Our area tops national research funding leaderboard

The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area is riding high in a key national research funding league table.

Research Capability Funding (RCF) is awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to research active NHS organisations. Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, NIHR is the UK Government’s research arm.

More than £5 million in RCF has been awarded across the BNSSG area in the 2026/27 funding allocation. This is more than 10% of the total RCF awards in England.

By supporting NHS organisations to sustain and grow their research capacity and capability, RCF is a key indicator of success in securing NIHR funding. Around 250 NHS organisations are awarded RCF each year.

How it breaks down

When North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) merge on 1 July to form Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, the new organisation will lead the RCF league table. The Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded almost £3m in the 2026/27 RCF funding allocation. This is nearly twice as much as any other NHS trust.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) comes second, securing more than £2m of RCF funding in 2026/27. This sustains its position as the best performing ICB nationally for the third year running.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is also one of the highest performing mental health trusts with £138,000.

Professor Tim Whittlestone, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Medical and Innovation Officer, said:

“This performance is an early indicator of the combined power of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and our partners in the area. Bringing together the strengths of both trusts alongside our partners creates a research environment with genuine scale, depth and ambition.

“To secure the highest level of Research Capability Funding in the country reflects the outstanding work of our researchers and partners, and it positions Bristol as a leading centre for innovation. Most importantly, this investment will enable us to further expand high-quality research that improves care and outcomes for the patients and communities we serve.”

Paul Roy, Associate Director of Research at the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said:

“I am incredibly proud of our area, and this league table shows how much commitment we have to health and care research.

“Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the ICB sitting at the top of the league table in the country proves our effective collaboration as an Integrated Care System to produce high quality research and adopt the evidence into everyday practice. We hope to continue our successful trajectory in funding more research in the future with the support of the National Institute for Health and Care Research funding.”

How RCF makes a difference

RCF funds NHS organisations to support their research teams, acting as a seed corn fund. This includes helping researchers to start their career path, backfilling clinical academics and supporting studies to access specialist input.

RCF enables staff outside traditional research professions to be funded. Half of Southmead Hospital’s 2025/26 awards went to non-medic health professionals such as nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and pharmacists.

Over the last 5 years, for every £1 of RCF, Southmead has received £35 in NIHR grant funding.

At UHBW, RCF has similarly allowed a range of staff to prepare grants. A small RCF grant helped develop a chief nurse’s idea into a project that went on to be awarded £1.18 million by NIHR. The project evaluated the nursing associate role in adult secondary care in England.

At AWP, RCF has been allocated to develop a walking group intervention that could help treat people’s symptoms of psychosis. This project is linked to Bristol Health Partners’ Psychosis Health Integration Team (HIT).

In Weston-super-Mare and surrounding areas, RCF from BNSSG ICB’s allocation is enabling research into more effective ways to support people living with pain. This project is based in Bristol Health Partners’ Chronic Pain HIT.