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GUIDANCE NOTES FOR
APPLICANTS:
STANDARD CALL FOR FULL
PROPOSALS
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 1 of 16
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR APPLICANTS: STANDARD CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Contents
Introduction 3
Data protection 3
Completing your electronic application form 4
Section A: Details of Chief Investigator 4
Section B: Project details 4
Section C: Details of joint applicants 7
Section D: History of proposed research 7
Section E: History of past or existing NIHR programme research 8
Section F: Declarations and signatures 8
Section G: Costs 8
Section H: Indirect costs 11
Section I: Summary of cost of project 11
Appendix A: NHS support costs and treatment costs 11
Appendix B: Department of Health monitoring information 12
Attachments: Sections and information to be included in a detailed project 12
description
Submitting your application 15
Further assistance 16
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 2 of 16
Introduction
The Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) programme is part of the National Institute
for Health Research (NIHR). From 1 April 2009 the secretariat function of the programme
is managed by the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC)
based at the University of Southampton under a contract with the Department of Health.
There are two types of SDO grant application -OUTLINE proposals and FULL proposals.
This document contains information and guidance to applicants submitting a FULL
proposal. Further information on SDO and other NIHR programmes can be found on the
website www.sdo.nihr.ac.uk.
Data Protection
We have an obligation to keep data secure and to use it appropriately. To fulfil our
obligations under law and as a result of our contract with the Department of Health, we
adopt various procedures to use and protect data. This will impact on how we deal with
you as an applicant and your co-applicants. You should bear in mind that we will need to
consider data protection issues separately on each occasion that you apply to the
programme.
Data Security - data about you
Personal information will be held on a database in the NETSCC password-protected
network that is available only to NETSCC staff. Your details and those of your co-
applicants will be retained in order to facilitate the running of the SDO programme. If your
application is successful, at any stage of our process, your name and organisation details
will appear on the SDO website. In addition, once funding has been agreed and the
contract signed, your details will appear in other SDO literature as a grant holder and will
be passed to the Department of Health (DH) for inclusion in their publicly available
databases of research projects. Your name and those of your co-applicants will be added
to our mailing list. This means that you will be sent updates on the SDO programme. We
may also send you separate literature about the SDO programme and related events in
medical/health research. If you have any questions, or if you would prefer not to receive
routine and/or general communications, please contact us at: sdo@southampton.ac.uk.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 3 of 16
Completing your electronic application form - useful information
To submit a proposal, you must complete all mandatory fields of the electronic application
form for the current closing date and provide a detailed project description (further
guidance relating to the detailed project description is available on page 12). Please note
that previously submitted application forms will not be accepted.
On-screen help is provided by the ‘Assistant’ (prompted by a ‘?’ on the form). You should
refer to this for guidance on specific questions as you complete your application form.
PLEASE NOTE: There are character limits set for each text box. This is to ensure that the
form can print out correctly and limits depend on the amount of text inserted into each box. If
applicants are cutting and pasting text into the application form and exceed the character
limit, an error message will appear. This states ' There is too much text to fit on printed form.
It has been changed to indicate where the limit has been reached'. A symbol '<----->' will
appear within the body of text inserted to indicate the character limit for the text box. The text
can be removed and placed into a word processing document to determine the character
limit for the box to help applicants adjust the text to fit the required word limit.
Please note that we are currently experiencing a technical difficulty that affects the use of
two symbols: ≥ ≤ in our application form software. If you use either of these symbols you
will get an error message; if you need to use either ≤ ≥ then please replace these symbols
with words (ie less than or equal to or greater than or equal to).
The stated word count is very approximate.
Shortly after you begin
It is advisable to save your form soon after you begin. To do this, click save and follow the
instructions making sure that you take note of your ‘Save ID number’.
Section A: Details of Chief Investigator
Complete your contact details. Do not repeat the name of the department or organisation
in the ‘Official address’.
Please ensure you include details of your role in the project, for example, modelling
expertise, project management etc.
Section B: Project Details
Full title of project: this section should clearly state the research question and any
abbreviations should be spelt out. The project title used here should be the same as the
title used on your outline proposal if you are completing this as part of a two-stage
application. Please note that applicants for the NHS Evaluations call will not have
completed an outline proposal.
Aims and objectives: Please summarise the key aims and objectives of your project, and
provide a concise statement of the research questions.
Start Date: You should provide your proposed project start date. Please note that
successful projects are expected to start within a reasonable time following a decision to
fund (usually about nine months).
