MHP Partnership Fund

Lead applicant

• The lead applicant must be an Early Career Researcher* based at a UK Higher Education Institution or equivalent. They can be from a non-clinical, clinical or lived-experience background.
• They must be a member of the MHP. They can be an Associate member.

*To be considered an Early Career Researcher, they must:

• Have a PhD or equivalent but not yet made the transition to independence

• Not have held an independent fellowship for longer than 3 years  

• Have a permanent contract with their host institution  

Co-applicants

• Co-applicants do not have to be ECRs.
• Individuals with lived experience can be listed as co-applicants only and where appropriate and supported. 
• The list of co-applicants must include those from different Hubs to the lead applicant. 
• Applications are expected to involve two or more MHP Hubs. Exceptions may be considered for early-stage or small-scale activities where strong justification is provided.

Partner organisations

• The partner organisation must contribute time, expertise, or in-kind support (financial co-funding encouraged). 
• They may be existing partners (such as McPin Foundation or MQ), or may be new partners who have never worked with the MHP before.
• ECRs must have a letter of support from the partner organisation (industry, third sector, or health/social care)  
• Industry partners involved in applications for this award must be part of the MHP Industry Alliance. See our current Industry Alliance members

Where appropriate, applicants are responsible for ensuring suitable collaboration arrangements are in place.

The project must enhance the potential for research translation, innovation or patient impact of the ECR research. This could include, but is not limited to:

• Industry challenge - Projects or activities where applicants collaborate with or are embedded within industry or healthcare partners (e.g. biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, digital health, data science, Medicines Discovery Catapult, charities) to solve a real-world problem and support translation. 
• Partnership projects - Short-term collaborations where applicants bring together expertise from different MHP Hubs and external partners to address shared research or translational challenge, including joint activities and events. 
• Innovation workshop - A creative, workshop for applicants to test new ideas, methods, technologies, or interventions and to build partnerships across academic, industry and lived experience communities. 
• Career development - Activities that support ECRs skill development, networking and experience, aligned with partnership building and future funding opportunities. 

Eligible Costs

The MHP Partnership Fund supports direct costs associated with partnership-building and capacity development activities. It can be used for: 

• Travel to engage with industry partners or external organisations
• Accommodation, subsistence and related costs associated with partnership-building activities
• Event related expenses (e.g. venue hire, catering, workshop materials)
• Attendance at industry-focused conferences, trade meetings, or partnering events*
• Registration fees for relevant external events
• Short secondments or exploratory visits, where clearly justified and aligned with fund objectives
• PPIE remuneration in line with the NIHR payment policy

Ineligible Costs 

The fund cannot be used for: 

• Direct research costs (e.g., consumables, equipment, salaries, including costs of investigators and staff employed on existing funded Hub awards)
• Indirect or estates costs at the host organisation
• Costs related to Intellectual Property protection, including but not limited to registering, maintaining, or legal support
• Retrospective claims for activities already completed
• Attendance at the MHP Research Summit (this fund cannot be used for registration, travel or related costs for MHP researchers to attend this event)

* The proposal can include attendance cost, but must include other activities.

Applicants should incorporate proportionate but meaningful Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in their short-term projects. PPIE can strengthen the relevance, accessibility, and translational potential of collaborations. 

Examples of suitable PPIE involvement include: 

• Co-designing project activities: Involving public contributors in the design of the project to help shape the focus or approach of the project. 
• Providing feedback on outputs: Ensuring materials or findings are understandable, relevant, and usable by wider audiences. 
• Participating in meetings or workshops: Including PPIE representatives in key discussions with industry or partner organisations. 
• Reviewing communications: Helping to refine public-facing materials or advising on dissemination strategies. 

A small proportion of the project budget can be used to support PPIE contributor time and expenses. Applicants should briefly outline their planned approach to PPIE, including who will be involved, what their role will be, and how their input will be used. 

Complete the application form and save with your full name in the file name: <Insert Applicant Name> MHP Partnership Fund Application

Submit via email with any supporting documents to mhp@ed.ac.uk using subject line: MHP Partnership Fund Application - <Insert Applicant Name>

You can apply at any time. You should note that applications are reviewed quarterly, so you may wish to align your application with the review points. 

• January review point: submit before 31st December
• April review point: submit before 31st March 
• July review point: submit before 30th June
• October review point: submit before 30th September

Quarterly, applications are reviewed.

Eligibility Check: 

Applications are reviewed by the MHP Coordinating Team for completeness and eligibility.

Review:

Each application will be assessed by:

• Director of the MHP
• 2–3 Hub representatives (Lead, Co-Lead, or researcher level)
• PPIE representatives, where relevant. Expected for proposals with patient/public impact
• Independent representatives (e.g. industry, healthcare partners), where relevant

Applications are assessed and scored using a weighted framework on:

• Partnership quality and strategic value
• Translational and real-world impact
• Cross-Hub collaboration
• Capacity building and leadership

Decision:

Applicants receive one of:

• Fund in full
• Fund with conditions/modifications
• Not funded 

For more information download MHP Partnership Fund assessment criteria at the bottom of this page.

If your application is successful

The decision to award the funding will be communicated to MRC and the successful candidates.  You will be asked to confirm acceptance of the award within four weeks. 

The Coordinating team, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh Research office, will update the MHP Subaward template and forward it to the ECR’s host institution, following the same process as the Collaboration and Innovation awards. The project is expected to start within six months of the decision being made and within one month of the subaward letter being signed. 

Before your project/activity begins, you must ensure that any necessary collaboration agreements with external partners are in place. All funded activities must comply with MHP values and relevant UKRI/MRC policies, including data sharing and intellectual property requirements.

As an award holder, you are responsible for delivering the project/activity as agreed, using funds appropriately, and notifying the Coordinating Team of any significant changes or underspend. You will also be required to acknowledge MHP funding in outputs and submit a short report within three months of project completion.

An outline of this report is available to download at the bottom of this page.

Please note that MHP reserves the right to amend or withdraw funding if award conditions are not met or if there are significant changes to the project. 

A template award letter is available to applicants upon request.

If your application is unsuccessful

You will be notified by the MHP Coordinating Team. Due to the competitive and rolling nature of the fund, detailed feedback may not always be provided. Applicants may revise and resubmit their application once, incorporating any feedback provided, subject to the availability of funds.

Applicants may submit up to three applications in total and hold only one active award at a time. One resubmission is permitted per unsuccessful proposal, where it should clearly address prior feedback.