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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The UKRI Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre (GHRCC) grant aims to establish and fund a central hub responsible for coordinating and facilitating research in the field of gambling harms. Its core objective is to identify research gaps, lead a multidisciplinary research program, and foster collaborations to strengthen the independent evidence base on gambling harms within the UK. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focused on gambling harms research. Target Recipients This opportunity targets UK-based research organizations capable of hosting a significant research and innovation project. Eligible organizations include:

UK academic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
Independent Research Organisations (IROs) recognised by UKRI
UK registered businesses

Geographic Scope While international project co-leads are welcome, the host organization and project lead must be based in the UK. The Centre's work will focus on understanding gambling and gambling-related harms primarily within the UK context, including a considered approach to geographic spread and involvement of devolved nations. Key Filtering Criteria

UK-based host organization (HEI, IRO, or eligible UK business).
Consortium-based application is mandatory.
Primary focus must be on coordinating and conducting research on gambling harms.
Organizations holding a Gambling Commission operating license subject to the levy are explicitly ineligible to host the award or receive funding.

Financial Structure

This grant provides significant funding with specific rules on cost recovery and allocation. Funding Amounts

Total Fund: £10,000,000
Maximum Award: £10,000,000
There is no formal minimum funding threshold, but applications significantly below the maximum must clearly demonstrate equivalent impact, reach, and sustainability.

Funding Rate

UKRI will fund 80% of the Full Economic Cost (FEC) for most eligible project costs.
Exceptions are funded at 100% FEC:
- A minimum of 20% of the Centre's total funds must be devoted to a flexible funding pot for devolved activities. These activities (e.g., commissioning research, supporting participant participation, public engagement, early/mid-career researcher training) are costed at 100% FEC.
- Eligible costs for project co-leads from UK business, civil society (including third sector), community, or government bodies, and international project co-leads.

Co-financing and Cost-sharing Structures

The remaining 20% of FEC for standard costs is expected to be covered by the applicant's organization (or through matched funding detailed in the 'Your organization's support' section).
Costs for certain project co-leads (UK business, civil society, community, government, and international) funded at 100% FEC must not, when combined with the flexible funding budget, exceed 30% of the overall project cost.
Applicants must avoid double counting of public funds.

Eligible and Ineligible Costs Eligible Costs (examples):

Staff salaries and associated costs (National Insurance, pension contributions) for employed staff working directly on the project. This includes direct staff (e.g., engineers, scientists) and indirect, back-office staff directly supporting project activities (e.g., budgeting, reporting). Individual project co-leads' salary costs can be claimed as 'Exceptions' under specific conditions.
Travel and subsistence for individuals identified in the labour tab, limited to economy/best value and essential for project progression.
Materials costs purchased from third parties directly for the project. If materials have residual value, costs must be reduced.
Software bought specifically for project use; for existing software, only additional costs incurred during the project.
Capital usage (depreciation) for equipment/tools with a useful life of at least one year and meeting capitalization policy.
Subcontract costs for third-party work essential to the project, where expertise is not in-house or impractical to develop.
Workshop or laboratory usage costs (detailed calculation required).
Training costs specific and necessary for the project.
Preparation of technical reports (if beyond normal project management).
Market assessment studies essential to the competition scope (not direct sales).
Licensing in new technologies (if avoids 'reinventing the wheel' and is sensible).
Patent filing costs for new Intellectual Property (IP) generated by the project, only for SMEs, up to £7,500 per SME partner.
Regulatory compliance costs justified as necessary for project delivery.
Costs associated with reasonable adjustments (e.g., disability support) directly increasing due to working on the project.

Ineligible Costs (examples):

Funding for Gambling Commission operating license holders subject to the levy, or co-funding from them.
Direct funding or co-authorship from industries whose core business is associated with harm to public health or societal well-being (unless approved as a strict exception).
Blended labour rates inclusive of overheads, discretionary bonuses, performance-related payments, non-productive time, overtime, dividend payments, forecasted pay increases, apprenticeship levy.
Independent auditor or accounting reports (IARs) and associated accounting services.
Purchase of fuel, first-class travel, entertainment/marketing, visas, unreasonable food costs (for travel).
Legal costs relating to trademark-related expenditure.
VAT, unless the organization is not registered for VAT.
Overseas estates and other indirect costs for international co-leads (unless specified for OECD DAC list countries, typically 20% of directly incurred costs).
Overseas equipment items exceeding £25,000 for international co-leads (unless exceptional case for DAC-list countries).