Clinical Trials: If your proposal is for a clinical trial, there are questions here about
whether you are using a clinical trials unit (CTU). The CTU will be aware of this
requirement and able to supply this for your use.
You do not need to complete these questions if you are not proposing undertaking a
clinical trial.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 4 of 16
Clinical Evaluation and Trials support funding: Please leave blank if the CTU involved has
not received NIHR CET support funding
Clinical Trials Unit registration: Please leave blank if the CTU involved has not received full
or provisional registration for the UKCRN
Background: This section should include a brief literature review and how you expect to
add to the body of knowledge with reference to current NHS policy and practice.
Need: It is essential that you identify the NHS needs your research meets or contributes to.
Please outline the anticipated value or contribution the study will provide. Classification of
need for research is set out below:
• Health need :There will be benefits in terms of improving health for patients and
carers. This covers the potential for preventing avoidable mortality and morbidity,
improving quality of life and considerations of disease prevention. For example,
research in this area is likely to identify new ways of working that enhance
opportunities for health promotion or quality and safety of care. Benefits may also
arise from improving the acceptability and effectiveness of care, cost effectiveness
to the NHS, better targeting of services or equity of access to care.
• Expressed need :The existence of an expressed need for the research in the NHS
management community, and evidence that it is, or will be, highly relevant and
important to the needs of the NHS.
• Sustained interest and intent: Evidence that the issue or area is one in which there
will be sustained interest in the future, such that the results of research once
commissioned and undertaken will remain highly relevant and important to the
needs of the NHS in the future.
• Capacity to generate new knowledge: The existence of uncertainty or “knowledge
gaps” which cannot be addressed by the existing body of research in this area and
that require new research.
• Organisational focus consistent with SDO mission: The focus of the expressed
research need is consistent with the wider mission of the SDO programme and its
primary orientation towards the organisation and delivery of healthcare.
• Generaliable findings and prospects for change: Research in this area is likely to
produce findings of value to the NHS management community, which NHS
organisations are likely to be able to use in their decision making in ways that bring
about change and improvement.
• Building on existing work: Research contributes to building a coherent body of
knowledge in the area, and may build on previous research commissioned by the
SDO programme.
This information is to be used to describe rather than justify the need. This process will
have been assessed at outline stage if this full proposal is part of a two-stage application
process. If this is part of a one-stage application process, this information will be used to
assess your full application.
Methods: Outline the design of your research including the methods you plan to use; the
target organisations, staff groups/professions, patient care group or disease area to be
studied. Please also give brief details of the team involved in undertaking the research.
Please ensure your methods and fieldwork are clearly connected to the aims and
objectives and research questions you outlined earlier.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 5 of 16
• Search strategy (in the case of projects involving evidence synthesis): Provide
details of the body of existing evidence that will be covered and access
arrangements (e.g. use of databases, hand-searching, communication with authors,
etc).
• Review strategy and strategy for reviewing literature (in the case of projects
involving evidence synthesis): Explain the criteria to be applied to assess the
quality and relevance of studies identified by the search strategy. Provide an
explanation of how these will be decided if they are not yet known. Describe your
methods for combining, aggregating or synthesising research findings and different
forms of evidence.
• Design and theoretical/conceptual framework: Please provide a brief statement on
the type of study design to be used, and the theoretical framing, concepts and
models to be used.
• Sampling: Please describe for all projects your approach and rationale for sampling
or selecting research sites and subjects. For quantitative studies, if appropriate,
state the required sample size, giving details of the estimated effect, size, power
and/or precision employed in the calculation where applicable.
• Setting/context: Please describe the health service setting or context in which the
study will take place (such as the organisation or service type).
• Data collection: Please describe the data you plan to collect. Depending upon
your study design and methodology, you may need to explain what data collection
instruments or measures you plan to use, and whether you will be using
instruments already developed and tested elsewhere or instruments which you
develop as part of this project. For example, where cost or outcome data is to be
collected, you need to make clear and justify your approach to defining and
measuring the costs or outcomes in question. You should make clear the link
between the data collected and the research questions outlined earlier.
• Data analysis: Please describe how you plan to analyse the data you have
collected. Depending upon your study design and methodology, you may need to
explain what quantitative statistical methods you plan to employ, your methods for
qualitative data analysis, and your approach to combining data from multiple
methods or sources.
