England Opens October 2026 Evidence-Generation Funding Call for NICE Early-Use Technologies

On 7 October 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) opened a funding call under its Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Awards (PDA) programme, targeting technologies recommended by NICE for early use in the NHS, conditional on further evidence generation.

The funding opportunity is specifically intended for technologies that have received a positive recommendation through NICE early-use HealthTech guidance (previously known as early value assessment). Technologies with negative or research-only NICE recommendations are not eligible.

The call focuses on generating real-world evidence or other relevant evidence aligned with NICE's evidence-generation plans, with the objective of supporting a full NICE evaluation and wider NHS adoption.

Applications must be submitted by consortia comprising:

• An analytical partner: Acting as the lead applicant;
• A technology partner: The manufacturer or provider of the technology;
• At least one NHS site or service: Adopting the technology.

Projects may run for up to three years and are expected to deliver the required evidence within the timeframe specified by NICE.

Funding is flexible, with no fixed upper or lower limit, provided the proposed costs are justified and demonstrate value for money.

The application process consists of two stages:

• Stage 1 – Outline applications: Submission deadline of 2 December 2026;
• Stage 2 – Full applications: Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full proposals between 11 February and 1 April 2027.

Notification of final funding decisions is expected from June 2027 at the earliest.

What does it mean for the industry?

The funding call provides a potential source of financial support for evidence generation following a positive NICE early-use recommendation. It may help eligible technology manufacturers address remaining evidence gaps required for a full NICE evaluation, although funding does not guarantee a subsequent positive recommendation or widespread NHS adoption.

Manufacturers with technologies already recommended through NICE early-use guidance should assess their eligibility for the call, review the alignment of their evidence-generation plans with NIHR requirements, and consider establishing the required consortium with an analytical partner and NHS site ahead of the December 2026 application deadline.

This news is just one of about 300 market access news and updates collected by our team in the premium subscription service MTRC Access Intelligence every week from more than 80 organizations. Access our paid service to stay on top of all developments, specifically for your products in Europe (reimbursement news) and globally (HTA news). Access is organized as an online Database and email alert formats. Contact us to get a free, six-week, no-obligation trial.