Payment Schedule and Mechanisms

The award will be paid directly to the lead UK organization, which is then responsible for paying funds to project partners.
Costs for project co-leads from UK business, civil society, community, or government bodies charged to the grant must be listed as 'Exceptions'.

Financial Reporting and Audit Requirements

Light touch quarterly reporting and more detailed annual reporting (including studentships and flexible funding awards).
Standard Research Fish reporting.
UKRI may request interim and final evaluations/reports.
Applicants must budget for staff time to support ad hoc reporting requests.

Eligibility Requirements

This grant has strict eligibility criteria for the lead organization and consortium composition. Eligible Host Organization Types To lead and host this award, your organization must be based in the UK and fall into one of the following categories:

UK academic Higher Education Institution (HEI)
Independent Research Organisation (IRO) recognised by UKRI
UK registered business that can demonstrate the capacity to lead and manage a significant research and innovation project. Definition not specified in grant materials beyond 'UK registered business'.

Ineligible Host Organization Types

Government and third sector organizations are not eligible to host the award, though they can act as partners.
Gambling Commission operating license holders subject to the levy are not eligible to host the award or receive funding.

Consortium Requirements

Applications must be consortia-based.
The consortium must bring together diverse people, institutions, expertise, experiences, places, and wider stakeholders, including people with lived and learned experience from gambling and gambling-related harms.
Equitable partnerships are essential, and proposals must demonstrate how partners (academic, industry, third sector, public sector) have supported the application's conceptualization and will contribute to delivery and leadership. Their knowledge, expertise, and time must be valued and supported, ensuring mutual benefit.

Individual and Team Requirements

The project lead must be based at an eligible UK organization.
The core team must include representatives from across UKRI's research and innovation communities, ensuring interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity.
The core team must include early career researchers with clear plans for their development.
Technicians contributing to intellectual leadership and management are encouraged.
International project co-leads are eligible if they meet UKRI's international project co-lead policy criteria. Their eligible costs will be funded at 100% FEC, but their combined costs (with UK business, civil society, community, or government co-leads) and the flexible funding budget must not exceed 30% of the overall project cost.

Industry Engagement and Funding Restrictions UKRI has specific rules regarding engagement with industry, particularly the gambling sector:

No funding is permitted to be provided to Gambling Commission licence holders who are subject to the levy.
Restrictions are placed on co-funding from such organizations.
Individual researchers are not expected to concurrently hold funding from levy-subject license holders while receiving this grant.
UKRI generally does not permit engagement with industries whose core business is associated with harm to public health or societal wellbeing.

Exceptions for Engagement (with strict conditions): Exceptions to the above may be made for time-limited, purpose-specific interactions deemed essential for legitimate, high-quality research (e.g., access to proprietary datasets). These exceptions require prior approval through UKRI's due diligence and governance mechanisms and are subject to the following:

No direct funding or co-authorship from the excluded entity.
The interaction must undergo robust ethical review and be transparently declared.
Appropriate safeguards must be in place to prevent undue influence, reputational risk, or conflicts of interest.
The public benefit of the research must demonstrably outweigh the risks of engagement.

Application Process

Applying for the GHRCC grant requires a structured approach through the UKRI Funding Service. Application Platform

All applications must be submitted via the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service.
The Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system cannot be used for this opportunity.

Application Deadlines and Timeline

Opening date: 26 June 2025, 9:00am UK time
Closing date: 16 September 2025, 4:00pm UK time
Interviews for shortlisted applications: Expected November (specific dates to be confirmed).
Centre start date: 1 February 2026.
Grant duration: 5 years.
PhD studentships start: No later than January 2027.

Application Procedure and Steps

Initiate Application: Select 'Start application' on the Funding finder page.
Project Lead Confirmation: Confirm that you will be the project lead if the application is successful.
Account Access: Sign in or create an account on the Funding Service. Ensure your organization is registered; if not, email support@funding-service.ukri.org (allow at least 10 working days for organization registration).
Complete Application Questions: Answer questions directly in text boxes. You can save and return later. Work offline and then copy/paste answers.
Upload Documents: Follow specific instructions within the Funding Service for uploading required documents.
Review and Check: Allow sufficient time to review your application in 'read-only' view before submission.
Institutional Submission: Send the completed application to your organization's research office for checking. They will submit it to UKRI.

