MRC Funding to Establish the UK Traumatic Brain Injury Platform

Funding to establish the UK traumatic brain injury (TBI) platform that will aim to advance patient care using multidimensional approaches to characterise, predict and stratify traumatic brain injuries.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is providing funding along with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) to establish the UK traumatic brain injury (TBI) platform.

The TBI platform will consist of a national TBI data hub and a national biomarker resource for TBI. It will aim to advance patient care using multidimensional approaches to characterise, predict and stratify traumatic brain injuries.

The aim of the platform is to strengthen data-linkage across cohorts and longitudinal populations and enable biomarker discovery and validation across the life-course and in under-represented populations. Linkages to other areas, including but not limited to neurodegenerative diseases, will be essential.

This funding opportunity is open to applicants from eligible UK-based organisations in accordance with standard UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) practice. Principal investigators and co-investigators must be based at an eligible research organisation. Full details on institutional and individual eligibility are available here.

Applications must be able to demonstrate:

  • Appropriate scientific and clinical leadership.
  • Track record of the use of health data for public benefit.
  • Ability to process health data for research and innovation.

Proposals are expected to involve multi-institutional collaboration but must be submitted by a single lead organisation. Institutions may be partners to more than one application but should only act as lead institution for one.

At least one member of the partnership must have a demonstrable track record in acting as a data custodian with the ability to make data accessible for research, development and innovation, taking place across academia, industry and the NHS.

Collaboration across sectors is strongly encouraged, including across NHS organisations, academia, industry and other partners. The proposal must include plans to link up with existing aligned UK-wide initiatives.

Applicants may also include international co-investigators if they provide expertise not available in the UK. This must be discussed with the programme manager before submission of the application.

A total of £9 million is available at 80% of the full Economic Cost (fEC). One award will be made for a maximum of five years. The platform must aim to deliver a national resource over the course of the award and include plans towards financial sustainability in the long-term.

A mandatory intention to submit form must be submitted by 13 January 2023 (16:00).

Applications should be submitted by the 1 March 2023 (16:00) deadline.

(This report was the subject of a ResearchConnect Newsflash.)