This newly launched site provides an online presence for the six academic teams that are part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Teams (PHIRST) scheme.
The PHIRST scheme is seeking to grow the evidence base for local government decision-making, with the aim of improving population health and reducing health inequalities. PHIRST teams conduct evaluations of local initiatives and their impact on health – producing research that is conducted with academic rigour, but in timescales relevant to local government.
Local government organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are invited to submit an expression of interest to the PHIRST scheme.
Submitting an expression of interest means putting forward a local initiative that has the potential to impact on health, that is in need of evaluation. If the initiative is selected following a competitive process, an academic PHIRST team will work in partnership with the local government team to evaluate the initiative, with the evaluation fully funded by NIHR.
The call for expressions of interest is currently open: visit the call page and view key information on the NIHR website.
The current round for submitting expressions of interest is open until 31 Jan 2023.