DHSC's areas of research interest · first published 30 March 2017
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) publishes its Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) to tell researchers, innovators and industry where it most wants new evidence and solutions. There are three ARIs: (1) preventing poor health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes and cancer; (2) reducing compound pressures on the NHS and social care through better admissions management, discharge and pandemic preparedness; and (3) shaping the future health and social care workforce. This is not a procurement notice — it does not advertise contracts or set supplier selection criteria. Its practical value for small businesses is as an advance signal of where DHSC and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will direct funding, meaning firms whose products or services address these themes are better placed to respond when relevant calls open. Scope is England primarily, with some UK-wide collaboration with devolved administrations.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
For SMEs in health tech, life sciences, digital health, workforce solutions or preventative care, this document is a strategic roadmap: it names the exact problem areas DHSC will fund research into, giving small firms a rare chance to align their propositions before funding calls are published. In particular, the emphasis on implementation science, data science, AI-assisted diagnostics, robotics, remote monitoring, and "hospital at home" points to commercial opportunities for technology SMEs. The cross-cutting focus on reducing health disparities in the most deprived 20% of the population may also advantage SMEs with community-rooted or place-based service models.
1. Map your product or service directly to one of the three named ARIs and six cross-cutting methodologies, then monitor NIHR's current funding opportunities page for calls that match — the ARIs signal exactly where money will flow.
SMEs in health tech, digital health, AI, robotics or remote monitoring — The document states DHSC will deliver ARIs 'using existing NIHR and DHSC funding routes' and explicitly names AI-assisted diagnosis, robotics, remote monitoring, hospital at home and virtual wards as priority technology areas under ARI 3.
2. Prepare a concise evidence summary showing how your solution prevents disease or enables early diagnosis — this is the language DHSC will use in forthcoming funding calls under ARI 1.
SMEs offering prevention, screening or early-intervention solutions (e.g. in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, cancer or mental health) — ARI 1 explicitly seeks research to 'understand and deliver prevention, timely diagnosis and appropriate intervention' for obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health and cancer.
3. Position bids and expressions of interest around reducing avoidable admissions and enabling smart discharge — use the document's statistic that 26% of acute admissions are potentially avoidable as evidence of the scale of need.
SMEs with solutions targeting NHS efficiency, discharge, hospital-at-home or pandemic preparedness — ARI 2 research objective specifically targets 'preventing avoidable admissions, innovations to make routine care more efficient and resilient, smart discharge, and effective pandemic preparedness.'
4. Highlight in any bid or partnership proposal how your model reaches the most deprived 20% of the population — this is a named cross-cutting priority across all three ARIs and will likely feature in assessment criteria for funded projects.
SMEs with place-based, community or social-prescribing service models — The document states a cross-cutting goal to 'reduce health disparities and improve health and economic outcomes for the most deprived 20% of the population' across all ARIs.
5. Actively promote your implementation and adoption expertise — DHSC has explicitly flagged this as 'frequently overlooked' and a barrier to NHS innovation uptake, making it a differentiator in research partnerships and sub-contracting.
SMEs with implementation science, real-world evidence or behaviour-change capabilities — The document states implementation science evidence 'is frequently overlooked and its absence is a key contributor to the slow pace of adoption of innovation in the NHS.'
6. Read NIHR's 'Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter' and the current NIHR funding opportunities page alongside this document to identify open calls aligned to the three ARIs.
All SMEs interested in DHSC/NIHR research funding — The document states 'We will continue to fund research as laid out in the NIHR document: Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter' and directs readers to 'Read about current funding opportunities.'
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
DHSC funds research primarily through NIHR, which invests over £1 billion a year. (DHSC-funded research, England (with some UK-wide collaboration))
“NIHR , which invests over £1 billion a year to improve the health and wealth of the nation.”
DHSC has three named Areas of Research Interest: (1) early action to prevent poor health outcomes, (2) reduction of compound pressures on the NHS and social care, (3) shaping and supporting the health and social care workforce of the future. (All DHSC and NIHR research funding directions)
“DHSC has 3 ARIs which we set out below”
ARI 1 focuses on prevention, early diagnosis and intervention for obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health and cancer. (ARI 1, DHSC/NIHR funded research)
“Prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate intervention for people at increased risk of poor health (in particular obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health and cancer)”
ARI 2 focuses on preventing avoidable admissions, making routine care more efficient, enabling smart discharge, and pandemic preparedness and new infectious disease treatments. (ARI 2, DHSC/NIHR funded research)
“Improved patient outcomes and reduced pressure across the health and care system through preventing avoidable admissions, utilising innovations to make routine care more efficient and resilient, enabling smart discharge, and through effective pandemic preparedness and new treatments to tackle a range of infectious diseases.”
ARI 3 focuses on structuring, training, deploying and supporting the NHS, social care and wider health workforce to meet future population needs. (ARI 3, DHSC/NIHR funded research)
“A public health, NHS, social care and wider health workforce that is effectively structured, trained, deployed and supported to deliver future effective and efficient models of healthcare which meet the needs of the UK's changing population.”
Six priority cross-cutting research methodologies are named: systems thinking, data science, economics of health, behavioural science, implementation science/real-world evidence, and evidence synthesis. (All three ARIs)
“To deliver research and innovation which enable a step change in policy and practice, we need to expand capability and capacity and encourage interdisciplinary collaborations in specific research disciplines.”
Implementation science is specifically highlighted as frequently overlooked and a key contributor to slow adoption of innovation in the NHS. (All three ARIs, cross-cutting methodology)
“This kind of 'adoption' research evidence is frequently overlooked and its absence is a key contributor to the slow pace of adoption of innovation in the NHS.”
Technology-assisted workforce solutions are a named research priority under ARI 3, including AI-assisted diagnosis, robotics, remote monitoring, hospital at home and virtual wards. (ARI 3, health and social care workforce research)
“developing and evaluating technology-assisted workforce solutions to reduce burden on staff while maintaining patient outcomes (for example, diagnoses assisted by artificial intelligence, robotics to support surgery and care, remote monitoring of patients including hospital at home and virtual wards)”
Reducing health disparities in the most deprived 20% of the population is a cross-cutting theme across all three ARIs. (All three ARIs)
“reduces health disparities and improves health and economic outcomes for the most deprived 20% of the population so that we raise the floor and not just the ceiling for the whole population”
DHSC will deliver ARIs using existing NIHR and DHSC funding routes and by working in partnership with other funders including UKRI, medical research charities and the life sciences sector. (All ARIs, all potential applicants)
“We will deliver the ARIs using existing NIHR and DHSC funding routes and by working in partnership with other funders.”
26% of acute hospital admissions would potentially be avoidable if medical interventions were provided prior to admission. (ARI 2 background evidence)
“26% of acute hospital admissions would be potentially avoidable if medical interventions were provided prior to admission”
The NHS and social care workforce gap was identified as approximately 103,000 full-time equivalent posts in 2021–22, around 7% of estimated demand. (ARI 3 background evidence)
“an overall workforce supply-demand gap of around 103,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts across the NHS and general practice in 2021 to 2022 (around 7% of estimated FTE workforce demand)”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
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