National Priorities Programme

About the programme

In 2021 the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaborations (NIHR ARCs) were awarded £13.125 million to develop key research programmes to improve regional and national health and care outcomes.

The National Priority Programme identifies seven key health and care areas as the most pressing issues facing health and social care today.

Each of these speciality area programmes will be led by an ARC, with a budget of £1.875 million. Projects within the specialty programmes will be led by different ARCs, working collaboratively across the national network and with patients and service users.

Building upon our our world-leading expertise and local and national networks, we are leading the Children’s Health and Maternity programme. In collaboration with other ARCs we aim to find effective ways to implement evidence-based interventions to improve children’s and maternity services across England by supporting 4 implementation projects.

We are also involved in a wide range of National Priority Programme projects. Some projects are co-funded by two programme themes and will appear under both.

View a summary of all current national projects by research programme.

National Priorities Progamme Themes

Children's Health and Maternity

PenARC is leading the Children’s Health and Maternity research programme and working in collaboration with the following ARCs: Yorkshire and Humber, North East and North Cumbria, North Thames, North West Coast, Northwest London, South London, West and West Midlands.

This collaboration builds on the ARC network’s world-leading expertise in children’s and maternal health, and existing local and national networks, to best understand how research can contribute to meaningful change.

Learn more about the Children’s Health and Maternity research programme.

Projects involving PenARC

Healthy Ageing (including dementia and frailty)

The Healthy Ageing research programme is led by ARC Wessex with PenARC leading on the PPI evaluation.

This collaboration between ARC Wessex, PenARC, ARC Greater Manchester and ARC Yorkshire & Humber, will focus on the health challenges facing our growing older population. It will support three multi-regional projects that are as much about staying well as about finding better ways to care for and treat people in later life.

Learn more about the Healthy Ageing research programme.