FAQs

How can I find out more information about the obesity themed call?

Further information about this call can will be found in the specification document and on the websites of the Public Health Research programme and Health Technology Assessment programme.

When will the call open?

The Joint Obesity Themed Call will open on 10th November 2009.  From this date you will be able to access application forms for both the Public Health Research programme and the Health Technology Assessment programme.

What is the deadline for proposals?

All outline proposals must be received by 1pm on 20th January 2010.  Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Who is eligible to apply?

PHR programme: The NIHR Public Health Research programme is funded by the NIHR, with contributions from the CSO in Scotland, WORD in Wales, and RDO in Northern Ireland.  Researchers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for funding under this programme.

HTA programme: Eligibility is limited to those administrations that contribute to the relevant NIHR funding scheme.  In practice this means England for all programmes, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the programmes to which they are contributing. Researchers from Northern Ireland interested in applying to the HTA programme must contact NETSCC to discuss their eligibility to apply.

Can I collaborate with someone outside the UK?

The HTA and PHR programmes will accept proposals that include collaborators outside of the UK. We would usually expect the chief investigator and the bulk of funding to be within eligible countries. For more information please contact NETSCC.

Can an obesity-related research proposal be submitted to the standard HTA and PHR programmes’ researcher-led calls instead of the obesity themed call?

The launch of this themed call acknowledges the importance and need for high quality evaluations of interventions in the field of obesity both within and outside the NHS/healthcare setting.  Researchers are encouraged to submit any proposals, where the primary outcome is weight loss (or a related outcome such as reduction in BMI), through this themed call, and not through the standard researcher-led calls (HTA programme Clinical Evaluation and Trials work stream or PHR researcher-led work stream). 

Proposals received in the standard researcher-led calls between 10 November 2009 and 20 January 2010 which have primary outcomes of weight loss (and within the remit of the programmes) may be transferred to the themed call.   Researchers should be aware that proposals of a similar nature submitted to the researcher-led call shortly after the close of the obesity themed call may not be assessed as having as high priority for funding, due to the need to maintain an appropriately balanced portfolio of research projects.

What happens if I apply to the ‘wrong’ programme?

To help researchers take advantage of the fact that several NIHR programmes are managed by the same coordinating centre (NETSCC), we may on occasion, transfer an application from one programme to another.  We will coordinate the transfer of applications between programmes by contacting our colleagues in the relevant programme.

A transfer between NETSCC-managed programmes takes place where a proposal is rejected by the receiving programme as being out of remit but is, after discussions between the relevant Programme Directors, identified as being within remit of another programme. This may take place at any stage between initial remit check and consideration of the outline proposal by the relevant Board.  Given the nature of this joint themed call and the potential for overlap between research appropriate for the Public Health Research programme and the Health Technology Assessment programme we anticipate that a number of proposals will be transferred during the assessment stage.

Transferring a proposal from one programme to another does not imply that it will be funded by the receiving programme – that will be a decision for the relevant funding committee at which the transferred proposal is considered. If your proposal is transferred you will be notified by NETSCC of the next steps. Final decisions regarding transfers will rest with the HTA and PHR Programme Directors.

How will my proposal be assessed?

Your proposal will be assessed against the criteria stated in the specification document which will be available on this site shortly.

• Participants:  Adults and/or children in whom the intervention might be of value.
• Interventions or Tests:  Those which prevent obesity or identify, diagnose, or treat people who are obese or overweight. Both programmes are interested in research which may lead to a reduction in health inequalities.
• Setting:  Any: either the wider community or the NHS (eg hospitals or primary care, community NHS settings such as pharmacies or health promotion services, etc).
• Study Design:  Well-designed evaluation studies, including randomised controlled trials, pilot and feasibility studies, and evidence syntheses.  Pilot and feasibility study proposals should come with an overview of the definitive study, and a clear plan of how the preliminary study will inform it.  The definitive study should also be within the remit of one of the two programmes.
• Outcomes: 

• For the HTA programme: Eligible studies should have a primary outcome of a measure of obesity or overweight for a minimum of one year.  Among their outcomes investigators should report weight (kg) in adults or BMI centile in children, at baseline and one year, or another widely reported outcome to allow later meta-analysis and indirect comparisons. Cost effectiveness should normally be assessed.
• For the PHR programme: Eligible studies should normally have a primary outcome of a measure of obesity or overweight for a minimum of one year or a well validated surrogate.  Among their outcomes investigators should report weight (kg) in adults or BMI centile in children, at baseline and one year, or another widely reported outcome to allow later meta-analysis and indirect comparisons. Cost effectiveness should normally be assessed.

I have a question not answered here – what should I do next?

The websites for both the Public Health Research programme and the Health Technology Assessment programme have extensive information about each funding stream.  You should consult the programme websites, including the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).  Contact details for each programme are also available on the respective programme websites.