Last chance to apply for the Health and Care Research Wales awards 2024!

The Health and Care Research Wales Awards celebrate a year of research excellence across the country, recognising the achievements of passionate individuals and collaborative teams striving to shape and transform life-changing research in Wales.

The winner of each category will be awarded a bursary of up to £250 to attend a training course, conference, workshop or similar event to develop an area of their research skillset – so make sure you get your application in before the deadline of 17:00 on 2 September.

The Award categories for 2024 are:

• Health and Social Care Impact Award – can you demonstrate how your health or social care research is making a difference to people’s lives?

• Rising Research Star Award - are you in the early stages of your health or social care research career? Are you making significant contributions to your field? Are you an emerging future leader? 

• Public Involvement Award - have you involved the public in your research in a meaningful and innovative way? Do you meet the UK Standards for Public Involvement?

• Innovation in Practice Award – can you demonstrate how individuals or research teams have made a difference during research development, delivery or dissemination / implementation?

Previous winners have praised the value of the awards, including Dr Ashra Khanom, a Senior Research Fellow at the Wales Centre for Primary and Emergency Care Research (PRIME Centre Wales), who won the Impact Award in 2023.

Dr Khanom said that it had helped to raise the profile of a study she led - HEAR 2 – which looked at the health experiences of asylum seekers and refugees, and how well their interpretation needs are met, as well as allowing her the opportunity to network and make new connections.

She added:

The Impact Award has significantly raised the profile of the HEAR 2 study and we were also honoured as runners-up in Swansea University's Research and Innovation Awards 2024, in the category of Outstanding Impact on Health and Well-being.

“I was invited to participate in a podcast with Swansea University to discuss whether the needs of asylum seekers and refugees are being met by the NHS. Also, our HEAR 2 poster was accepted at the Health Services Research Conference in Oxford, which I attended with my colleagues in July.”

Another award winner, Mr David Bosanquet, a consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in the South East Wales Vascular Network and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, won the Rising Star award in 2023, which helped enable him to attend a vascular conference where he showcased some of his work.

He added:

I was absolutely delighted to be awarded the Rising Star Award - it was a huge honour given the quality of the other applicants. It offered a chance of reflection as to the journey I had been (and still am) on, and how much I enjoy being part of a wider research network with the hope of improving patient outcomes.

“The Centre for Trials Research, and Health and Care Research Wales, have provided invaluable support along this journey, and I look forward to further collaborations with them.”

Submit your application now to be in with the chance of winning a £250 bursary.

Learn about the five top reasons to enter the Awards.

Find out the nine top tips for creating a great video for your award application.