Mapping public health research across the National Institute for Health Research 2006–2013

BACKGROUND: Public health research is an important component of United Kingdom (UK) health research and strategic analysis of its breadth and balance is key to ensure value. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is one of the main funders of health research in the UK and includes many research programmes and schools. This study reports on public health research funded by the NIHR between April 2006 and March 2013. METHODS: The NIHR research programmes and schools were asked for information about all research funded during the study period. Firstly, projects were classified as a public health research project according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The public health research projects were further categorised according to the Public Health Outcomes Framework and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence taxonomy. RESULTS: Approximately 3000 research projects were funded by the NIHR, of which about 900 were relevant to public health. This represents approximately one-third of the research portfolio. All NIHR research funding programmes and schools funded research related to public health. The most prevalent domain of the Public Health Outcomes Framework was ‘healthcare public health and preventing premature mortality’ and there were a large number of health planning and self-management projects. One-quarter of projects were concerned with mental health and behavioural conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The NIHR is a significant funder of research relevant to public health. This analysis offers a snapshot of the breadth and balance of NIHR research, which forms a basis for discussion. This is important for the NIHR and other research funders as it shows areas that are better represented and opportunities to fill important gaps. Appropriate research priority setting is an integral part of a needs-led research agenda and adds value to research. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3521-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.