National Prevention Research Initiative
The National Prevention Research Initiative (NPRI) is a national initiative made up of government departments, research councils and major medical charities that are working together to encourage and support research into chronic disease prevention. Its core aim is to develop and implement successful, cost-effective interventions that reduce people’s risk of developing major diseases by influencing their health behaviours.
The NPRI was founded in 2004 when the National Cancer Research Institute brought the consortium together. An initial budget of over £11 million funded Phase 1 and 2. Phase 3, announced in June 2008, will be supported by a further commitment of up to £12 million over five years. The MRC manages the Initiative on behalf of its 16 Funding Partners.
- NPRI Funding Partners
- NPRI Phase 1: Research
- NPRI Phase 1: Awards
- NPRI Phase 2: Research
- NPRI Phase 2: Awards
- NPRI Phase 3: Research
- NPRI Phase 3: Awards
- Making your reports (information for NPRI funded researchers)
- Maintaining your impact files (information for NPRI funded researchers)
NPRI Funding Partners
- Alzheimer’s Research Trust
- Alzheimer’s Society
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- British Heart Foundation
- Cancer Research UK
- Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health Directorates
- Department of Health
- Diabetes UK
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Food Standards Agency
- Health & Social Care Research & Development Office for Northern Ireland
- Medical Research Council
- The Stroke Association
- Welsh Assembly Government
- World Cancer Research Fund
The NPRI welcomes approaches from organisations with similar interests in preventing chronic disease and promoting good health behaviour, who would like to join us. Both public and charity sector organisations, large or small, are welcome. For more information, please contact Dr Marlie Ferenczi:
Contact: Dr Marlie Ferenczi
Telephone: 020 7670 5485
Email: marlie.ferenczi@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
NPRI Phase 1: Research
In December 2005, the NRPI funded 26 new research projects aimed at preventing cancer, diabetes and heart disease. These diseases were targeted because of their considerable impact on public health: in the UK more than 153,000 people died of cancer in 2004; three million people have diabetes, including up to a million in whom the condition hasn’t yet been diagnosed, and coronary heart disease is the UK’s most common cause of death, killing around 1 in 5 men and 1 in 6 women.
Smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity and excessive alcohol intake are at the root of these and many other diseases. The NPRI-funded studies explore a range of approaches to promoting positive health behaviour, to encourage people to avoid these habits and to follow a healthy diet and physical activity programme. Many are taking place in local settings - schools, neighbourhoods, homes, the workplace and GP surgeries - with members of the community helping to develop and testing new interventions.
Some projects use the internet to influence health behaviour, develop partnerships with local food shops, train members of the community to be health advisors, or use marketing communication skills to promote healthier living.
Here are some examples of the research project topics:
- Developing strategies to tackle the early origins of obesity.
- Helping Bangladeshi and Pakistani men to stop smoking.
- Mapping physical activity and health in the urban environment.
- Using the internet to encourage weight loss in overweight African-Caribbean women.
- Exploring physical activity in older adults.
- Assessing the effect of alcohol marketing on drinking by young people.
- Exploring the timing of meals and physical activity to promote good health in shift workers.
- Influencing the choices low-income consumers make when buying food.
NPRI Phase 1: Awards
NPRI Phase 1 was launched in October 2004 with a call for outline proposals. A total of 250 outlines were submitted, and these were assessed in April 2005 by the NPRI Scientific Committee which invited 44 full proposals. These were internationally peer reviewed and assessed by the Scientific Committee. The NPRI Funding Partners considered the recommendations of the Committee and announced the following 26 new research awards; click here for NPRI awardees in 2005.
NPRI Phase 2: Research
Following the success of the first funding round, NPRI announced a second call for outline applications in March 2007.
Consistent with Phase 1, research funded under Phase 2 relates to risk reduction and/or health behaviour – specially tobacco use, alcohol misuse, diet and/or physical activity, with the aim of preventing cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and/or diabetes.
Applications were invited in two specific areas.
Area 1: The analysis of existing datasets in order to further realise the benefits of past investment and put existing data to new uses relating to health behaviours, their determinants and barriers to change. Appropriate datasets included international, national and localised resources derived from surveys, cohorts, case studies, trials or other sources.
Area 2: Role of incentives, including economic incentives, in behaviour or behaviour change of the consumer, retailer, manufacturer or producer in respect of products or services relating to tobacco, alcohol, diet and/or physical activity.
NPRI Phase 2: Awards
A total of 38 outline applications were received and assessed by the NPRI Scientific Committee which invited 22 full applications. These were internationally peer reviewed and assessed by the Scientific Committee. The NPRI Funding Partners considered the recommendations of the Committee and announced the following 14 new research awards.
NPRI Phase 3: Research
In recognition of the continuing need for research targeted at the primary prevention of chronic diseases, and the success of Phases 1 and 2, an expanded consortium of 16 Funding Partners committed up to £12 million over five years to support NPRI Phase 3. The focus remains on behaviours associated with significant risks to health – such as poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol consumption – and on the environmental factors that influence those behaviours. Research will aim to improve health and prevent diseases or conditions such as cancer, heart and circulatory diseases, diabetes, obesity, stroke and dementia.
This new call will fund cross-disciplinary translational research which develops and tests interventions that can potentially have a major impact on population health. The Call has now closed.
NPRI Phase 3: Awards
The Scientific Committee considered 67 outline proposals and invited 32 full applications. Funding decisions are expected in July 2009 after which a list of the awards will be posted here.
Making your reports (information for NPRI funded researchers)
The NPRI Funding Partners take very seriously their responsibility, to the public and to charitable donors, for ensuring that resources are used cost effectively to support high quality work and that, where appropriate, the findings are translatable, applicable and/or exploitable.
The Terms and Conditions of all NPRI awards include the requirement to submit annual reports as well as a final report at the end of the grant. A final financial statement of expenditure is required at the end of the award.
Final reports form an important element in assuring accountability, and also in assessing the impact of the Initiative.
The NPRI Report Form can be used for both annual and final reports and the NPRI Report Guidance explains how to use the reporting system appropriately. A financial statement of expenditure incurred against the grant is also required when submitting the final report.
Process for completing annual reports
- The NPRI Programme Manager sends the PI a reminder one month before the annual report is due and the PI should submit the report back to the same person. Subsequent annual reports should build upon earlier annual reports.
Contact for annual reports: NPRI Programme Manager
Telephone: 020 7670 5485
Process for completing final reports and final statements of expenditure
- The MRC sends the final report web reference plus the final statement of expenditure sheet to the research organisation's finance office approximately one month before the award ends.
- The finance office informs the principal investigator or fellowship holder that the final report needs to be completed.
- The finance office completes the final statement of expenditure.
- The finance office returns the completed reports to the AMT regional contact as detailed in the award letter.
Contact for final reports: Awards Management Team
Telephone: 020 7636 5422
Maintaining your impact files (information for NPRI funded researchers)
The outcomes, and the impact of the outputs, may not be apparent at the time of writing the final report. Consequently, PIs are requested to maintain an “impact file” to record citations to their publications, or any other impact of their research such as changes in public health behaviour, clinical practice or public policy or guidelines. Impact files should be maintained for four years after the end of the award and then submitted to the NPRI Programme Manager.
Contact for impact files: NPRI Programme Manager
Telephone: 020 7670 5485
