Funding available to evaluate local-level alcohol interventions - Philippa Lynch

The NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) Public Health Research (PHR) Programme has funding available to evaluate local-level alcohol interventions. To find out more and to apply, visit NIHR's commissioned funding page.

NIHR are seeking research applications to formally evaluate local authority and local non-NHS organisations’ alcohol interventions. Local communities, services and businesses are well placed to tackle alcohol-related issues in their area and influence acceptable behaviours and cultures. Research must evaluate interventions and the primary outcome measure must be a health outcome. Studies evaluating multi-component interventions, population level interventions, or natural experiments are of particular interest. Opportunities include:

• promoting responsible drinking to protect health and wellbeing in the general population or high risk groups
• altering affordability, such as local agreements on the sale of cheap alcohol, multi-buy promotions, drinks with low cost per alcohol unit and minimum unit pricing
• controlling access through the density of licensed premises and permitted hours, and making health a licensing objective
• changing the night time environment, such as charging a late night levy to local alcohol businesses to support proactive policing, and interventions to reduce alcohol related violence and crime
• giving businesses more responsibilities and approaches to enforcement of alcohol regulations
• local controls on alcohol advertising and marketing
• Pre-existing data analysis

What to do next

The closing date and commissioning brief for this funding opportunity can be found on NIHR's website.
Find out more about this NIHR call for research proposals by registering to join a webinar on Wednesday 4 November 2015, 10.30-11.30. The webinar is an opportunity to ask  questions about remit and resources that can help you with your application.