NIHR Fewer Lives Lost: Research Consortium to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease Call

Support to commission a UK consortium to generate high-quality research evidence and innovative solutions to support improved prevention, detection and monitoring of cardiovascular disease, particularly among underserved populations.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched the Fewer Lives Lost: Research Consortium to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Call to generate high-quality research evidence and innovative solutions to support improved prevention, detection and monitoring of cardiovascular disease to save lives and reduce inequalities across the UK, inclusive of inequalities by sex, geography, age, deprivation and ethnic background. 

NIHR is working with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to offer this funding opportunity, and the initiative is part of the NIHR Inequalities Challenge. The aim is to commission a research consortium bringing together a range of organisations and sustainable partnerships from across the UK with expertise in research, capacity building and working with people and communities to implement a step change in cardiovascular health and support those who plan, commission, manage, deliver and use services across the health, public health and social care sectors.

While addressing the wider determinants and longer term prevention of CVD through public health initiatives is important, this funding opportunity will focus on detection, management and implementation of effective interventions to improve outcomes for those who already have hypertension and hypercholesterolemia either undiagnosed or unmanaged. Research focused on the early prevention of risk factors such as obesity, smoking and physical activity will be addressed through existing, complimentary programmes and initiatives. However, applicants are encouraged to explore how better implementation approaches for identifying and optimally treating hypertension and lipid dysregulation could be taken as an opportunity to address co-morbidities with cardiovascular disease.

The successful consortium will be expected to include diverse participation from a range of disciplines such as (but not limited to) social and behavioural scientists, medtech and health economics in equal partnership with community trusted voices, voluntary and community sector organisations, and service users in order to provide evidence and actionable findings of immediate utility in practice.

To see faster relative improvement in more deprived communities, research is needed to identify, assess and evaluate how all parts of the health and care system (including initiatives delivered by industry, local government, community and voluntary services, social care, primary and secondary care) can work effectively to reduce inequalities in CVD by reducing the development of disease and improving access to treatments.   

It is expected that the research consortium funded through this opportunity will be inclusive, adopting innovative approaches to reach underserved populations, including those with multiple conditions, in order to drive a greater understanding of the most effective and cost effective interventions to reduce cardiovascular inequalities specifically facilitating the pathway to implementation and associated knowledge mobilisation activities.