NIHR changes name to emphasise long-term commitment to social care research
The National Institute for Health Research has changed its name. To emphasise their enduring commitment to social care research, from today the NIHR will officially become the ‘National Institute for Health and Care Research’. The acronym ‘NIHR’ will remain unchanged.
Since its establishment in 2006, the NIHR has invested over £200m in more than 470 social care research projects across its portfolio, with £90m worth of NIHR-funded social care studies starting in the last three years. Of these, over a third have been funded by the NIHR’s dedicated School for Social Care Research.
NIHR-funded research is diverse, exploring a wide range of important issues, and has led to a number of changes to social care practice. In one example, a new approach was developed which reduced challenging behaviours among people with learning disabilities in residential settings by two thirds and was rolled out across 800 residential care sites.
As well as the £200m in direct funding, NIHR have also supported and delivered social care research through their wider infrastructure, in particular the Applied Research Collaborations which worked with local authorities to support over 80 studies in 2020/2021, and the Research Design Service which supports researchers to develop high quality applications.
Additionally, the NIHR has supported those who want to develop their career in social care research, funding internships, career development and senior leaders awards and PhDs through the NIHR Academy and the School for Social Care Research. They have also supported those working in the social care sector through the Local Authority Fellowship Scheme.