Information from NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health
Opportunity to apply for Public Health Grassroots Awards (up to £5000)
This call is open to colleagues who have a contract of employment with a:
local authority in England. This includes NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs), provided the applicant’s post is not directly funded by the HDRC
non-NHS provider, commissioned by a local authority to deliver a public health service or function
voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) in England that receive a grant or are commissioned to deliver public health services by a local authority
Applications are to be submitted at an individual level and are open to existing employees in the organisations described above.
The vision for the Public Health Grassroots Award is to foster a culture of research within public health at the grassroot level, empowering more individuals to contribute to innovative and informed practices that improves public health and reduce inequalities.
By offering short-term, part-time funding, the award is focused on equipping individuals in public health with the research skills necessary to enhance their impact and contribute to evidence-based practices, with support from local and national infrastructure.
Key priorities of the award are to:
Widen research engagement: The award aims to stimulate interest and activity in public health research among professionals who might not traditionally have access to such opportunities. Applicants do not need to have had any previous research experience, and for some will be the first step in their research journey.
Inclusive research engagement: The award is designed to actively address and mitigate challenges and barriers that some may face in becoming research active. The award can be used to provide supplementary resource for childcare, accessibility support (e.g., British Sign Language), or other needs that might otherwise prevent professionals engaging in research activity.
Choice: The award can fund participation in a range of research activities. The funding is not restricted to one type of activity. Awardees source and undertake activity/activities that best suit their professional needs. The choice of applicable activities is provided on the award description page.
Funding Amount
Up to £5,000 to be used typically over 3 – 6 months
Application Deadline
5:00pm on Tuesday 9 June 2026.
