NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs)

Overview

• Opportunity status: Open
• Type: Infrastructure
• Opening date: 4 June 2026 at 1:00 pm
• Closing date: 17 September 2026 at 1:00 pm
• Reference ID: 2026/415

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) invests significantly in centres of excellence, collaborations, services and facilities to support research in England. This is collectively known as NIHR research infrastructure. The NIHR is launching a new open funding opportunity for early phase translational research infrastructure: the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs).

The BRC funding opportunity is part of a £860 million package of translational infrastructure funding announced 4 June 2026. This includes £600 million allocated specifically for BRCs. A further £260 million will be invested in new Strategic Infrastructure Partnerships (SIPs), the majority of which will go to the BRCs. This will fund partnerships across the NIHR research infrastructure to increase pull-through from early phase discoveries into innovation and adoption, aligning with national priorities.

Eligible NHS organisations in England may submit one application for funding over five years from 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2033. The number and the amount of funding allocated to each BRC has not been predetermined; however, applications should request funding of no more than £50 million. Funding above this level may be agreed in exceptional circumstances where applicants can show how they have clear plans to support capacity and capability outside of their primary NHS Trust and HEI partner in areas not currently served through NIHR early phase translational research funding. Host NHS organisations are required to collaborate with others across the health and care research system to bring additional expertise and strength to their applications and to build research capacity across the nation. Appropriate funding should flow to these partners to reflect the scale and resource required to deliver their role.

While exceptional funding is available for new capacity development in areas underserved by early phase translational research, collaboration is a key feature of the BRC funding opportunity for all BRCs. It is expected that BRCs will set out how they will ensure strategic alignment with other BRCs who have similar research areas, with appropriate resource attributed to activities to support this, within each BRC’s funding envelope.

Designation and level of funding will be informed by the scale, nature and quality of the proposed programmes of work, including the extent to which applications respond to the requirements set out in the guidance. Further funding for BRCs will be available through Strategic Infrastructure Partnerships in thematic areas to be commissioned separately.

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Overview (continued)

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) invests significantly in centres of excellence, collaborations, services and facilities to support research in England. This is collectively known as NIHR research infrastructure. The NIHR is launching a new open funding opportunity for early phase translational research infrastructure: the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs).

The BRC funding opportunity is part of a £860 million package of translational infrastructure funding announced 4 June 2026. This includes £600 million allocated specifically for BRCs. A further £260 million will be invested in new Strategic Infrastructure Partnerships (SIPs), the majority of which will go to the BRCs. This will fund partnerships across the NIHR research infrastructure to increase pull-through from early phase discoveries into innovation and adoption, aligning with national priorities.

Eligible NHS organisations in England may submit one application for funding over five years from 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2033. The number and the amount of funding allocated to each BRC has not been predetermined; however, applications should request funding of no more than £50 million. Funding above this level may be agreed in exceptional circumstances where applicants can show how they have clear plans to support capacity and capability outside of their primary NHS Trust and HEI partner in areas not currently served through NIHR early phase translational research funding. Host NHS organisations are required to collaborate with others across the health and care research system to bring additional expertise and strength to their applications and to build research capacity across the nation. Appropriate funding should flow to these partners to reflect the scale and resource required to deliver their role.

While exceptional funding is available for new capacity development in areas underserved by early phase translational research, collaboration is a key feature of the BRC funding opportunity for all BRCs. It is expected that BRCs will set out how they will ensure strategic alignment with other BRCs who have similar research areas, with appropriate resource attributed to activities to support this, within each BRC’s funding envelope.

Designation and level of funding will be informed by the scale, nature and quality of the proposed programmes of work, including the extent to which applications respond to the requirements set out in the guidance. Further funding for BRCs will be available through Strategic Infrastructure Partnerships in thematic areas to be commissioned separately.

Webinar and event

A virtual applicant webinar - 18 June 2026, 13:00pm - 15:00pm

The Infrastructure team ran the webinar for applicants on 18 June 2026. If you would like access to the slides or the webinar recording please email infrastructure@nihr.ac.uk.

