i4i THRIVE

i4i THRIVE

Supports NHS researchers and clinicians through NIHR i4i THRIVE, helping them develop healthcare technologies that reduce inequalities.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The NIHR i4i THRIVE programme — Translate Healthcare Research through InnoVation and Entrepreneurship — is a funding and training award administered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Invention for Innovation (i4i) family of programmes. THRIVE targets early-stage healthcare innovations specifically designed to address health inequalities, and is aimed at NHS researchers and clinicians rather than commercial companies. The March 2026 cycle is the second annual cohort of the programme.

Each THRIVE award provides up to £150,000 over nine months, structured as 100% full-time equivalent salary replacement, enabling the awardee to step away from clinical or academic duties to develop a technology-based product or service. Applicants must be working on a healthcare innovation at Technology Readiness Level 3 or above — prototype development stage. The programme pairs the financial award with a structured package of entrepreneurial training, mentoring, peer support, and networking. The March 2026 cycle had an outline application deadline of 17 April 2026, with invited applicants proceeding to a video submission stage in July 2026. For-profit companies are not eligible; the award is intended for individual NHS researchers or clinicians hosted at academic or NHS organisations.

Winning THRIVE is a competitive, two-stage process: an outline application is screened by committee, and only invited applicants progress to the video pitch stage. Given the nine-month project window and the 100% FTE structure, the strongest applications will demonstrate a credible transition plan from clinical or academic role to focused innovation development, a clear patient impact pathway tied to health inequality reduction, and a technology with documented prototype-stage evidence. The next cycle is expected to open in March or April 2027, following the same annual cadence.