The criteria for funding:

Alignment with at least one of our four Challenges: The four challenges are:

• Challenge 1 – Perceptions, Motivations, Decisions. What initiates harmful gambling?
• Challenge 2 – Narratives, Practice, Representation.  What is the everyday practice and portrayal of gambling in social groups?
• Challenge 3 – Experience, Risk, Harm. What social inequalities exacerbate gambling harms?
• Challenge 4 – Innovation, Transition, Change. What socio-technical innovations can help combat gambling harms? 

Potential to inform public health approaches to gambling harm prevention and reduction: The UK Faculty of Public Health defines public health as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health and wellbeing, through the organised efforts of society.” Public health approaches to gambling harms may include prevention, regulation, and targeted and specialist support in order to bring about positive changes at different levels of society (e.g., individual, family and social networks, community and societal).

Potential to generate new knowledge for dissemination across the international academic community: the Research Innovation Fund aims to provide support to researchers to develop and disseminate their research outside of their current networks. The Hub will facilitate and support cohorts of researchers for each year of the RIF, this may involve webinars or colloquia.

Understanding of importance of interdisciplinarity: Research Innovation Fund applications are expected to relate to at least one of the Hub’s four challenges that broadly represent a ‘gambling pathway’ and naturally create space for interdisciplinary approaches to the different dimensions of harmful gambling namely: how harmful gambling comes about; how the practice and portrayal of gambling is linked to gambling harms; what factors exacerbate gambling harms; and the ways in which harms can be prevented or reduced. The Research Innovation Fund will also contribute to the development of cross-cutting themes where the Hub will be able to contribute new evidence from different disciplinary perspectives, such as disparities, inequality, vulnerability, resilience and social justice.‌ 

Consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion: The Hub aims to facilitate and support a wide range of researchers and voices in order to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. 

Evidence of methods to engage end beneficiaries: the aim of the Research Innovation Fund is to develop innovative and impactful research that clearly outlines how the research will benefit the public good.

Impact plan: The aim of the Research Innovation Fund is to deliver significant impact on the gambling research landscape therefore applicants will need to outline what difference their research will make and how they plan to make that happen. 

Plan to leverage further funding: The Hub expects awardees to leverage further funding to continue the research after the Research Innovation Fund grant has ended so the application form should detail what future funding applications are proposed.

Deadline for applications will be end of June 2023.