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Overview of the Programme and Its Objectives
NIHR is funding research to support the decarbonisation of the health and social care system as part of its wider climate, health, and sustainability commitments. This cross-programme funding opportunity will run annually for five years, with a total budget of £25 million, and is now open for its second year.
The programme aims to generate high-quality evidence that supports the development, evaluation, and implementation of interventions, service models, and care pathways that reduce carbon emissions while improving health and wellbeing. Projects are expected to contribute directly to net zero ambitions and demonstrate clear pathways to impact.
Scope of Research
Research proposals should focus on decarbonising health and social care delivery, including both innovative solutions and improvements to existing practices. Studies may cover development, evaluation, and implementation, provided they demonstrate proof of concept and measurable environmental outcomes.
Projects are expected to focus on outcomes related to carbon emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, or carbon dioxide equivalent, alongside wider benefits such as efficiency, cost savings, and patient outcomes. Research may span health and social care settings and cross traditional programme boundaries.
Themes and Areas of Interest
NIHR welcomes research across a broad range of themes, including sustainable care pathways, low-carbon service models, waste reduction, circular economy approaches, workforce training, preventative care, digital and remote services, diagnostics, medicines management, and patient empowerment.
Research addressing carbon measurement and reporting in the social care sector, and studies targeting carbon hotspots across care pathways, are of particular interest. Projects should take a whole-systems perspective and demonstrate how findings can be implemented at scale.
Funding and Project Scale
NIHR expects to fund projects of varying size and scope, with a guideline minimum budget of £200,000. This is a two-stage, commissioned funding opportunity. Applicants must first submit an outline application, with shortlisted projects invited to submit a full application at stage two.
Key Dates
How Inventya Can Help
Inventya supports organisations developing strong, competitive applications for NIHR sustainability and health research funding. We help you:
With Inventya’s experience across health innovation, sustainability, and public sector funding, we help position your proposal clearly, credibly, and competitively within a highly selective funding environment.