How the proposal has changed since the outline (this only applies to applicants
who have previously submitted an outline application for the same project and who
have been asked to submit a full application – this section DOES NOT appear in full
application forms for a one-stage assessment process): Please state any changes
such as to aims and objectives or your methodology, and whether these have influenced
estimates of costs and/or the duration of the project.
Summary of project plan of investigation and timetable: Please provide a concise
summary of the project plan of investigation, showing the scheduling of all key stages in
the project, their expected duration, and the timing of key milestones throughout the
project including the production of outputs. Please ensure your timings (eg. time allowed
for securing ethics/governance approval, for undertaking data collection and analysis, and
for reporting) are realistic. This timetable will be an important aspect of the monitoring
framework during the life of the project.
Contribution to collective research effort and research utilisation: Please describe
the main knowledge products or outputs from your research and how they will be
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 6 of 16
presented, disseminated and used. State how you plan to promote knowledge
mobilisation so that the findings from the research impact on the management of health
services and to improving practice and service delivery in the NHS.
Planned or active related research grants: Includes SDO, other NIHR programmes or
other funding bodies. The SDO Commissioning Board welcomes information on you and
your team’s wider research activity. Please include how your previous or current work will
fit with this application and how you will plan capacity where a number of grants may be
held concurrently.
UK Clinical Research Networks (PR only): When projects have a clinical focus
congruent with that of any of the UK Clinical Research Networks (http://www.ukcrn.org.uk)
they are encouraged to form appropriate links. Please state in this section whether you
see your proposed project as having links with one or more of the UK Clinical Research
Networks and if so, how you envisage making such links and what benefits you would
hope to secure from working with the relevant network(s).If you intend to engage with one
or more of the UK Clinical Research Networks please state which network(s) you intend to
work with and indicate how far you have progressed this. Please provide as much detail as
possible.
Plain English summary for the non-expert: The summary for the non-expert should be
suitable for a service user. It should enable the reader to understand the research
question and how the proposal addresses an issue important to the NHS. Explain
specialised technical terms, acronyms and avoid jargon. More detail on writing for public
consumption is available from the Plain English Campaign. A free guide, designed
specifically for the Health Sector, can be found at
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/medicalguide.pdf.
Section C: Details of joint applicants
Expertise in team: The team should include relevant expertise in the study area concerned
and have the necessary skills to undertake the project.
You must complete personal details of everyone involved and state their contribution
towards the proposed project (e.g. data collection, co-ordination and project management,
analysis, methodological input, service user input). The form allows for you to include a
maximum of 30 joint applicants.
Do not include collaborators (individuals who will contribute to the project but do not have
responsibility for its management) in this section. Collaborators should be included under
'Expertise' in your detailed project description.
Section D: History of proposed research
Please answer questions 1 to 4 as fully as possible.
D1: Will this research be supported by any other funding body: Please note that the
SDO programme does not accept applications currently pending with other research
funding organisations. If this applies to your application form, please contact the SDO
programme: sdo@southampton.ac.uk.
D2: Is this, or a related application, currently being submitted or has been submitted
elsewhere: If you are proposing a study that requires joint or shared funding, it is in your
interest to provide a clear explanation of the arrangements for this. This should include
details regarding full access to all data relating to the proposed study, and consideration of
any conflicts of interest that may arise from the funding arrangements.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 7 of 16
D3: Is the research likely to lead to patentable or otherwise exploitable results?
Examples of research where this may be the case would include intellectual property
rights on a psychometric test, quality of life questionnaires or data modelling techniques.
D4: Do you or any of the other joint applicants have any interests that should be
declared: Declare any potential conflicts of interest that you or your joint applicants may
have, including any facts that, should they come to light at a future date, would embarrass
either the programme or the individual who withheld the fact (e.g. if a member of the team
holds a patent or has a financial interest within the SDO area). Where the commercial
sector may be involved with the application or the study, please state clearly the
relationship to the ownership of data, access to data, and membership of project oversight
groups.
Section E: History of past or existing NIHR programme research
Please indicate whether you hold or have ever held an NIHR programme contract which
has been terminated, extended in time or in terms of funding.
Section F: Declarations and signatures
All relevant boxes should be ticked in this section and the respective information entered.
Signatures are not required for the electronic submission of your application. However,
two paper copies of your proposal, one of which must contain all appropriate original
signatures must be sent to us at the address given at the end of these guidance notes.
