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Secondary Data Analysis Projects

Health research board

The Secondary Data Analysis Projects are designed to bring together researchers, knowledge users and data controllers to develop research projects that answer policy and/or practice-relevant questions through the use of secondary data. The proposed research should be explicitly linked to the documented evidence needs of the knowledge user organisation.

This is a rolling call and as such there will be two separate opening and closing dates and associated peer review cycles.

2. Cycle 2

Opens for applications from 01 September 2025 at 13:00 until 09 January 2026 at 13:00

The SDAP scheme was extensively reviewed in 2024. This included analysis of grant management processes, monitoring and engagement with both the health research community and current SDAP grant holders. The following changes have been implemented to strengthen and enhance the scheme:

1. Grant Budget

The budget per grant will increase by €100,000 from €250,000 to €350,000. The enhanced budget is to assist securing appropriate, required personnel with health data expertise and/or enable training and upskilling of personnel on data management, linkage and support skills to conduct SDAP. The enhanced budget empowers capacity building across the system enhancing data expertise skillsets.

2. Project Duration

The standard SDAP duration will increase by 12 months meaning the minimum duration will be 36 months or up to 42 months if developing a tool. The increased timeline is in recognition of potential challenges regarding data curation, hiring of suitable personnel and dissemination activities to conduct the project. This should alleviate and reduce the requirement for no cost extensions.

Note: Applicants are still encouraged to consider allocating appropriate time and budget supports for Data Curation/Preparation, Data Management, Salaries and Training/Specialist skills.

3. Scope & Datasets

The SDAP scheme is designed to have direct relevance to policy and/or practice in the Irish health and social care system and is not appropriate for proposals focused solely on audits or service improvements hence these are excluded from the scope of SDAP 2025.

The datasets used must either be existing Irish or international datasets. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) generally seek to answer one specific question under certain conditions, with limited scope outside the specific trial parameters. Data from RCTs are not appropriate when seeking to make more generalised policy and practice decisions and should ideally be avoided as dataset sources without specific justification.

4. Public/Patient Involvement (PPI)

The HRB encourages PPI to be actively considered for inclusion in all proposals where appropriate. In the event of PPI being excluded in a proposed project appropriate justification will be needed and this will be considered by the Review Panel.

How to apply

This call has two cycles each with specific opening and closing dates. Applications can be submitted to either cycle up to the relevant closing date. There are two distinct opportunities for peer review – see ‘Key dates’ section of the guidance notes. This enables researchers and knowledge users to develop collaborations and to submit their application at the time that best suits them.

All applications must be made using the HRB Grant Electronic Management System (GEMS) (https://grants.hrb.ie), and this system will close automatically at the deadline.

The application must have been reviewed and approved by the signatory approver at the research office (or equivalent) in the host institution before it is submitted to the HRB. Therefore, applicants should ensure that they give the signatory approver sufficient time before the scheme closing date to review the application and approve it on GEMS. Please note that many host institutions specify internal deadlines for this procedure.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. ✅ Strict Eligibility & Call Alignment

Ensure you meet all eligibility requirements (qualifications, team makeup, research type) set out in each scheme’s guidance.

Submit through the HRB e‑management system (GEMS), approved by your institution before the call deadline.

2. 🌟 Scientific Quality & Team Composition

Provide a well-conceived, hypothesis-driven proposal with solid relevance to health and social care.

Demonstrate multidisciplinarity, especially by including a dedicated statistician and, where appropriate, public health or economic expertise, which significantly boosts success odds 

3. 🔍 Pilot Data & Feasibility Planning

Having a completed pilot or feasibility study increases your chance by ~4x at shortlisting.

Include clear timelines, detailed risk management, and access to necessary infrastructure and skills (e.g. biostatisticians, data managers)

4. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Strong PPI (Public & Patient Involvement)

HRB requires robust PPI—your application should include users in design, implementation, and management, backed with budget and a plain-English summary, and you must reply to public reviews 

5. 🧬 Adherence to Responsible Research Policies

HRB uses a narrative CV format based on DORA principles, rewarding diverse outputs (e.g., datasets, policy reports, public engagement) and accommodating career breaks .

Selection committees are trained to recognize unconscious bias, including gender and panel composition considerations.

6. 🎤 Peer & Panel Review Readiness

Applications undergo international peer review, then panel discussion, with opportunities to revise responses .

Reviewer panel rankings may also factor in gender balance in leadership, for closely scored proposals .

7. 📊 Impact & Partnership Orientation

HRB’s Applied Partnership Awards emphasize collaboration with end-users (e.g., HSE, patient advocates), theory-driven evidence, and real-world implementation .

📝 Summary Table

Predictor	Required Action
Eligibility & portal compliance	Fully meet scheme rules and submit via GEMS
Scientific and team strength	Create a strong multidisciplinary team with a clear methodology and pilot data
Feasibility and infrastructure	Show clear plans, timelines, risk management, and resourcing
Meaningful PPI inclusion	Budget and plan for patient/public input and address public reviewer comments
Use of narrative CV & DORA metrics	Emphasize diverse impact and explain career context
Review responsiveness	Prepare to respond thoughtfully to peer and panel feedback
End-user partnerships and impact	Involve healthcare stakeholders and plan for implementation

💡 Pro Tips for HRB Success

Start early to secure internal approvals and institutional support in GEMS.

Include strong pilot data, even small-scale, to bolster feasibility.

Embed meaningful PPI, not just token involvement—state roles, costs, and your response to public reviews.

Use the narrative CV to highlight your full contributions and context.

Assemble the right team, including biostatisticians and domain experts.

Plan for implementation, aligning with HRB’s investment in partnerships and Irish healthcare impact.

Be ready to respond to reviews and revise applications.

Specialties

Public Health

Eligibility Requirements

Applications should be made on behalf of a team made up of researchers, knowledge users and data controllers.

The Lead Applicant and Co-Applicant(s) must include a researcher and a knowledge user. This is a requirement of the scheme
Data controllers from data provider organisations should ideally be included as Co-Applicants or Collaborators
At a minimum, the data controller of the organisation providing access to the dataset/s must agree to provide access to the dataset
PPI Contributors should be included as part of the team where appropriate

In some instances, a researcher or a knowledge user may also be the data controller/processor. The applicant team should designate a Lead Applicant from the research team.

The applicant team must demonstrate clearly that the appropriate and relevant partners are involved in order to achieve the objectives set out in the research proposal and in a manner that aligns well with the sections included in the application on relevance, knowledge translation plan and impact. This round has added an additional objective: to enhance capacity for further research of this nature in Ireland through upskilling, training and education of team members where possible.

Eligible Countries:

Ireland

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Health research board

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Grattan House 67-72 Lower Mount Street  Dublin 2  DO2 H638  Ireland +353 1 234 5000 hrb@hrb.ie

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