Integrated Funding Scheme - Focused call

This focused call invites research proposals focused on aspects of the topic: Communication in women’s health.

Focused call brief:

Focused call: Communication in women’s health research brief (.pdf)

Proposals should address one or more of the priority research topics listed below. 

• How can populations of women and girls that are under-served and/or with cultural, social or language barriers be supported in accessing health information?
• How can best practice be established in talking and raising awareness in women and girls about issues associated with menopause, perimenopause and menstrual health?
• What are the best approaches in ensuring health professionals are properly equipped and trained to communicate effectively with women and girls about their health issues?
• How can women and girls with learning disabilities and/or who are neurodivergent be best communicated with about issues relating to their health and healthcare?
• How can open discussions about health issues affecting women and girls be encouraged and facilitated within healthcare, schools and the wider society?
• What are the best approaches in helping women and girls feel listened to, understood and taken seriously in healthcare consultations?

Applicants should be aware that all six priorities should be considered as relating to all aspects of women’s physical and/or mental health. 

These priorities were identified during a research prioritisation exercise which ran from August 2024 to March 2025. 

A budget of approximately £750k is available for this call, and Health and Care Research Wales expects to fund between three to six projects, depending on cost and quality of proposals received. 

Projects should have a maximum length of 24 months though shorter projects are also encouraged. The quality and potential impact of the research matters more than the length. 

Integrated Funding Scheme – Call 4 Timeline

Stage 1 launch: 9 April 2025

Stage 1 close: 28 May 2025

Stage 2 launch: 6 August 2025

Stage 2 close: 1 October 2025

Funding Board recommendations: December 2025

Start of the funded projects: 1 April 2026

The funding scheme is assessed via a two-stage application process.

The focused call will have one application point a year, launching in spring. A researcher-led arm, as part of the Integrated Funding Scheme, will have one application point a year, launching in September. 

Apply now using the Research Management System 

Remit and eligibility of the Integrated Funding Scheme - Focused call

Purpose and remit

The focused call will support research addressing the research priorities outlined in the research brief. All applicants must demonstrate how the proposed research aligns with the requirements highlighted in the research brief. Please be advised that individual focused calls may however indicate specific requirements - please check the research brief for the call to ensure no exclusions apply.

General remit of the Integrated Funding Scheme

Applications from early-stage career researchers and those who have not led research before but who are looking to build research portfolios and gain experience of leading research are welcome.

Within the overall parameters of the call, applications of various length, size and cost are welcome. Applicants should be mindful that applications often fail at the assessment stage because they are considered overambitious.

Applicants will need to show they have considered the relevance and impact of their work on groups with protected characteristics. Those developing trials should be aware of and consider the INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework – Trial Forge, to help support the improvement of trial delivery for under-served groups.

Engagement with relevant stakeholders, and especially service provider organisations and policymakers, is strongly encouraged throughout the research process to maximise the potential for knowledge exchange and impact.

Applicants should demonstrate how public research partners will be involved over the course of the project. Health and Care Research Wales expects appropriate and well-designed involvement of public research partners in the research it supports, so please refer to the UK Standards for Public Involvement in Research. It is essential in application form to show plans for involving public research partners at each appropriate stage of the research project life cycle.

All applicants will be required to produce a dissemination plan that shows clearly how the key messages from the research will be effectively communicated to relevant audiences, including policymakers, service providers, service users, carers and researchers.

Applicants should consider the full range of potential audiences and describe how the research findings could be disseminated most effectively to ensure that the lessons from this research impact on policy and practice.

Scheme eligibility

• Lead and joint lead applicants must be based at an institution or organisation in Wales at the time of applying (or be in receipt of a job offer such that they will be based in the host institution before the project starts).
• Lead and joint lead applicants must have a PhD, UK MD or other research-based professional doctorate in health or care-related research (applications will be accepted from those who have recently submitted their PhD thesis, or equivalent, to their institution for assessment, as long as the doctorate is awarded before the grant starts) OR have an equivalent track record of research experience at the time of applying.
• Applications must have the support of the host organisation.
• Applications from early-stage career researchers (here defined as an individual who has no more than 60 months post-doctoral research experience, excluding, for example, career breaks, maternity/paternity leave and illness), and those seeking to become lead investigators for the first time, are welcome.
• Applications from early-stage career researchers must have Primary Co-applicant support from a senior researcher. Failure to provide this will prevent your application from progressing. (Early-stage career researchers whose applications are successful may further benefit from membership of the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty.)
• Where the lead applicant is an early career researcher, we expect the Primary Co-applicant to come from the same institution unless there is a strong rationale, connected to academic expertise and the development of the early career researcher, why this is not the case.
• Applications for projects of varying cost and length are encouraged, as long as a strong case is made for the value and quality of the work. The maximum period for which funding can be sought is 24 months.

Available funding

• A budget of approximately £750k is available for the focused call.
• Health and Care Research Wales expects to fund around three to six projects, depending on cost and quality of proposals received.
• Within the overall funding pot, there is no limit on the upper or lower sizes of awards, though applicants should be mindful of the total pot available and the expectations of Health and Care Research Wales regarding the number of projects it is likely to fund.

Stage 1 assessment criteria

All applicants will need to describe how the proposed research addresses the research priorities outlines in the research brief.

This will include:

• A clear description of how proposed research addresses research priorities outlined in the brief
• Demonstration of how existing evidence support proposed research
• Demonstration that the methods proposed are suitable for answering the research question

Please note that strong public involvement in both the development of the research application and delivery of the project is regarded as a pre-requisite of funding.

Stage 2 assessment criteria

Applicants invited to submit a Stage 2 application will need to set out their research plan and methodology in detail. The application will be assessed on its scientific quality, and the Funding Board will consider whether: 

• The methodology and science are sound
• There is a clear trajectory for policy impact
• There is a clear demonstration of the necessary skill mix, experience, project management and infrastructure for successful completion of the project
• The estimated recruitment rates are well-explained and justified
• The ethical, legal and social implications of the research proposed have been considered
• There is evidence of public/practitioner involvement in the design and delivery of the project
• The costs of the research represent good value for money

Please note that the above criteria are a guide for assessment, and the discussion will not be limited to these areas. 

Assessment process

1. The funding scheme is assessed via a two-stage application process. All Stage 1 (outline) applications will undergo eligibility and basic competitiveness* checks to ensure applications are within call and scheme remit and are suitable to progress to assessment.
2. Stage 1 applications will be assessed by a panel consisting of public, policy, practice and academic assessors who will review applications on the basis of addressing priorities outlined in the research brief (against the criteria set out in the ‘Stage 1 assessment criteria’ section above).
3. The Stage 1 panel will advise Health and Care Research Wales on which applications should proceed to Stage 2. Only applicants whose Stage 1 application aligns with the research brief requirements and with sufficiently robust methodology are invited to submit a Stage 2 (full) application.
4. Stage 2 proposals are checked for remit and competitiveness* and those deemed competitive undergo scientific (and public) peer review and independent Funding Board assessment. The Funding Board makes funding recommendations to Health and Care Research Wales based on the scientific/academic quality of the application (against the criteria set out in the ‘Stage 2 assessment criteria’ section above).

*Please note: ‘Not competitive’ means that an application is not of a sufficiently high standard or not sufficiently well completed to be taken forward for further assessment.