Required Documentation and Materials

Summary: Up to 550 words, in plain English, for public release. No confidential information.
Core Team: List key members and assign roles (Project Lead, Project Co-Lead (UK/International), Specialist, Grant Manager, etc., including public contributors).
Application Questions (narrative sections with word limits):
- Vision (1,500 words)
- Approach (2,000 words)
- Governance (1,000 words)
- Applicant and Team Capability to Deliver (1,650 words, using Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format)
- Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) (1,500 words)
- Research involving Human Participation (700 words, if applicable)
- Resources and Cost Justification (1,500 words)
- Flexible Fund (1,500 words)
- Associated Project Studentships (1,500 words)
- Place (700 words)
Visual Information: Images can be included where relevant (JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP, <5MB), with descriptive captions. No text paragraphs, tables, or excessive images.
References: Included within the word count of the relevant question section; hyperlinks are permitted for reference information only.
Your Organization's Support: A strong Statement of Support from the host research organization, detailing commitment, matched funding, and added value.
Project Partners: Details of contributions (direct/indirect cash/in-kind contributions). Formal collaboration agreements are required if an award is made.
Project Partner Letters/Emails of Support: A single PDF containing letters/emails from each partner (max 2 sides A4 per partner, in English or Welsh only). Enter 'attachment supplied' in the text box.

Support Offered to Applicants

Webinar: A webinar for potential applicants will be held on 24 July 2025 to provide more information and answer questions.
Disability and Accessibility Support: UKRI offers support for applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
Helpdesk: For system or submission queries, contact support@funding-service.ukri.org or call +44 (0)1793 547490 (Mon-Thu 8:30am-5:00pm, Fri 8:30am-4:30pm UK time).

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Monitoring and Evaluation: A Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan will be agreed upon award. This typically includes light touch quarterly reporting and more detailed annual reporting (covering studentships and flexible funding awards).
Research Fish reporting: Standard reporting is required.
Ad hoc reporting: The Centre is expected to respond to internal and external ad hoc reporting requests.
Formal Collaboration Agreements: Must be put in place for project partners if an award is made.
Stage-gate review: A formal review will assess progress against milestones and strategic objectives; continued funding depends on satisfactory delivery.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed through a panel review and, for shortlisted candidates, an interview process. The assessment areas directly correspond to the application questions:

Vision: Assessors will look for excellence, importance, potential to advance understanding, timeliness, and impact on research, society, economy, or environment. This includes how the project embeds Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and plans for public engagement. The concept, context, and coordination function of the Centre, alignment with funding objectives, research challenges, and environmental sustainability plans are also key.
Approach: Evaluation of the proposed methodology's effectiveness, appropriateness, and feasibility. This involves a comprehensive identification and management of risks, a clear and transparent methodology (if applicable), how previous work is built upon, and how outputs will translate into outcomes and impacts. It also assesses the research environment's contribution and how EDI will be integrated into the hub's formation, operation, and governance, including engagement with public engagement professionals.
Governance: Focus on effective and inclusive management, clear leadership team roles and responsibilities across the consortium. This includes plans for managing and encouraging partnerships with non-HEI organizations (government, industry, civil society), monitoring progress, self-evaluation, and administering devolved funding opportunities.
Applicant and Team Capability to Deliver: Assessment of the team's relevant experience (appropriate to career stage), balance of skills and expertise, leadership and management abilities, and contributions to fostering a positive research environment. The Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format is used for this section.
Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI): Applicants must demonstrate identification and management of relevant ethical and RRI considerations. For data-related aspects, this includes legal and ethical considerations for collection, release, and storage (e.g., consent, confidentiality, anonymization, security, data reuse), and compliance with formal information standards.
Research Involving Human Participation (if applicable): Requires justification of participant numbers and diversity, details of any severe impacts, and identification of required approving bodies with approval status.
Resources and Cost Justification: Evaluation of whether requested resources are comprehensive, appropriate, justified, and represent optimal use to achieve intended outcomes and maximize impacts. This involves justifying higher-cost items such as project staff, significant travel, large equipment (£25,000+), exceptional consumables, facilities/infrastructure, 'Exceptions' costs, and international collaboration costs.
Flexible Fund: Assessment of how the minimum 20% flexible fund will be used and managed to support objectives, distribute funding across diverse activities (including capacity building and public engagement), and ensure robust monitoring and governance of funded activities.
Associated Project Studentships: Evaluation of the approach to building capability, plans for enhancing EDI across career stages, details of proposed PhD studentships (minimum five, four-year duration, commencing no later than January 2027), student recruitment and support plans, training and development programs, and support for student research, career development, and well-being.
Place: Consideration of how the proposed work will generate local and regional impacts, enhance UK research and innovation capabilities, engage local and regional stakeholders, and connect with devolved nations' research strategies.
Your Organization's Support: Assessment of the strength of the Statement of Support from the host research organization, including details of any matched funding and additional support provided.