Please note that the signed paper copies should be received by the office no later than a
maximum of one week after the deadline for submission of proposals. The paper copies
must be identical to the electronic application, as no further changes can be made after
the deadline.
F5: NHS involvement in the research and costs. This section needs to be completed if
the project will involve the use of NHS facilities and staff and will therefore incur NHS
support costs. If you are completing Appendix A (which references the relevant guidance
to researchers) you should answer “Yes” to section F.5 and your application needs to be
signed by appropriate nominated NHS signatories. However, if you do not need to
complete Appendix A because your proposed project does not incur NHS support costs,
then answer “No” to this section and the application does not need NHS signatories.
Section G: Costs
Financial information
The cost details required in this section are those that relate strictly to the R&D costs you
wish the SDO programme to support. These are all the research costs that your institution
will incur solely through undertaking this piece of research.
Research Grant & Research Grant including NHS costs
Applicants should note that it is in their interests to undertake a thorough, realistic and
accurate costing. Costs should not be underestimated and the SDO programme expects
that costs identified should not be materially different between outline and full proposal
stage in the case of a two-stage application process. The Board will pay close attention to
any increases and applicants must provide a clear and full justification for all costs.
Applicants should ensure that they include all costs including any required to secure good
project management. Applicants must be aware that they will have to demonstrate value
for money to the NHS.
G1: Details of posts and salaries
Please list all members of staff working on the project. Those named as principal and co-
applicants earlier in the application form will automatically be inserted under ‘Principal and
Co-applicants’. Other staff will need to be listed.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 8 of 16
You should state the full time annual costs of members of staff at the start of the project.
Full staff costs should be included and should not be reduced to take into account the
percentage of time or the duration of time that the person will spend on the project – this
operation will be done in Section G2.
For members of staff that your institution chooses to cost on the basis of average bands
rather than actual salary, please state which band you are using and what the full annual
cost is.
G2: Annual costs of posts listed under G1
Those named as principal and co-applicants earlier in the application form will
automatically be inserted under ‘Principal and Co-applicants’. Other staff should be listed,
as in G1.
You should now allocate the individual staff member costs to each year of the project,
allowing for increments and inflation. You must allow for inflation at your institution’s usual
rate when calculating salary costs. Use current rates of pay, and build in any known
annual increments (again at current rates). You will not be able to claim for pay awards
retrospectively, once your project is underway.
Please note the ‘% full time on project column’ and the Years 1-5 cost columns are
independent and the % figure is not used to calculate the net staff costs.
For the years 1-5 columns, enter the amount of the cost of the individual to the project. For
example:
• if the person costs £20,000 and is expected to work 50% of the time on the project,
in the percentage column put 50, then £10,000 in year 1, £10,000 plus inflation and
any increment in year 2, £10,000 plus inflation and any increments in year 3, etc.
• If someone is going to work full-time on the project, but only for the last 6 months,
you would enter 100 in the % column and 6 in number of months then the cost of
their work in the year which is the last one of the project.
• If the project lasts for several months and someone’s involvement varies over the
course of the project, it may be easier to make a separate line entry each time it
changes.
• It is important to double check that the %, total months and yearly costs information
are consistent with the ‘Current Annual costs’ information in G1 (G1 should show
the full current staff costs independent of % etc, whereas the yearly costs in G2
depend on % etc).
Check whether staff are employed by a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or non-HEI
organisation (as this will have an effect on the funding provided – HEI funding is calculated
at 80% of costs, and non-HEI funding is calculated at 100%). All non-HEI staff should be
marked by clicking the Non-HEI option in the ‘Edit Table Row’ sub-form.
G3: Travel and Subsistence
If conferences or international travel are included, a statement naming the conference or
purpose of travel and the benefit to the project must also be made. The SDO programme
will fund a maximum of two people to attend one international conference, or one person
to attend two international conferences.
Where applicable you will need to include the travel and subsistence costs of your Project
Advisory Group, Steering Committee and/or Data Monitoring & Ethics Committee. Costs of
travel to any welcome meetings at NETSCC should also be included.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 9 of 16
It is essential that the findings from the research project are disseminated widely across
the NHS. Travel and subsistence costs relating to this should be included here.
Journeys cost: Enter the total cost of transport for all journeys for destination/purpose. If
travel is by car, apply your institution’s mileage rates (however this should not exceed the
DH maximum rate).
Subsistence: Subsistence covers accommodation (if necessary) and meals associated
with the travel, excluding any alcoholic beverages.