In-person collaboration event - 7 July 2026

An in-person collaboration event will take place on 7 July 2026, central London, full-day event.

This event will bring together NHS organisations and Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) seeking to apply as a host or partner of a BRC application. Collaboration is a fundamental principle for all NIHR infrastructure. BRC applicants will be required to show how they will collaborate to deliver greater impact through a team science approach, particularly with those who have expertise in similar and complementary research areas. This event aims to bring together the early phase translational research community from across the country to build partnerships and strengthen research capacity nationally.

Key dates

• 4 June 2026 – BRC funding opportunity guidance published and open date for outline applications
• 18 June 2026 – Virtual applicant webinar
• 7 July 2026 – In-person collaboration event
• 17 September 2026 – Closing date for outline applications
• w/c 2 November 2026 – Funding committee meets to provide feedback
• w/c 7 December 2026 – Feedback from the outline application and invitation to submit a full application
• 24 March 2027 – Closing date for full applications
• w/c 14 June 2027 – Committee meeting and in-person applicant interviews
• September 2027 – Department of Health and Social Care confirms designation and funding for BRC
• 1 April 2028 – Funding commences

How to apply

To apply for this funding opportunity you will need to log in through the NIHR awards management system. Click the link below to log-in to the system and start your application. If you have not previously applied through this system you will be prompted to create an account. [Apply now]

Role of the NIHR BRCs

NIHR BRCs are centres of scientific excellence which undertake high-quality early phase translational research. NIHR BRCs are expected to respond to the research needs of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to build a health and care service fit for the future and support patients and the public to live independent, healthier lives for longer. This is set out in the:

• 10-Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the future
• Life Science Sector Plan
• Government’s Health and Growth Missions
• NIHR’s Best Research for Best Health: the next chapter
• NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy
• NIHR’s Public Partnership Commitments

The BRCs should drive the development of novel innovations and the translation of research through collaboration with later phase infrastructure and implementation partners. This integrated approach ensures innovations proceed at pace towards adoption into practice, delivering tangible benefits for communities, patients, the public, the health and care system and the UK economy.

The NIHR BRC scheme will provide funding to:

• Drive innovation through high quality early phase translational research which responds directly to the needs of the government, the health and care system and the population and supports translation to deliver benefits for people and communities, the health and care system, and for broader economic gain.
• Rapidly respond to emerging research priorities to ensure BRC research addresses the most pressing health and care challenges.
• Drive collaboration to accelerate innovation, translation and impact, working alongside other infrastructure. This includes a commitment to strengthen research activity across the country; and bring research to communities wherever they live.
• Drive economic growth through innovation and working in partnership with life sciences companies to transform the health and care system, and meet the needs of the population.
• Increase the country’s capacity and capability to conduct high quality early phase translational research by delivering workforce development programmes across a broad range of professional backgrounds, supporting researchers at all stages of their careers.
• Address health inequalities by embedding inclusive approaches across all activities, projects and programmes to ensure that research is relevant to the end-user and reflects the diversity of the population so that any findings and interventions can be successfully delivered to the people who need it most.

Research supported by the BRCs will be expected to drive innovation in early phase translational research to deliver:

• Improved outcomes for people and communities;
• Improved efficiencies and safety in the delivery of health services; and
• Increased sustainability of the health and care system, including support for workforce development and retention.

Priority areas

NIHR wishes to designate and fund a balanced portfolio of BRCs that have scientific excellence in a range of themes. BRCs will have investigator-led themes which respond to the research needs of the health and care system and reflect the expertise of the host institution and their partners.

BRCs will need to demonstrate that they have a cadre of expertise in early phase translational research with the ability to respond to broad system needs and flex to emerging needs where appropriate.