Compliance & Special Requirements

The GHRCC grant has several critical compliance, ethical, and special considerations given its sensitive subject matter and high-profile nature. Regulatory Compliance

UKRI Policies and Guidance: Adherence to all UKRI policies and guidance, including those related to 'Preventing Harm in Research'.
UK Subsidy Control Act 2022: Project co-leads from UK businesses or civil society organizations receiving a subsidy must ensure their involvement complies with this Act. This covers financial assistance that confers an economic advantage and affects competition or trade.

Ethical Standards and Requirements

High Ethical Standard: The Centre's activities and research must be carried out to a high ethical standard, especially given the public harm and health sensitivities associated with gambling research.
Consideration of Issues: Applicants must carefully consider and address all potential ethical, safeguarding, and health and safety issues, ensuring necessary ethical approval is in place before the Centre commences.
Integrity and Conflict of Interest: Robust scrutiny through peer review and governance processes will be applied, with particular attention to the independence and integrity of the research, source of findings, and conflicts of interest. Compliance with UKRI's conflict of interest policy is mandatory.
Data Protection and Privacy: Compliance with UK data protection legislation, including secure management of personal data, consent, confidentiality, anonymization, and security of collected/stored data.

Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

While not extensively detailed, SMEs can claim a contribution (up to £7,500) towards patent filing costs for new IP generated by the project. Trademark-related expenditure is ineligible.

Risk Management

Applicants must comprehensively identify any risks to delivery and describe how they will be managed.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I): As part of UKRI's commitment to secure international collaboration, applicants may need to demonstrate compliance with TR&I principles, identifying potential risks and mitigation strategies.

Special Considerations and Cross-cutting Themes

Consortium Requirement: Applications are mandatorily consortia-based, aiming for a large-scale, multi-institutional setup with a considered approach to geographic spread, including devolved nations.
Interdisciplinarity/Multidisciplinarity: The Centre must adopt a broad disciplinary approach, ideally with representation from across UKRI's research councils and Innovate UK's communities, and include industry representation.
Lived Experience: Crucial to include people with lived and learned experience from gambling and gambling-related harms. Public contributors are now a recognized role within core teams.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): A fundamental commitment is required, extending to leadership, management, core research teams, design/delivery of devolved funding activities, and student recruitment/support. The Centre is expected to be an EDI role model.
Public Engagement: Effective, equitable, and two-way public engagement is vital throughout the Centre's lifecycle, especially involving people with lived experience to shape priorities and approaches.
Equitable Partnerships: Demonstrating equitable partnerships (e.g., valuing partner knowledge, mutual benefit) is key, regardless of whether they are project partners or collaborating organizations.
Sustainability: Applicants should demonstrate their approach to environmental sustainability and reducing the project's carbon footprint. Succession planning for leadership roles is also considered for long-term sustainability.
Capacity Building: A significant component involves funding and supporting a cohort of at least five PhD students (four-year studentships starting by January 2027), along with training and development programs for early and mid-career researchers.
Flexible Funding Pot: A minimum of 20% of the budget is allocated for flexible, devolved funding activities designed to address evidence gaps, support participation, and engage the public.
Stage-gate Review: A formal review aligned with the statutory levy system's financial cycle will assess progress. Continued funding is contingent on satisfactory delivery and governance.
Relationship with Gambling Commission Levy: This Centre is part of the UKRI's Research Programme on Gambling, funded by a portion of the new statutory levy on gambling operators. The Centre will coordinate with 'Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnerships (GHRIPs)' which are being commissioned separately.
AI Use: Use of generative AI tools for application preparation is permitted, but with caution. Reviewers and panellists are explicitly prohibited from using AI tools for assessment due to confidentiality concerns.

Grant Details