Pre-announcement: Applied Partnership Awards- Women’s Health (APA-WH) 2026

The HRB will be launching a new targeted call: the Applied Partnership Awards – Women’s Health (APA-WH) 2026 – Turning Research into Action on 16 January 2026.

The Applied Partnership Awards – Women’s Health 2026 call is designed to bring knowledge users and researchers together to develop applied research projects that address a documented need within the Irish health or social care system in the area of women’s health. Research findings will have a direct impact on decision-making in the knowledge user organisation.

Two million euro of dedicated funds are being made available to the HRB from the Department of Health, under the aegis of the Women’s Health Taskforce, to fund up to ten research projects (a maximum of €200,000 per project) over 12–24 months.

As with all applications to the APA scheme, along with a Lead Applicant – Researcher, each proposal requires a Lead Applicant – Knowledge User. The level of co-funding commitment from the knowledge user partner(s) must be equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the total amount requested from the HRB (assessed as direct or “cash” contributions only).

Applications in any aspect of women’s health research are eligible for funding.

Applications in the following four priority areas are especially welcome:

• Postpartum Mental Health, with a particular focus on traumatic births
• Endometriosis
• Menstruation
• Research on Culturally Sensitive Healthcare/Intersectional impacts on Women’s Health

The call will open to Host Institutions in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Please note that the Lead Knowledge User Applicant must be based in the Republic of Ireland.

The call will remain open for 10 weeks and close 27 March 2026. The guidance notes for the call will be available on the website when the call launches on 16 January 2026, in the meantime applicants can refer to the last published Guidance Notes for the Applied Partnership awards (https://www.hrb.ie/funding-scheme/applied-partnership-awards-apa-2024/) as a guide to the format of this call and the questions for applicants.

Please note that this APA round will have a single deadline. Only applications in the area of women’s health will be eligible to apply.