Applications must articulate how the BRC’s strategy and research themes respond to the Government’s Health and Growth Missions, the 10-Year Health Plan, the Life Sciences Sector Plan and NIHR’s Best Research for Best Health: the next chapter. This could include, but is not limited to the following priority areas:

• Major conditions such as cancer, dementia, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease
• Mental health
• Multiple long-term conditions
• Research on specific populations such as children and young people, women’s health and areas of men’s health where disparities are particularly evident
• Mediators and risk factors for major conditions such as inflammation and obesity
• Infection and anti-microbial resistance
• Blood and transplant medicine, such as haematology, transfusion and transplantation approaches
• Prevention and early diagnosis of disease
• Genomics and precision medicine
• Data science and data-enabled approaches
• Emerging therapeutics and devices

The 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan set a clear expectation that research and innovation will be refocused towards prevention, particularly for the conditions that drive the greatest burden of illness and cost to the health and care systems. They emphasise shifting research upstream to reduce avoidable disease, supporting earlier diagnosis through biomarkers, genomics and screening technologies and accelerating the development and adoption of new therapies, devices and care models for major killers. Data and digital capability are critical enablers of this. BRCs will be expected to better link, curate and enable utilisation of large‑scale health data and deploy AI and advanced analytics to support research and clinical decision‑making, evidence generation, and life sciences innovation, working with the DHSC to support the development and delivery of the Health Data Research Service. Development of stand-alone Secure Data Environments is not in scope of this funding opportunity.

NIHR funds research across a broad range of thematic areas. As well as the priorities outlined above, addressing underserved research areas remains a key focus for DHSC to reduce health inequalities. Following committee review of the outline application, NIHR may request applicants to review and develop their themes to ensure a diverse portfolio of research is supported by the BRCs.

Individual BRCs are not expected to have expertise in all priority areas. BRC applicants are required to establish multidisciplinary teams including topic specific experts as well as supporting professions that can respond to wider research questions, such as data scientists, health economists, methodologists, and those with expertise in health inequalities. Applicants should outline a clear strategic approach for identifying and establishing collaborations with other BRCs and wider infrastructure sharing similar thematic focuses.

NIHR BRC - Key features

The research needs of the health and care system have evolved significantly since the last BRC funding opportunity in 2022. NIHR has clear strategic aims with the following key principles:

• a greater focus on collaboration to enhance scientific excellence, build research capacity and capabilities across research organisations, and to improve research inclusion;
• responsiveness and flexibility to meet emerging research priorities;
• embedding expertise to support industry and growth, aligned and complementary to the NIHR Industry Hub; and
• appropriately resourcing researchers to consider the pathway to implementation and to support the translation of innovations to deliver impact.

NIHR has made research inclusion a condition of funding. Applicants are required to demonstrate how equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded throughout all operations and activities including the governance, culture, systems and workforce as well as the research. BRCs will not be required to submit a standalone research inclusion strategy or plan post award; however, it is expected that inclusion in research design and participation will be reflected in the strategy for community engagement and involvement (CEI), and inclusion across the research workforce will be reflected in the research capacity development strategy (described in the relevant sections). It is expected that a Research Inclusion Lead will be identified within each BRC to champion research inclusion and work with the CEI and Research Capacity Development Leads, as described below.

Collaboration

Collaboration is a fundamental principle for all NIHR infrastructure. BRC applicants are required to show how they will collaborate and deliver greater impact through a team science approach. This includes internal coordination between application partners, strategic alignment across BRCs in similar research areas, and early engagement with later phase infrastructure and implementation partners to ensure translation is considered from project inception.

In this phase of the BRCs, we expect a significant step-change in national collaboration. Applicants are required to bring partners from across the country to support their themes, focussing on the best expertise to deliver the objectives, agnostic to the organisation in which they are employed. It is expected that BRCs will build capacity and capability through collaboration, with a focus on bringing together the unique strengths of the research community nationally. For example, primary and community care settings are critical but underutilised in clinical research. They can improve access to diverse populations nationally and provide an ideal test bed for innovation and technology. BRC applicants are encouraged to form partnerships across care settings to support capacity building, working with, for example, GPs and other clinicians and practitioners as appropriate to settings outside of hospitals, and to increase the reach and impact of their research. Appropriate funding should flow to these partners to reflect the scale and resource required to deliver their roles and activities.

