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Outputs and branding

Home> Researchers> Manage your funding> Manage your project> Outputs and branding

The NIHR tracks outputs from funded research throughout the project’s progress, and for three to five years after publication of the final report.

This keeps us informed of the reach of your findings and their impact and helps our own communications work, as well as allows us and the Department of Health and Social Care to prepare for any media or political interest.

All outputs from research projects funded by NIHR research programmes should acknowledge the NIHR funding.

Some outputs, including digital outputs such as websites and videos, may display the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo.

Separate advice is available for researchers in receipt of NIHR global health research funding or a career award funding from the NIHR Academy.

What is a research output?

A research output is any item arising from NIHR-funded research that enters the public domain. The NIHR takes a broad definition of what constitutes a research output, including:

  • Publications, for example research papers and abstracts,  conference papers, research reports, books or book chapters
  • Engagement activity based outputs, for example talks or presentations, magazine or newsletter pieces (print or online), media interviews or press releases
  • Policy, practice, patients and the public outputs, such as policy documents and participant materials
  • Research databases and models
  • Intellectual property

Find out more about different types of research output in our research outputs and publications guidance.

Research papers

NIHR-funded researchers are expected to publish their main study findings in a peer-reviewed, open access journal. Read our open access policy.

Findings from clinical trials should be published in a peer reviewed journal within 24 months from study completion. Read the NIHR policy on clinical trial registration and disclosure of results.

Five of our research programmes also require researchers to publish research outputs in the NIHR Journals Library.

Find out more about our requirements around research papers in our research outputs and publications guidance.

Press releases

Award holders, through their host institution communications teams, are required to send details of all media activity to the relevant NIHR coordinating centre team. This notification should take place as soon as reasonably practicable and a minimum of three working days prior to any journalist outreach.

Media activity that should be notified to the NIHR includes:

  • A press release being issued through the researchers’ host or partner institution
  • A press release being issued by the journal, funder or partner in the research
  • A researcher taking part in interviews for press or broadcast
  • A media exclusive or journalist briefings

For more information, please see the press releases section of our research outputs and publications guidance.

Notification requirements

Our output notification process changed in September 2020. Many NIHR award holders are no longer required to provide prior notification and final copies of all their research papers or other outputs to the NIHR 14/28 days before they enter the public domain. 

Everything you need to know about providing notification and copies of your research outputs, can be found in our NIHR research outputs and publications guidance.

Acknowledging the NIHR

All written and oral research outputs should acknowledge the NIHR funding in full, include the NIHR unique award identifier and include the NIHR disclaimer. Most research programmes use the following wording:

  • This study/project is funded by the NIHR [name of NIHR programme (NIHR unique award identifier)/name of part of the NIHR]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Please also acknowledge any other NIHR support your project may have received; for example, from our Clinical Research Network or an NIHR Clinical Research Facility or Biomedical Research Centre.

Read more about our acknowledgement and disclaimer in our research outputs and publications guidance.

Branding

We encourage you to use the 'Funded by NIHR' logo on visual and digital outputs, along with acknowledging the NIHR and using our disclaimer.

The 'Funded by NIHR' logo should be used along with our acknowledgement and disclaimer:

  • On websites, above the fold but not in the header, i.e. so that it is visible without scrolling down the page
  • In print, such as on research posters and patient leaflets, below the fold/in the bottom half of the page
  • In research slides, with the ‘Funded by NIHR’ logo on the first slide and the acknowledgement and disclaimer on the final slide
  • On videos, with the 'Funded by NIHR' logo on the final frame with the acknowledgement and disclaimer.

Funded researchers should use their institution’s templates for research posters and slide decks. Alternatively, for research posters, you can use an NIHR poster template and add your host institution logo.

A separate logo is available for researchers funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme, to acknowledge that the programme is a partnership between the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NIHR. If your project is part of the MRC Clinical Trials portfolio, special arrangements apply (please contact EME to find out more).

The 'Funded by NIHR' logo should not be used on:

  • Original research papers
  • Press releases

Funded researchers should not use the corporate NIHR logo.

Research teams are permitted to create logos for their NIHR-funded studies, providing the NIHR acknowledgement is also in place.

Funded by NIHR logo - colour


 Download - NIHR Funded by logo 

Funded by the EME programme

Download - EME Funded logo

Digital

Award holders are permitted to create digital channels for their NIHR-funded research project, such as websites and social media accounts.

Websites

Websites should display the 'Funded by NIHR' logo should be used above the fold but not in the header, i.e. so that it is visible without scrolling down the page.

Websites should also use the NIHR acknowledgement and disclaimer.

Social media accounts

Award holders are permitted to create social media accounts for their research project, such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Social media accounts should acknowledge the NIHR funding in their bio. For example, by tagging the NIHR Research twitter account (@NIHRresearch) in a twitter bio. We also recommend that you tag your host organisation in any social media bios.

The NIHR has a number of audience-focused social media channels that you can follow, supplemented by topic specific streams. We encourage you to engage with and re-share NIHR content on your own channels to help amplify the work of the NIHR, as well as creating unique posts publicising your funded research. Tag us in your posts about your research and we may be able to re-share and amplify too.

Videos

Videos about NIHR research should show the 'Funded by NIHR' logo on the final frame with the acknowledgement and disclaimer.