The NIHR Research Design Service is closed to new requests from 30 September 2023. We will continue to support our existing clients with existing projects up to 31 March 2024. If you have a question you can email us.
For support with any new project ideas please now contact the NIHR Research Support Service.

Project Review Committee

Our Project Review Committee (PRC) provides an excellent opportunity for researchers to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before this is sent to a funding body. The committee brings the benefit of seeing the proposal with “fresh eyes”, replicating as far as possible the way the real funding committee will consider the application.

The PRC is an integral part of the support offered by us to researchers. Two categories of project are eligible for review by the Committee with priority given to researchers applying to National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) research funding programmes:

  1. pre-submission projects
  2. other projects seeking methodological opinion from Committee members (e.g. rejected studies).


Please note that projects will be assessed for suitability for Committee review. Ideally researchers will already be working with their local RDS office who will arrange submission of the project to the Committee. Researchers are not required to attend Committee meetings.

The application will receive the advantage of detailed attention from senior RDS consultants who have considerable experience of obtaining research funding, resulting in comprehensive comments and advice fed back through the relevant RDS consultant.

Committee meetings take place on the dates outlined below - in order to submit a study for review at the meeting, study paperwork must be provided to the committee (normally by your local RDS office) two weeks prior to the meeting date. The meeting and deadline dates for 2023 are:

Deadline

Meeting Date

3 January

17 January
7 February 

21 February

7 March 

21 March

4 April 

18 April

2 May 

16 May

6 June 

20 June

4 July 

18 July

1 August 

15 August

5 September 

19 September

 

It is recommended that studies are submitted to the committee for review at least two months prior to the target funding deadline. This then allows enough time to clarify or amend the application as appropriate, and gives the best possible chance of successful application for funding. The importance of making a good first impression on a funding panel cannot be overestimated.

For further information please contact your local RDS office, or our coordinating centre in Exeter on 01392 726724 or rds.sw@nihr.ac.uk