related clinical trials across both streams.

Eligibility is targeted at mid-stage and senior-stage researchers who can demonstrate experience in conducting interventions. Project teams are expected to bring multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise, and institutional approval is required before an application can be submitted. Applications are filed through the HRB Grant Electronic Management System (GEMS) at grants.hrb.ie. The ILCT programme is administered by HRB (Health Research Board Ireland), the statutory agency responsible for funding health and social care research in Ireland.