NIHR PHIRST Scheme Application Webinar January 2026

Webinar for applicants interested in applying for the January 2026 round of the NIHR PHIRST scheme.
PHIRST was established to support the evaluation of non-NHS public health interventions that are commissioned or delivered by local government across the UK. The scheme provides local government with access to academic expertise to generate high-quality, policy-relevant evidence on interventions that aim to improve population health and reduce health inequalities.
Full details about the call, including eligibility criteria, are available on the NIHR website https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/public...
If you have any questions about PHIRST and / or submitting an application please email phirst@nihr.ac.uk

You can access two slide decks based on the talks delivered at the webinar. Further to the webinar, we would like to draw your attention to an additional slide (slide 13) in the first deck, which highlights that the ability of local government teams to facilitate data-sharing for data related to the intervention is often key to enabling the smooth running of a PHIRST evaluation. This, along with all other key information relating to the PHIRST call that is currently open, can be found on the NIHR webpages from which applications can be made.
PHIRST Webinar Jan 2026 Slide Deck 1-Introduction https://phirst.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/... (PDF: 17 slides)
PHIRST Webinar Jan 2026 Slide Deck 2-Practical details of applying https://phirst.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/... (PDF: 11 slides)

Chapters
00:00-16:59
Introduction, James Morris, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NIHR
17:14-32:43
Practical details of applying, Donna White, NIHR Senior Research Manager