Funding Opportunities

Fast track scheme

Most of the research supported by the Public Health Research (PHR) programme will follow the conventional two-stage process of assessment before being funded. However, it may sometimes be necessary to accelerate the handling of a topic and under such circumstances, researchers may be eligible to apply through the fast track scheme.

The fast track scheme provides an opportunity to submit a full proposal directly, therefore shortening the length of time it takes for a funding decision to be made.  However, fast tracking a proposal involves bypassing some of the usual assessment process, in order to deliver an earlier start for a project. It therefore follows that there will be less opportunity for scrutiny in the application phase of a project, where the programme would usually hope to add value.

Any proposals accepted onto the fast-track scheme will compete on equal terms with other full proposals shortlisted by the Research Funding Board at outline stage. Therefore, the need for a quick decision should be balanced with the additional work required to submit a full proposal without the benefit of feedback at outline stage.

The most obvious indication for fast tracking is to take advantage of a time-limited opportunity to conduct research.  This may be when research is needed around a natural experiment where data collection needs to start within a timescale which can’t be accommodated by the programme’s normal processes.

If you would like your proposal to be considered for the fast track scheme, please contact the PHR secretariat (info@phr.ac.uk) . You will need to convince the secretariat that there is significant benefit to fast tracking your application.  You will usually be asked to submit a written summary of your proposal (usually about 1 side of A4) in a PICO format.  The information you provide will then be considered and you will be informed whether your proposal is eligible for fast-tracking. You will then be provided with more information about submitting your full application and the timescales for doing this.