G4: Equipment
Costs of computers are normally restricted to a maximum of £750 each, and a statement
of justification must be included for any purchase above this limit. Equipment costs over
£50,000 will normally be funded at 100%. If you are an HEI please contact us if your
equipment exceeds £50,000, as the form will automatically reduce it to 80% and a manual
adjustment will need to be made.
If your organisation is an 'eligible body' under HM Customs & Excise Notice 701/30 (VAT:
Education and Vocational Training), e.g. you are a university or NHS Trust, the cost of any
equipment should include VAT you have to pay on purchase.
G5: Consumables
Please itemise and describe the requirements fully (e.g. postage, stationery,
photocopying).
G6: Other Direct Costs
Itemise and describe fully anything which does not fit into the previous categories. Please
note that in HEIs, recruitment of staff, and general training (e.g. in common IT packages)
are costs that should be covered by the indirect costs element of the grant being sought.
However, training specific to this project, for example, in how to deliver a specific
intervention, should be itemised and fully described here.
External consultancy costs, including service user involvement can also be claimed here.
For consultancy specify the hourly rate and the number of hours. Please note that
consultants must not be people who are already employed by the applicant’s institution. If
they are, any costs should be entered in section G1 and G2.
Where applicable, you can claim here for initial preparation costs of a Cochrane review, if
the Commissioning Brief specifically encourages applicants to consider producing and
maintaining a Cochrane systematic review from SDO commissioned systematic reviews
concerned with evaluation of interventions for prevention, treatment or rehabilitation.
Any costs associated with publication or presentation of findings (other than those related
to travel and subsistence or consumables) should be included here. Any large costs (i.e.
greater than £25,000) should be further detailed with a breakdown of constituent parts or a
timescale profile of the costs.
Section H: Indirect costs
These costs are calculated on the basis of transparent approach to costing (TRAC)
methodology and only apply to HEIs. Applicants from other types of institutions should
leave this section blank.
H1: Estates Charges
This number is based on the number of full-time equivalent research staff working on the
project, using the estates charges set by your institution. Where staff from more than one
HEI are working on the project there may be different estates charges for each one.
Please list each of these on a separate line.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 10 of 16
The SDO programme reserves the right to examine the full breakdown of the calculation of
your institution’s estates charges.
H2: Other Indirect Costs
This number is based on the number of full-time equivalent research staff working on the
project, using the indirect costs charges set by your institution. Where staff from more than
one university are working on the project there may be different indirect costs charges for
each one. Please list each of these on separate lines.
The SDO programme reserves the right to examine the full breakdown of the calculation of
your institution’s indirect costs charges.
Section I: Summary of cost of project
The figures in this section are completed automatically.
NIHR Programmes currently fund HEIs at a maximum of 80% of full economic cost (except
for equipment over £50,000: 100%) There are no estates charges or indirect costs for non-
HEI institutions, therefore the NIHR will fund a maximum of 100% of directly incurred and
directly allocated (non-estates) costs.
Please note that whilst these percentages will be used to calculate the maximum grant
payable, the SDO programme reserves the right to award a grant for less than this
maximum where appropriate.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 11 of 16
Appendix A: NHS support costs and treatment costs (inc. excess treatment costs)
Where appropriate, NHS costs associated with your application should be entered in this
section where the research is associated with patient care services and the research
cannot proceed unless that patient care service is also being provided. A distinction is
drawn between the costs of the R&D itself (the Research Costs), which are always paid for
by the funder of the research, and the associated patient care costs (NHS Support and
Treatment Costs). With regard to R&D funded directly by DH (which includes all work
commissioned by the SDO programme), the NHS is obliged to support the research
through normal patient care commissioning arrangements including any Excess Treatment
Costs.
Appendix A of the electronic form requires an estimate of the patient care costs associated
with the research. An explanation of why these costs are being incurred and the basis on
which the estimates have been made should be included in the Detailed Project
Description (see notes for section: ‘Justification of the support requested’).
1. NHS support costs
These are the additional patient care costs associated with the research, which will end
once the R&D activity in question had stopped, even if the patient care service involved
continues to be provided. These might cover items such as extra patient tests, extra
inpatient days and extra nursing attention.
