The PHIRST call for new applications will open on 6 January 2026 and close on 3 February at 1PM. Details of the call, including eligibility criteria, are available to preview on the NIHR website.

There will be a webinar about the scheme and application process on 13 January, 10-11AM. Email phirst@nihr.ac.uk to register your place.

Evaluations

Ahead of the new call and as 2025 draws to a close here’s a run down of PHIRST evaluation reports released in the last year:

1. Live Life Better Derbyshire Health Checks strategies to increase uptake of the NHS Health Check among 40-74 year olds
2. Bristol Thrive at Night an intervention to support mental wellbeing among Night Time Economy workers
3. Money and Mental Health Advice Service in Kent aiming to improve adult mental wellbeing by providing support with financial difficulties
4. Southwark’s Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service the role of a centralised hub in referrals onto exercise schemes and other lifestyle services
5. Residential Amenity Space and Place Quality in Brent changes to planning guidance to ensure new residential developments support health
6. Adding a 3-4 month health visit in Rotherham adding an additional interaction with a health visitor or nursery nurse
7. Locally funded Welfare schemes in Liverpool exploring the impact of three core components of Liverpool City Council’s local welfare provision
8. A complex strategy to reduce youth violence in Lambeth examining the first 3 years of implementation
9. Hybrid Public Health and Planning posts to support delivery of healthier places in the Oxford Cambridge arc

Seminars

You can also watch our 2025 webinars on YouTube (along with those from previous years)

• Evaluations involving Children and Young People
• Healthy Place Making: Improving Public Health through Planning