Responsive to emerging needs

BRC applications need to set out how their programmes of work provide the evidence required to support the transformation set out in the:

• NHS 10 Year Health Plan;
• Life Sciences Sector Plan; and
• the Government’s health and growth missions.

Applicants should set out how they will discontinue areas of research during the course of the BRC contract where impact is not being realised and pivot to new research areas if required.

Robust governance is essential to maintain the strategic relevance of the BRC. Governance structures, such as external advisory boards, should be proportionate and established only where they add clear value. These mechanisms should inform the BRC’s strategic plan, assess their performance and ensure the research remains responsive to DHSC priorities and the areas of greatest need.

Industry and growth

BRCs will play a central role in driving economic growth, working in partnership with the life sciences sector to develop, evaluate, and translate innovations that improve outcomes and strengthen the health and care system.

Applicants should set out a clear and credible strategy for industry engagement, demonstrating how they will be responsive to the needs of industry and aligned with the NIHR Life Sciences Industry Hub. This should include how they will:

• work collaboratively with a broad range of partners, from global companies to UK SMEs and spin-outs;
• contribute to a coherent and attractive NIHR offer, increasing the visibility and accessibility of NIHR capabilities; and
• support the progression of innovations from early phase translational research and clinical evaluation towards adoption, working with later stage infrastructure.

Applications should describe how industry collaboration will be enabled and sustained, including through appropriate leadership, capability and resourcing, and how this will integrate with wider NIHR infrastructure and partnerships.

Applicants should also outline their track record and future ambition for working with industry to co-develop and evaluate new drugs, devices, diagnostics and digital technologies, including their contribution to evidence generation for an identified pathway to adoption and commercialisation within the UK.

Pathways to impact

The translation of innovations into practice is critical to deliver tangible, positive changes to the health and care system and for patient benefit.

Applicants should set out how they will translate early phase discoveries into clinical research, and work with later phase infrastructure and implementation partners to establish an implementation pathway which supports the translation of innovations at pace. Applicants should describe the mechanisms in place to support the pull-through of innovations to the appropriate infrastructure. All BRC research should consider the end user and how the intended outcomes will benefit people and communities, the health and care system, and the UK economy from idea conception through development towards adoption.

Community engagement and involvement

The engagement, involvement and participation of diverse communities is a core principle in NIHR Infrastructure schemes, and should be embedded across the entire research lifecycle, and in governance structures.

BRCs will need to build and maintain trusted, inclusive relationships with relevant communities and groups to embed community engagement and involvement (CEI) across their programmes. Applicants should clearly describe how they will ensure their approaches to engagement, involvement and participation are inclusive. This is critical to ensure that research is shaped by and reaches the people and communities which have the greatest health and care needs. Applicants should consider how their plans will contribute to high-quality generalisable research outcomes and respond to current challenges and opportunities for engagement and involvement while contributing to the delivery of NIHR’s Public Partnership Commitments 2025-2030. A range of terms are used to describe this type of partnership working (for example, CEI in this case, or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement); however, the central focus is on the active practice of working collaboratively with people and communities from diverse backgrounds.

In recognition of the breadth of CEI activity across NIHR-funded translational research infrastructure, NIHR is transitioning to a single, organisation-wide CEI (previously referred to as PPIE) strategy. This is expected to be high level, comprehensive and agile, underpinned by the NIHR Strategic Commitments for Public Partnerships and the NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy, demonstrating how equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded throughout the organisation's governance structure, culture and activities. This integrated approach aligns NIHR-funded research infrastructure, within a host organisation, into a cohesive framework to share best practices across our research infrastructure. This strategy will be a living document and we would expect it to be updated to respond to changing priorities.

