EPSRC will pay the research costs associated with the NHS component of a proposal. However, NHS support and NHS treatment costs will not be covered. These costs are explained in detail below.
The research award does not include NHS support or treatment costs, although the EPSRC will encourage reviewers to take NHS support and treatment costs into account when considering the value for money of the research. These should therefore be covered within the Justification of Resources section.
NHS research costs
EPSRC will only fund costs which fall under this heading; they are funded at the appropriate Full Economic Cost (fEC) rate (usually 80%).
These are the costs of research and development itself and should be included under the appropriate fund heading – for example, staff under directly incurred or directly allocated staff (as appropriate).
If the NHS Trust does not have agreed rates for Estates and Indirect Costs, the dispensation rates should be used; these are published periodically on the UKRI Funding Assurance Programme webpage. These can only be claimed for the research component of the proposal.
Where a research study takes place in, or involves the NHS, Department of Health guidance on the responsibilities for meeting patient care costs associated with research and development in the NHS applies.
NHS support costs
These are the additional patient care costs associated with the research, which would end once the research and development activity in question has stopped, even if the patient care service involved continues to be provided.
These might cover items such as extra patient tests, extra in-patient days and extra nursing attention. Researchers should contact their local NHS research and development department initially. If they are unable to help directly or if there is no local NHS research and development department, contact the local Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN) Senior Manager.
NHS treatment costs
These are the patient care costs that would continue to be incurred if the patient care service in question continued to be provided after the research and development activity has stopped.
In determining NHS treatment costs the applicant must assume that the patient care service being assessed will continue even though there may be no plans for it to do so.
Where patient care is being provided which differs from the normal, standard treatment for that condition (either an experimental treatment or a service in a different location from where it would normally be given), the difference between the total treatment costs and the costs of the ‘usual standard care’ (if any) constitutes excess treatment cost or saving, but is nonetheless part of the treatment cost, not an NHS support or research cost. These costs should be determined in conjunction with your NHS trust partners and their commissioners.
Further Information
Additional advice and guidance can be obtained from your local Trust’s Research and Development Office or from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Research based in Scotland
For advice on NHS funding and policy, research ethics, intellectual property and information and communication please contact the Chief Scientists Office, telephone: 0131 244 2246.
Research based in Wales
Refer to NHS research and development in Wales.
Research based in Northern Ireland
Refer to the NHS research and development in Northern Ireland.