We accept applications to this fund from researchers and clinicians, based in the public sector within the UK and Republic of Ireland.

This grant will not be awarded to any Primary Grant Holder that has either been in their substantive post for 5 years or has been registered as a Clinical or Biomedical scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council for more than 5 years, or has received (or been the beneficiary of) more than £20,000 in research funding over the past 2 years.  Specialty trainees may apply during their training.

Academic Primary Grant Holders are required to have a postgraduate research degree (for example: PhD, MD or MRes) and evidence of research outputs and to have interaction with clinical colleagues, in each case, to a level acceptable to HIS.

Clinical Primary Grant Holders (including trainees, new consultants, nurses, biomedical scientists and clinical scientists) will ideally have (or be working towards) a postgraduate research degree, or research experience, and the Project must be supervised by the Co-Investigator(s).  Alternatively where the Clinical Primary Grant Holder has minimal research experience, the Co-Investigator must be research active and show evidence of publication and as a supervisor.

Applications from specialty trainees must have the support of their educational lead and provide a supporting letter.

Applications must include Co-Investigators with either experience in research or the clinical practice of IPC, depending on the experience of the Primary applicant.

The scheme can be used to:

• Fund research projects to answer small or local well-defined IPC/HCAI questions.
• Build collaborations between clinicians and researchers
• Provide access to funds for further hypothesis testing
• Encourage innovative and interdisciplinary research in infection prevention and control

Restrictions: Funding is not available:

• For the commercial exploitation of work already being undertaken, or intellectual property protection;
• For equipment purchase only
• To purchase contracted-out services
• For Indirect and estates costs
• As Start-up funds for new staff
• As Honorarium payments to visitors or fees for undertaking teaching
• To buy-out staff time
• To fund studentships, registration fees or fee waivers for students;

Scoring criteria are available in the Grants programme overview and process document.

Universities

We will only pay the direct costs of research at UK and Irish Universities.
The UK higher education funding bodies provide funding for directly allocated and indirect costs associated with charity-funded research.
In England, this funding is called the Charity Research Support Fund. Similar funding is provided by the Scottish Funding Council, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Northern Ireland government.  Higher Education Authority block grants support research costs within the Republic of Ireland.

Research costs in the NHS

For research conducted within the NHS, we follow AcoRD principles for non-commercial studies available here
For non-commercial studies the normal funding arrangements for research, NHS Treatment and NHS Support costs are:

• Research Costs - are usually met by grant funders through the award of a research grant. However, there are some specific research activities where, in England, the costs will be met by the Department of Health.
• NHS Treatment Costs - met through the normal commissioning process.
• NHS Support Costs - met from the R&D budget by the Health Departments of the United Kingdom.

Your application must be reviewed and approved by your host organisation.  The application and terms and conditions require signatures from an authorised authority within your institution who undertakes financial management of award, in addition to a Director of Research, Dean of Medicine or equivalent.

Applications must be sent to grants@his.org.uk by 11.59 pm on the application deadline.

The following items must be included in your application:

• Completed application form (including signatures)
• Abridged 2 page C.Vs for all applicants
• Letters of support
• Ethics applications and risk assessments
• Terms and conditions signed by all applicants

Application forms and terms and conditions are available below.

Next steps:

• Applications will be triaged for completeness, eligibilily and fit to the HIS remit. 
• Applications will be sent the Grants Committee for peer review, who will meet to discuss the applications.
• After peer review , the Grants Committee will make a recommendation to the HIS Council regarding the proposal to fund.
• All applicants will be notified of the outcome.

The following Conditions of Funding are absolute and apply in all cases unless otherwise stated:

Reporting on project outcomes

Successful applicants are required to report on project outcomes (including publications and follow-on funding). Failure to report the outcomes of your project may result in your department being ineligible to receive HIS funding in the future. 

In line with the Society’s terms and conditions, publications resulting from the research must be submitted to the Journal of Hospital infection for first refusal.  Award holders will be required to acknowledge HIS funding in oral and poster presentations, and may be asked to present at a HIS meeting or conference.

Research Integrity

Projects are supported on the understanding that all applicants are familiar with the MRC’s policies and guidance on research ethics and research integrity and that the PI has taken ethical considerations into account in the project design, and has or will receive relevant formal ethical review and sign-off by  the relevant research ethics committee and governance committees  (and any relevant external committees), prior to the commencement of the research. The responsibility for identifying and responding to ethical considerations, referring them for review, and securing approval before the research commences lies with the PI: failure to do so can constitute misconduct.

Extensions

Projects should be completed within 24 months of the grant start date.  Grant holders may apply for a no cost extension in line with the Society’s terms and conditions