Each BRC will be required to nominate a CEI lead to drive forward CEI activities and a Research Inclusion Lead to embed and coordinate research inclusion activities outlined within the CEI and research capacity development strategies. BRCs will also be expected to develop and submit a CEI action plan, setting out their tailored approach to delivering against the overarching institutional strategy. These plans should include specific detail on proposed activities, measurable outcomes and key partnerships that will support successful delivery. The action plan should cover the full duration of the funding award and must be submitted to NIHR within six months of the contract start date.

Research capacity development

BRCs will have a remit for research capacity development and training that supports equity of opportunities for all, across the full career spectrum. While the focus should be on developing early and mid-career researchers, consideration should be given to all stages of the academic career pathway and addressing evidenced gaps. Training and support should be in line with the principles and best practice set out within the Researcher Development Concordat. Research inclusion principles should be embedded across all elements of the BRC’s career development programme. Adherence to the Follett principles across all disciplines will be a requirement, and compliance will be monitored throughout the duration of the award.

BRC career development opportunities should be designed to cultivate a research workforce fit for the future, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector plan. Health and Care Professionals are a fundamental part of the research ecosystem; therefore applications are expected to consider professional diversity across the workforce they support. This should include a focus on under-represented disciplines and specialisms, for example, through strategies to reverse the decline in the number of practitioner-academics. The development of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) is of particular importance to the NIHR and applicants should set out how they plan to include the expertise of NMAHPs in the delivery of their research themes.

BRCs are expected to appoint a named Research Capacity Development lead (formerly, Academic Career Development Lead) in their applications. Leads will work in partnership with NIHR Academy to share best practice and encourage excellence in career development and training. Individuals whose academic career development is being supported through BRC funding will also benefit from NIHR Academy membership. Individuals on fellowships or studentships funded by the BRCs should be awarded an NIHR Infrastructure-branded Fellowship or Studentship. BRC fellowships should follow the naming conventions set out in the NIHR Career Development Framework. BRCs will be expected to use the Academy Members in Infrastructure Guidance for Advertisement & Recruitment and adhere to the principles and expectations set out therein.

To maximise the investment in NIHR-funded research capacity development activity across infrastructure, we are transitioning to a single, organisation-wide research capacity development strategy. A research capacity development plan detailing the BRC award-specific activities and outcomes should be submitted to NIHR within six months of the award start date. The plan should align with the strategic research areas and the host institution’s overarching NIHR Research Capacity Development strategy. The proportion of budget to be used for research capacity development may vary across BRCs but should be at least 20% of the value of the contract.

Governance

Robust governance is essential to maintain the strategic relevance of the BRC. Governance structures, such as external advisory boards, should be proportionate and established only where they add clear value. These mechanisms should inform the BRC’s strategic plan, assess their performance and ensure the research remains responsive to DHSC priorities and that BRCs deliver value for patients, the public, the health and care system and the UK economy.

Eligibility criteria

All NHS organisations or providers of NHS services in England are eligible to apply to host a BRC.

Applications are invited from any NHS organisation that can demonstrate a significant portfolio and expertise within early phase translational research. BRC designation will be awarded to a single NHS organisation on behalf of their partnership. The NHS organisation may identify a primary university partner who would form part of the designated BRC.

Partners can include other NHS organisations, universities, life science companies, local authorities and other community organisations. Named partners will have specified roles which should be fully justified in the application. It is expected that the host organisation will pass funding to named partners via an appropriate mechanism to reflect the scale and resource required to deliver the activities set out within their role. Please note, it is not expected that funding will be passed to industry partners. Funding levels will reflect applicants’ ability to evidence the breadth of scientific excellence and expertise across partner institutions to achieve greatest impact.

Succession planning

Applicants will need to provide a clear process for succession planning which describes how they will support the development of a highly skilled research workforce and provide mentorship and opportunities for emerging leaders within the BRC. Consideration should be given to providing support across the career development pathway for staff at all levels, from early training into continuous professional development, to build capacity and expertise across the research community.

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