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Nihr

by io.github.pipeworx-io
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Nihr Search Awards

nihr_search_awards
Read-onlyIdempotent

Search UK NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) health research grants by keyword over award titles and abstracts. Returns each award's project id, title, NIHR programme and funding stream, contracted organisation, award value in GBP, start and end dates, chief investigator name, and the fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk link. Filter by programme name, project status (Active, Complete, Contracted, Discontinued) and a minimum award amount; sort by award value or start date. Answers questions like "which NIHR grants fund diabetes research", "the largest active NIHR cancer awards", or "recent NIHR mental-health funding".

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoMax awards to return, 1-100 (default 20).
queryNoFree-text keyword or phrase, e.g. "diabetes", "antimicrobial resistance", "dementia care". Matched against award titles and, unless title_only is set, the plain-English and scientific abstracts.
offsetNoPagination offset (default 0).
sort_byNoOrdering of results (default amount_desc, biggest award first).
start_toNoOnly awards starting on or before this date, YYYY-MM-DD.
programmeNoNIHR programme name, matched as a case-insensitive substring, e.g. "Health Technology Assessment", "Public Health", "Fellowships". Call nihr_awards_by_programme with no arguments to list the real programme names.
max_amountNoOnly awards worth at most this many GBP.
min_amountNoOnly awards worth at least this many GBP (award_amount_from_dh), e.g. 1000000 for awards of £1m and up.
start_fromNoOnly awards starting on or after this date, YYYY-MM-DD.
title_onlyNoRestrict the keyword match to the award title for a tighter, more on-topic result set (default false, which also searches both abstracts).
organisationNoContracted organisation, matched as a case-insensitive substring, e.g. "Oxford", "Guy's and St Thomas".
funding_streamNoNIHR funding stream, matched as a case-insensitive substring, e.g. "Doctoral Fellowship", "Commissioned", "Researcher-led".
project_statusNoExact award status: Active, Complete, Contracted or Discontinued.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "limit": 5,
-    "min_amount": 1000000,
-    "project_status": "Active",
-    "query": "diabetes",
-    "sort_by": "amount_desc"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "limit": 10,
+    "min_amount": 1000000,
+    "project_status": "Active",
+    "query": "dementia"
+  }
+]
  2. First observed

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations indicate read-only, idempotent, non-destructive. Description adds that it searches titles and abstracts, returns specific fields, supports pagination and sorting. No contradiction, but could mention if data is real-time.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Single focused paragraph that front-loads the core purpose and then lists features. Every sentence adds value; no fluff.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given 13 parameters and no output schema, the description covers all major aspects: search, filtering, sorting, pagination, and returned fields. It is adequate for an agent to invoke correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

With 100% schema coverage, baseline is 3. Description adds value by clarifying matching behavior ('unless title_only is set'), default sorting, and providing examples for min_amount. It also explains how to use programme parameter with a sibling call.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool searches UK NIHR health research grants by keyword over award titles and abstracts, and lists the returned fields. It distinguishes from siblings like nihr_get_award and nihr_awards_by_programme.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Provides explicit examples of questions it answers ('which NIHR grants fund diabetes research') and cross-references sibling tool for programme names. Parameter descriptions include usage guidance like 'Restrict the keyword match to the award title for a tighter...' and 'default amount_desc'.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All Nihr toolsInspect
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