2. Estimated treatment costs (including excess treatment costs)
These are the patient care costs that will continue to be incurred if the patient care service
in question continues to be provided after the R&D activity had stopped. Where patient
care being provided differs from the standard treatment for that condition (either an
experimental treatment or a service in a different location from where it would normally be
given), the difference between the total Treatment Costs and the costs of the "usual
standard care" (if any) constitutes Excess Treatment Cost. This is nonetheless part of the
Treatment Cost, not an NHS Support or Research Cost.
Applicants should note that Treatment Costs are the responsibility of Trusts and PCTs,
and they will be expected to meet these costs should the research be funded (except in
very exceptional circumstances). Further information on these costs can be found in the
Department of Health (DH) document Non-commercial, externally funded R&D in the NHS
HSG (97)32.
Please note you should take into account any cost savings due to the release of any usual
standard care resources when calculating the total treatment costs involved in the R&D.
For further information please refer to the DH document Attributing revenue costs of
externally-funded non-commercial research in the NHS for guidance on completing this
section
(http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuid
ance/DH_4125280). If you have any queries regarding NHS costs, please email Trudi
Simmons (trudi.simmons@dh.gsi.gov.uk) at the DH.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 12 of 16
Appendix B: Department of Health Monitoring Information
This information is required for monitoring purposes by the DH. The majority of the boxes
offer a choice from a drop down menu or simply require applicants to tick boxes relevant to
them. Please note this section must be completed.
Attachments:
Detailed project description
Applicants must submit a detailed project description, which is a fuller account of the
proposed project than can be provided in the limited space allowed in section B of this
form. . This should be a maximum of 20 pages using a font size no smaller than 10 (Times
New Roman). This can be uploaded when the application form is submitted.
Broadly, the detailed project description should follow the format set out in section B above,
as follows:
Full title of project: this section should clearly state what the research question is and
any abbreviations should be defined. The project title used here should be the same as
the title used on your outline proposal if one has previously been submitted.
Aims and objectives: Please summarise the key aims and objectives of your project, and
provide a concise statement of the research questions.
Background: This section should include a brief literature review and how you expect to
add to the body of knowledge with reference to current NHS policy and practice.
Need: It is essential that you identify what contribution your research will make and define
the NHS need(s) it meets. Give an outline of the anticipated value or contribution the study
will provide.
Methods: Outline the design of your research including the methods you plan to use; the
target organisations, staff groups/professions, patient care group or disease area to be
studied and brief details of the team involved in undertaking the research. Please ensure
your methods and fieldwork are clearly connected to the aims and objectives and research
questions you outlined earlier.
• Search strategy (in the case of projects involving evidence synthesis): Provide
details of the body of existing evidence that will be covered and access
arrangements (e.g. use of databases, hand-searching, communication with authors,
etc).
• Review strategy and strategy for reviewing literature (in the case of projects
involving evidence synthesis): Explain the criteria to be applied to assess the
quality and relevance of studies identified by the search strategy. Provide an
explanation of how these will be decided if they are not yet known. Describe your
methods for combining, aggregating or synthesising research findings and different
forms of evidence.
• Design and theoretical/conceptual framework: Please provide a brief statement
on the type of study design to be used, and the theoretical framing, concepts and
models to be used.
• Sampling: Please describe for all projects your approach and rationale for sampling
or selecting research sites and subjects. For quantitative studies, if appropriate,
state the required sample size, giving details of the estimated effect, size, power
and/or precision employed in the calculation where applicable.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 13 of 16
• Setting/context: Please describe the health service setting or context in which the
study will take place (such as the organisation or service type,).
• Data collection: Please describe the data you plan to collect. Depending upon
your study design and methodology, you may need to explain what data collection
instruments or measures you plan to use, and whether you will be using
instruments already developed and tested elsewhere or instruments which you
develop as part of this project. For example, where cost or outcome data is to be
collected, you need to make clear and justify your approach to defining and
measuring the costs or outcomes in question. You should make clear the link
between the data collected and the research questions outlined earlier.
• Data analysis: Please describe how you plan to analyse the data you have
collected. Depending upon your study design and methodology, you may need to
explain what quantitative statistical methods you plan to employ, your methods for
qualitative data analysis, and your approach to combining data from multiple
methods or sources.
Contribution to collective research effort and research utilisation
Please describe the main knowledge products or outputs from your research and how they
will be presented, disseminated and used. State how you plan to promote knowledge
mobilisation so that the findings from the research impact on the management of health
services and to improving practice and service delivery in the NHS.
