The NIHR HTA Programme is the biggest of the NIHR research programmes and assesses around 600 research applications every year. Due to the increasing popularity of the programme a new funding board has been created.  

The role of the new board will be to assess applications submitted to the programme in response to NIHR-wide themed calls and evidence synthesis funding opportunities, as well as researcher-led and commissioned proposals. It will complement and have equal status to the existing HTA funding boards. The new board will increase capacity to assess and fund, high quality research.

The chair of the new board will be Professor Andrew Farmer, Professor of General Practice at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. Andrew was founding Director of the Oxford Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit and is currently Chair of one of the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme sub-panels. He has significant experience of the HTA Programme and was Deputy Chair of the HTA Commissioning board from 2007 – 2011.

“The new board will be a real benefit to researchers applying to the HTA Programme, increasing the programme’s capacity and the time available to consider and provide constructive feedback on applications" explains Professor Farmer. "The introduction of this third board is also enabling the timings of the commissioned workstream to be changed giving applicants more time to respond to calls. I see this as a real benefit giving researchers longer to consider the research question and ensure they focus on the needs of patients and the NHS.

I look forward to chairing this board and working with my colleagues to fund research that delivers the NIHR’s vision to improve the health and wealth of the nation.”