NIHR Palliative and End of Life Care Research, Marie Curie and NIHR Portfolio (2011-2018/19) Dataset

Analysis found that: In 2018, NIHR was the largest funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK (46%), followed by Marie Curie as the second-largest funder overall (34%) and the largest charitable funder. The majority of NIHR and Marie Curie awards were projects, with relatively few personal awards. There was variation in investment across the UK, with host organisations located in Northern Ireland and the South West of England receiving least funding, followed by the West and East Midlands.

Most awards were associated with ‘generic health relevance’ rather than a particular disease or condition. Where specific conditions were addressed, most awards concentrated on care for people with cancer, followed by neurological (mostly dementia) and respiratory conditions. Only a small number of awards addressed frailty, multimorbidity, Stroke, Oral/Gastrointestinal, Renal, Urogenital and Cardiovascular conditions, or Mental Health.

Apart from age, there was very little research addressing relevant palliative and end of life care research questions with respect to protected characteristics. This analysis can be used by funders and researchers to continue to support efforts to fill gaps in the evidence base, and in response both funders have issued further calls for research.