NIHR awards £1.5m to fund 13 work and health research projects

The funding will allow several projects to support the health of working people

The National Institute for Health and Care Research has awarded £1.5m in funding to 13 development award projects as part of its Work and Health Research Programme.

The funding is the first of many investments to advance work and health research within the UK.

The Work and Health Research Programme aims to support the development of collaborations, proof-of-concept and feasibility studies, as well as the development of access to data and data linkage to carry out significant research.

The projects being funded cover a range of topics to support the health of working people.

These include investigating how to support working people with musculoskeletal conditions, how larger companies can support small and middle-sized enterprises and how to support healthy lifestyles in young working people.

Additionally, teams are also investigating ways to create more inclusive workplaces and the best ways to support older working people.

In the UK, there are around 13.7 million working-age people living with a long-term health condition, including 8.3 million disabled people.

Each funded team will need to apply for the NIHR Work and Health Research Collaboration Awards, which offer up to £2m in funding for larger-scale projects and programmes spanning three years.

As well as helping researchers bid for further funding from other NIHR programmes, the new funding will support researchers in addressing key challenges in work, health and occupational health.

New research to improve working health, both physically and mentally, will deliver substantial benefits across the UK, including economic and social benefits for individuals, employers and wider society.

Furthermore, many individuals and families will benefit from improved employment, income and health.

The stage one process of the Research Collaboration Award competition will launch in December 2023.

Earlier this month, the NIHR awarded £97.5m to fund its new Research Support Service to provide free and confidential support, advice and expertise for researchers in England working across the NIHR remit.