Health and Care Research Wales announces latest round of funding awards
1 October
Health and Care Research Wales has announced the recipients of its latest funding awards today (1 October 2025).
Funding has been awarded both for projects addressing public and patient need, as well as to support researchers in developing their careers across a variety of topics. These include a support programme for young dementia carers, ageing with HIV care, improving speech outcomes for children born preterm and non-invasive prostate cancer screening – to name a few.
Five projects will receive funding under the Integrated Funding Scheme which has two researcher-led arms: Arm 1 and Arm 2, with focus in translational, clinical, public health and social care research.
Additionally, 14 individual researchers have been awarded funding through the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty under the Health and Care Research Wales Doctoral Fellowship award, the Health and Care Research Wales Advanced Fellowship award, the Research Training Award and the Emerging Researcher Award.
Michael Bowdery, Head of Programmes at Health and Care Research Wales, said: “This year’s applications have once again highlighted the drive and expertise of Welsh researchers in response to health and social care need. The funded projects show a strong commitment to improving health and wellbeing and we’re proud to support research that delivers meaningful impact.
“We also warmly welcome this year’s personal awardees. Their diverse and compelling proposals reflect the strength of research talent across Wales and these awards will support their continued development and contribution to their chosen fields.”
A full list of funding awards and recipients is below:
Health and Care Research Wales – Project Awardees
Integrated Funding Scheme - Arm 1: Translational and Clinical Research
Dr Jordan Evans - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Respiratory viral testing in the managEment of Febrile INfants presenting to Emergency care (REFINE): A pilot study
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£333,027)
Integrated Funding Scheme - Arm 2: Health and Social Care Services and Public Health Research
Dr Patricia Masterson Algar - Bangor University
Co-designing and assessing the feasibility of a peer support programme (PSP) for young dementia carers
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£225,877)
Dr Sam Burr - Cardiff Metropolitan University
Maximising the Impact of Speech and Language Therapy for children with Speech Sound Disorder Phase 2 (MISLToe_SSD-2): A feasibility study of collection of the Core Outcome Set in Wales
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£297,653)
Dr Adam Williams - Cardiff University
HIV, Ageing Futures and Care - a study of ageing with HIV in Wales and housing and social care arrangements
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£285,879)
Dr Emily Holmes - Bangor University
Early Economic Evaluation of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) systems to support existing surveillance and control strategies for norovirus in health and social care settings.
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£287,885)
Health and Care Research Wales Faculty – Personal Awardees
Health and Care Research Wales Doctoral Fellowship award
Dr Ellen Haire - Cardiff University
Developing a core outcome set to evaluate the palliative and supportive care needs of patients with advanced non-malignant liver disease.
Start date: 1 February 2026 (£55,309)
Mrs Sharon Baker - Swansea Bay University Health Board
Determining the optimal intervention protocol to promote language development for children born with a cleft
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£267,720)
Miss Eleanor Welsh - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Exploring the experiences of living with a rare inherited tumour syndrome: studying the understudied populations
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£166,274)
Mr Timothy Osborne - Swansea University
Medication-Related harm in Wales: demographic profiles and risk factors
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£273,306)
Health and Care Research Wales Advanced Fellowship award
Dr Sam Burr - Cardiff Metropolitan University
Improving speech outcomes for very preterm born children in Wales (PROSPER)
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£473,759)
Dr Isobella Honeyborne - Cardiff University
From serum to solution: detecting RNA biomarkers in extracellular vesicles for non-invasive prostate cancer screening
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£599,841)
Dr Huw Morgan - Cardiff University
The development of a multiplex lateral flow device for urinary biomarkers to detect kidney cancers
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£453,483)
Dr Leah McLaughlin - Bangor University
Imagining the unimaginable: how can we support more parents to donate their children’s organs after they die.
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£370,669)
Research Training Award
Dr Bryony Coupe - Public Health Wales
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£54,290)
Miss Bronagh McGoldrick - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Start date: 1 September 2025 (£33,076)
Dr Anna Collenette - Cardigan Health Centre
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£90,280)
Emerging Researcher Award
Miss Rebekah Da Silva Teixeira - Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£45,169.60)
Ms Emma Louise Sinnott - Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Start date: 18 August 2025 (£13,256)
Miss Sara James - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Start date: 1 October 2025 (£18,010)
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