The Tavistock & Portman Charity is launching two new research funding schemes: a Fellowships Scheme and a Large Grants Scheme.
In the case of either Scheme, applications should be for research projects which either make new contributions to knowledge, or enable service innovation, or both.
Projects must fall within one or more of the following areas:
- Schizophrenia
- Intergenerational trauma
- Mental Health Nursing
Within these areas, projects should reflect the values and priorities of the Tavistock and Portman Charity which funds, alongside psychotherapy training, research and innovation that stresses the impact relationships have on our mental health and general wellbeing. For further information see https://tavistockandportmancharity.org.uk/For information on the broader traditions of thought and practice to which the Charity belongs, see the essays in M. Waddell and S. Kraemer (eds.), The Tavistock Century (Phoenix, 2020). Preference may be given to projects which show a demonstrable benefit to present or future staff, students or service users of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
Applications should specify to which Scheme the application is being made. Applications to either Scheme, which must begin with a brief (<200 word) lay summary, should set out the details of the proposed project; an explanation of why the proposed project is worthwhile (for example, why it is innovative in the context of the current state of research or state of service provision, with references where appropriate); a justification of costs; and a detailed timetable for completion, including for example the approximate dates of key milestones such as hiring new staff (if any), conferences/events, and dissemination. Applications should not exceed 5 pages of A4.
Applications to the Fellowship Scheme must have a single sole applicant with the right to work in the UK, who must send a full CV in addition to the application. Fellowship applicants who have not yet been awarded a PhD must include a designated mentor who is a substantive academic in their service or department. Post-PhD applicants may name a mentor if they wish, but mentors may not be costed into the grant itself.
Applications to the Larger Grants Scheme must have just one Principal Investigator, who must send a full CV in addition to the application, and have the right to work in the UK.
Applications to either Scheme must also at least one letter of reference and one letter of support from an appropriate senior source, e.g. Head of Department, Research Manager or equivalent.
Larger Grants Scheme only: While applications are welcome for which the Larger Grants Scheme is the sole funding source, applicants are encouraged to craft projects in such a way that the grant can be used to unlock further funding from other sources,
e.g. NIHR, UKRI, charitable foundations etc.. Preference may therefore be given to applications which include details either of funding already obtained (so the Charity’s Larger Grant constitutes match funding for something else), or concrete plans to seek match funding (e.g. what the envisaged match funding is and why, if the proposed project is a pilot for a larger-scale externally funded project, it will increase the likelihood of obtaining it).
Allowable Costs
Grants will normally fall within the range of £5,000 – £150,000. Though preference may be given to projects which demonstrate scale and ambition as well as innovation, applicants should ask for what they need.
Eligible costs for Fellowships include salary costs for the Fellow only (including on-costs, but excluding indirect costs); costs of conferences, seminars etc, including travel and subsistence costs; costs of PPI, and costs of dissemination. Unless they have an existing contract of employment (e.g. with an NHS Trust or university), Fellows would be expected to become employees of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust for the purposes of invoicing. For Larger Grants, eligible costs include costs of new research staff, costs of conferences, seminars etc, including travel and subsistence costs, costs of PPI, and costs of dissemination.
Directly allocated costs will not be paid to University staff with existing substantive contracts but NHS staff with no research function can apply for an appropriate level of salary buyout, that will not normally be expected to exceed 20% of FTE. Grants may not be used for equipment, social events, or to fund existing services.
Eligibility of Applicants
Fellowship applications are open to all. Larger Grants applications are also open to all, but must include a current employee of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust , either as Principal Investigator or as a Co-Investigator or as an uncosted collaborator (e.g. mentor or chair of an advisory board). Early career applicants (defined as within 5 years of award of PhD or equivalent) to the Larger Grants Scheme must specify a senior mentor or Collaborator. The award will not cover costs for this mentor.
Review Process
Applications will be evaluated by an expert committee, consisting of a mix of Charity trustees and experts external both to the Charity and to the NHS Trust, who will report to the Board of Trustees of the Charity on applications’ suitability for funding. The power to award grants rests with the Board of Trustees.
The Scheme will run for a year in the first instance. Applications will be decided twice a year, at the Board of Trustees of the Tavistock & Portman Charity in May (19th May 2025) and November (17th November 2025). Resubmissions will be considered.
Deadlines for applications are six weeks in advance of these meetings, i.e., in 2025, 7 April and 6 October. Spending must begin within 12 months of notification of the award. Spending should normally be over a period of between 12 and 24 months from the start date. Reports on outcomes are expected annually.
The charity reserves the right to cancel the award at any time if conditions of the award are not met.
Applications should be sent to Gabriella Leoncini GLeoncini@tavi-port.nhs.uk by 5pm on either one of the deadlines. Inquiries in advance of application should be sent to the same address.