The UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) are joining forces to launch a bilateral funding opportunity for clinical trials. This initiative, backed by £8 million, will support collaborative research projects between Swiss and UK researchers, focusing on addressing unmet needs in healthcare.
The funding, set to be available from April 2025, will support clinical studies designed to test the efficacy, clinical effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of interventions. These interventions can span diagnostics, preventative measures, and treatments for a wide range of diseases. A key requirement is that the proposed interventions must be supported by sufficient evidence from earlier clinical studies in humans.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR, emphasized the importance of international collaboration: "International endeavours such as this partnership with the Swiss National Science Foundation foster innovative thinking and novel approaches to complex health and social care challenges... This approach of bilateral collaboration accelerates research progress, with the aim of getting effective treatments to patients faster."
Trial Focus and Requirements
The collaborative trials are expected to involve expertise and patient recruitment from both Switzerland and the UK. Applicants will need to demonstrate how their projects will contribute to building research capacity and expertise among early and mid-career researchers, including the support mechanisms they will provide.
The joint funding pool of 8.8 million CHF / £8 million GBP will support up to three high-quality, collaborative Swiss-UK clinical studies. Funding will be available for trials lasting up to five years. The SNSF and NIHR will conduct a joint evaluation and review process, with each organization funding activities within their respective countries.
Professor Matthias Egger, President of the National Research Council, SNSF, stated: "The UK is a main partner country for SNSF and we are delighted about this new collaboration with NIHR. The bilateral call will strengthen clinical research in Switzerland and offer new international collaboration opportunities for our researchers to address important medical needs."
Building Research Teams
Researchers are encouraged to begin forming multidisciplinary research teams and preparing their proposals. The SNSF Scientific Exchanges funding scheme offers grants to facilitate collaboration, including funding for UK partners to visit Switzerland and vice versa. UK researchers can access the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) for advice and expertise in developing their collaborative research applications.
Webinar Information
NIHR and SNSF will host a webinar on January 9, 2025, to provide researchers with more detailed information about this bilateral funding opportunity. Researchers interested in this funding opportunity can register for the webinar.
