Call for proposals
The Big Pitch is the health and care community's annual forum for sharing ideas, challenging assumptions and learning together.
The Health and Care Lifelong Learning Committee invites you to submit a proposal for The Big Pitch 2027, taking place at Staple Inn, London on Tuesday 23 March 2027.
Whether you are exploring a new idea, investigating an emerging issue, developing a practical solution or sharing completed research, The Big Pitch provides an opportunity to test your thinking with a community of health, care and protection professionals.
The aim is not to identify all the answers. It is to encourage discussion, constructive challenge and new perspectives that help strengthen ideas and advance thinking across the profession.
About the event
The Big Pitch is a free flagship health and care community event that brings together actuaries and other professionals from across the health, care and protection sector to share ideas, challenge assumptions and explore emerging issues facing the profession.
Shortlisted contributors will present their work to a specialist audience of practitioners, researchers and subject matter experts. Presentations are followed by discussion and audience feedback, creating an opportunity to explore different perspectives and stimulate professional debate.
The event is designed to encourage learning, collaboration and the exchange of ideas across the health, care and protection community.
Who can submit?
We welcome submissions from individuals and teams across academia, industry and other disciplines.
Proposals do not need to originate from IFoA members. However, at least one contributor or co-author should be a qualified actuary or a member of a recognised actuarial association.
We welcome contributions from the UK and internationally, provided they are relevant to actuaries working in health, care and protection.
Why participate?
Participation in The Big Pitch provides an opportunity to:
Share ideas, research and insights with a health and care audience
Receive feedback, constructive challenge and diverse perspectives from practitioners and subject matter experts
Contribute to debate and knowledge sharing across discussion across the profession
Learn from peers and industry experts
Build professional visibility within the health and care community
Develop and refine ideas in a supportive and collaborative environment
Raise awareness of emerging issues, innovative approach and new thinking
Be considered for publication or dissemination through the British Actuarial Journal, IFoA ‘think’ series or other appropriate IFoA channels
What are we looking for?
We welcome proposals on topics relevant to actuaries working in health, care and protection.
Submissions may include:
Early-stage ideas
Unanswered questions
Challenges to established practice
Work in progress
Practical problems seeking new approaches
Research findings
Practical case studies
Innovative approaches
Cross-disciplinary perspectives.
When submitting your proposal, please clearly indicate the stage of development of your work.
Proposals criteria
Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:
Significance: Does the topic address an important issue for health, care or protection?
Clarity: Is the issue clearly described and well-articulated?
Thought provocation: Does it challenge existing thinking or encourage new perspectives?
Learning potential: Is the topic likely to generate valuable discussion, feedback and learning for the community?
Early-stage ideas will not be disadvantaged simply because they are less developed than completed research.
Submission process
There are 3 stages to the process.
Stage 1: Initial submission
Please submit a 300-word abstract outlining:
The topic being explored
Why it is relevant to health, care and protection
The key idea, research question or insight being proposed
The current stage of development of the work
The discussion, learning or impact the submission is intended to generate.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 December 2026
Stage 2: Development of shortlisted proposals
If your proposal is selected, you will be invited to develop it into a final output.
Recognising that different ideas are best communicated in different ways, shortlisted participants will be able to choose the format that best supports their objectives. Final outputs may take the form of a research paper, technical note, model, implementation guide, framework, policy briefing, ‘think’ piece, or another format that supports effective knowledge sharing with the profession.
Written outputs will typically be between 4,000 and 7,000 words, although alternative formats will be considered where appropriate. A template will be provided for those choosing to develop a research paper.
Stage 3: The Big Pitch
Shortlisted contributors will present their work at The Big Pitch 2027 at Staple Inn, London.
Presentations will be followed by feedback, providing an opportunity to test ideas, share insights and contribute to the ongoing development of thinking within the health, care and protection community.
Indicative timeline
1 December 2026: Abstract submission deadline
January 2027: Applicants notified of the outcome of their submission
January to March 2027: Development of shortlisted submissions and final outputs
23 March 2027: Presentation and discussion at the The Big Pitch 2027
Recognition and audience voting
One contribution may be recognised as The Big Pitch 2027 winning contribution.
Following the presentations and discussion, attendees will be invited to vote for the contribution they consider most compelling. Audience voting will inform the judging panel's decision, alongside consideration of:
Originality
Relevance to the profession
Quality of presentation and discussion
Potential impact on health, care or protection actuarial practice
Previous contributions to The Big Pitch
Previous submissions have gone on to inform professional discussion and contribute to the wider body of health and care actuarial thinking.
Examples include:
'Inverting the healthcare pyramid: Building synergies between outpatient care and inpatient hospitalisation' by Shreya Bagrodia and Sushant Mallya
'The power of prevention: A lifeline for the NHS?' by Les Mayhew and Andrew Cairns
Further information on publications and research outputs can be found on the BAJ website.
Contact us
If you have a question, please contact Dawn McIntosh at the IFoA
Submit your abstract
Please send your abstract by 1 December 2026.
We particularly welcome submissions from first-time authors, early-career professionals and those bringing new perspectives to health and care challenges.
We look forward to receiving your submission and continuing the conversation on the future of health, care and protection actuarial practice.