Plan of investigation and timetable
Please provide a concise summary here of the project plan of investigation, preferably in
the form of a monthly project timetable showing the scheduling of all key stages in the
project, their expected durations, and the timing of key milestones throughout the project
including the production of outputs. Please ensure your timings (eg time allowed for
securing ethics/governance approval, for undertaking data collection and analysis, and for
reporting) are realistic. This timetable will be an important aspect of the monitoring
framework during the life of the project.
If your application is successful, you will be required to submit progress reports usually
every six months. Where appropriate, these progress reports will be based on the project
timetable and milestones. If you are late producing progress reports or a single draft final
report of the expected standard for the SDO programme, we may withhold payments, in
accordance with our retention policy.
Approval by Ethics Committees
Outline the ethical issues, and arrangements for handling them. Consider when the
project requires approval by an ethics committee. If there is development work that is
essential before you intend to apply for ethics approval, state this and make the timescales
clear in your plan of investigation and project timetable. The Commissioning Board will
consider this in detail and consider whether to offer staged funding. If you are using
patient information from an existing database, you should check whether the patients have
given their consent for their data to be included in that database for research purposes, or
if not whether the database is exempt under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act
2001. Please note, if your application is successful, funding will not be released until all
approval documents have been submitted to the SDO programme.
Project management
All project proposals should include details of how the project will be managed including
who will be the project manager, a role which should be appropriately costed where
necessary. For projects involving a number of institutions or component parts, effective
project management is essential to ensure the work is completed within the planned
timeframe. Applicants should set out how co-applicants in different institutions will
communicate and monitor progress of the project.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 14 of 16
Service users/public involvement
The SDO programme recognises the importance of active involvement of service users in
research and would like to support research projects appropriately. Applicants are
encouraged to consider whether the scientific quality, feasibility or practicality of a
proposal can be improved with service user involvement.
Research teams wishing to involve service users should outline their plans stating:
• the aims of active involvement in this project
• a description of the service users to be involved
• a description of the methods of involvement
Applications not involving service users must clearly justify this. INVOLVE (formerly
Consumers in NHS Research) has issued guidance for researchers on public involvement
in research and the paying of service users actively involved in research. These are
available from http://www.invo.org.uk/index.asp
Expertise and justification of support required
Outline the particular contribution each member of the team will make to the project and
the particular contribution that collaborators are intended to make. In addition, please give
details of supervision arrangements for junior staff involved.
You should outline staff numbers and grades, timescales, equipment purchases, etc., that
you are requesting the SDO programme to fund. If you propose to purchase expensive
medical or other equipment, justify fully why you are not proposing to lease it, since this is
the DH preferred option.
If you have completed Appendix A, you must also provide an explanation and justification
of the NHS Support Costs and Excess Treatment Costs associated with this proposal
including, if applicable, an explanation of the basis on which these NHS costs have been
estimated.
References
List all references cited in the full project description, using either the Vancouver or
Harvard referencing conventions.
Flow diagram
Please supply a flow diagram illustrating the study design and the flow of participants. If
proposing a RCT, we advise you refer to the CONSORT statement and website for
guidance: http://www.consort-statement.org
Format
Your detailed project description should have:
• a header containing your allocated project reference number, if known
• a footer showing your page numbers
• create a .pdf version of your document
Submitting your application
The SDO programme requires you to submit your application form and detailed project
description in time to reach our offices by the stated deadline. Please note that we cannot
grant any time extensions and the deadline will be strictly observed. You should therefore
plan your application carefully. We will not enter into negotiations for extensions.
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 15 of 16
Full proposals must be submitted electronically and as hard copies. Submit your
application electronically, using the Submit button on the last page of the web form.
Two paper copies of your proposal, one of which must contain all appropriate original
signatures should be sent to us at the address below. Please note that the signed paper
copies should be received by the office no later than a maximum of 1 week after the
deadline below. The paper copies must be identical to the electronic application, as no
further changes can be made after the deadline.
The SDO Commissioning Team, NETSCC
NETSCC, Service Delivery and Organisation
Alpha House
University of Southampton Science Park
Southampton
SO16 7NS
Please ensure that before you submit your application, you have completed the necessary
fields and saved a version of your form.
Assistance
If you experience any problems in completing your application, please contact the SDO
team at:
Tel: 023 8059 8505
Email: sdo@southampton.ac.uk
SDO Guidance Notes Version 6 SDO Standard Commissioning 16 of 16
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