Types of research funding

Formal research funding can be accessed through organisations that invest their money in people and/or projects, aligned to their research strategy and priorities. How funding is allocated is usually driven by evidence and the opinion of the subject-matter experts involved in the decision-making process, who agree on areas or topics that should be prioritised for research funding.

For those seeking formal funding to support their research projects, there are a number of options available. Whether it is a small bursary or a large project or programme grant, the same basic principles should apply.

People funding

These types of funding streams are awarded to the individual. They are aimed at supporting training, personal/professional development, and career advancement. 

This means that the panel looks critically at the individual and their proposed supervisory arrangements as well as the details of the project.

Fellowships

Research fellowships support researchers with leadership potential in their field of study. Fellowships can be for: • Early-stage researchers, for example, to support a PhD. • Senior researchers, for example, to support a post-doctorate, lectureships and professorships. Fellowships differ in provision and can cover different durations (months to years), offer salary support (full- or part-time), and different levels of support for training, travel and consumables. When preparing a fellowship application, the person, the project and the support structure (e.g. supervision) are all essential so all three must be very well-planned to make a good case for funding.

Studentships

Studentships can be used interchangeably with ‘research fellowships’ but, in practice, there are subtle differences in what UK PhD studentships offer candidates versus fellowships. Studentships are more commonly associated with basic science master’s and doctoral studies (offered as tax-free stipends in the UK), with fellowships relating to support for healthcare professionals at their salary level. In a similar way to fellowships, studentships support researchers with leadership potential in their field of study, or in a particular area of interest, and they usually provide a salary stipend, consumables and other costs and sometimes tuition fees.

Project funding

These types of funding streams are awarded with the aim of supporting a research project, a programme of work or an innovative idea.

Although weight is mainly given to the research idea, the study design and anticipated outcomes, the quality and experience of the research team are also assessed.

Research funding or project grants	Suitable for focused research projects that may be short- or long-term in nature (i.e. from six months up to five years). May be suitable for junior researchers, although partnering with a more senior colleague is recommended. There are a number of research grants available with different remits.
Research programme funding	Suitable for larger-scale programmes of work often involving multiple projects that occur over a longer time frame (e.g. up to ten years). Likely to be suitable for more senior researchers with a track record of high-quality research and collaboration. Large-scale programme grants can often be linked to infrastructure funding (e.g. when a centre with a defined programme of work is funded).
Infrastructure funding	Generally, includes funds to support buildings, facilities and soft structures (e.g. administration, equipment). Funding supports research infrastructure such as clinical trial units, centres of excellence or other specialist research units. Funding varies based on the scope and scale of the scheme and the proposed work.

Funding calls can also be defined by the scope of the funding on offer:

• Researcher-led calls – the funder will invite researchers to submit proposals under a general set of criteria on topics or research questions identified by researchers themselves within the programme’s remit.
• Commissioned or themed calls – the funder will have a specific objective and will invite proposals on specific themes or against a defined question or commissioning brief (e.g. antimicrobial resistance, mental health, prevention and treatment of obesity, etc.).

Sources of pharmacy research funding

There are relatively few funding opportunities dedicated purely to pharmacy professionals. However, the following organisations provide a range of suitable funding opportunities:

• Charities, such as Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK), the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust, the Wellcome Trust and the Vivensa Foundation, or charities focused on specific health issues such as AMR Action UK, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK (etc.).
• Pharmacy membership organisations, such as the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, the College of Mental Health Pharmacy or the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association.
• Government agencies, such as the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation, which brings together seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England. Support is also provided in Scotland and in Wales by the Chief Scientist Office and Health and Care Research Wales, respectively.
• Small funding and local schemes such as local research grants and development monies.

PRUK

PRUK is the largest pharmacy research funder in the UK, dedicated to supporting UK-registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from across all sectors of practice. Personal awards, fellowships and bursaries are available for the development of projects relating to the practice of pharmacy. PRUK works to build research capacity and capability in pharmacy, so it is keen to fund good-quality research undertaken by early-career researchers. Find out more here.

NIHR

NIHR is the lead funding body in the NHS supporting innovation in health, public health and social care. It funds a variety of commissioned, researcher-led and themed-call research, as well as personal awards such as fellowships. Find out more here.

Choosing the right funding scheme

How do I know which funding option is the most appropriate for me and my research project?

Determining which research stream is most appropriate depends on a number of important factors, including:

• What stage you are at in your research career and your career aspirations.
• The type of study you wish to conduct.
• The focus of your research.
• The support network in place to facilitate your research plans.

Researching research funding bodies

Because funding priorities vary by organisation and research stream, it is essential that you begin any grant-writing process by conducting research on the funding organisation and the specific research stream you are applying to. You can begin by asking the following questions:

• What are their eligibility criteria for funding?
• What are their goals and objectives?
• What do the funders want?
• Does your idea fit with their research strategy and priorities?
• What wider networks are they a part of?

Knowing your funder’s aims, objectives and eligibility criteria is the first step to preparing your case for support. However, thinking like your funder is what will make your application truly stand out. When preparing your case for support, it is important to understand the application process and to anticipate the questions reviewers will ask. Further tips on completing a research application are available here, as well as the NIHR research support service, which can be found here.

You can find out more about the funding opportunities available here (link to be added soon).

Unfunded research

Not all research is formally funded, and small unfunded studies could make significant contributions to the evidence base. For example:

• Students often conduct research as part of a course, or qualification.
• You may be asked to conduct research as part of your practice role; you could, for example, use existing data available within the practice context (pending appropriate approvals) to develop a small research study.
• You may decide to conduct research just simply out of interest; conducting audits, service evaluations, or quality improvement projects as part of your role will help you develop your research skills and increase your confidence.

Whether you are receiving external research funding (or not), or working on a large- or small-scale project, it is important that you always follow systematic and robust research processes to ensure that your findings are valid. Research undertaken without external research funding should also, ideally, focus on important or topical issues. Poorly planned, or conducted, research is of no use to anyone.