ORCID

Abstract

BackgroundPeople with intellectual disability experience substantialhealth inequities, including higher multimorbidity, increasedhealthcare utilisation and markedly reduced life expectancy.High-quality research is essential to address these disparities.The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)funded Research Delivery Network provides the infrastructure/expertise/support needed to deliver NIHR-funded studies, andsupports studies funded by a non-commercial/industry partner. However, the effectiveness of NIHR-funded studies versusthose supported in driving impactful intellectual disabilityresearch remains unclear.AimsTo evaluate and compare the outcomes of NIHR-funded andsupported intellectual disability research.MethodAll NIHR studies (funded/supported) relating to intellectualdisability (2010–2020) were identified through systematicregister searches. Primary outcomes included publicationrates and impact on local, national and international clinicalguidelines. Data collection was supplemented with a questionnaire to chief investigators and literature searches.Quantitative analyses examined associations between fundingstatus, study design, publication and guideline impact,whereas qualitative responses explored implementationchallenges.ResultsIn total, 88 projects were identified, and 42% (37/88) wereNIHR-funded. Overall, 81% of studies generated at least onepublication and 28% informed clinical guidelines. NIHR fundingwas not significantly associated with publication or guidelineimpact. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were significantlymore likely to be published and more likely to influence non-UKnational and international guidelines than non-RCTs. The amountof funding showed no association with impact. Qualitativefindings highlighted funding constraints, staff capacity andstakeholder engagement as key determinants ofimplementation.ConclusionsNIHR-funded intellectual disability research was no more likelythan NIHR-supported studies to result in publications orguideline impact.

Publication Date

2026-04-21

Publication Title

BJPsych Open

Volume

12

Issue

3

ISSN

2056-4724

Deposit Date

2026-04-21

Funding

S.T. and R.S. are members of the BJPsych Open Editorial Board. They did not take part in the review or decision-making process of this paper. R.S. has received institutional and research support from LivaNova, Union Chimique Belge (UCB), Eisai, Veriton Pharma, Neuraxpharm, Bial, Angelini, UnEEG and Jazz/GW pharma outside the submitted work. He holds grants from NIHR AI, Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and other funding bodies all outside this work. S.T. has received institutional and research support from NIHR, Baily Thomas Charitable Fund and Jazz/Pharma for projects relating to intellectual disability but outside of this work. R.A.L. was Deputy Clinical Director of the South West Clinical Research Network of the NIHR. He has been Chief Investigator for studies funded by Janssen and Boehringer Ingelheim. No other author has any declared conflict of interest related to this paper.

Keywords

Clinical trials, evidence-based mental health, intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental disorders, randomised controlled trial

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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