Share expertise and develop best practice
As the national government funder with more than a decade of experience in applied health, public health and social care research, the NIHR has a wealth of knowledge in designing, commissioning, managing and disseminating research.
We can reciprocally share the knowledge and expertise of our clinical, patient and professional experts, and advice on funding and supporting high quality research, to improve the quality of health and care research across the board.
Share clinical and academic experts
The NIHR supports world renowned clinical and academic experts in our infrastructure, schools and units who can offer unparalleled advice on health and care research. We can reciprocally share clinical and academic experts to maximise our investments in funded research.
Our experts
We can identify and signpost you to relevant expertise across the NIHR to help your researchers develop their research, including:
- world leading translational researchers across the NIHR infrastructure; for example in our Biomedical Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities
- researchers and NHS clinicians who are part of the NIHR National Specialty Groups, who advise our Study Support Service
- NIHR Senior Investigators
We can also introduce you to experts who can support your research funding process; for example, by helping you to source potential peer reviewers.
Our networks
The NIHR has a considerable range of existing networks of experts in early translational research and clinical research delivery that you can tap into. We can also share our unique experience in setting up and supporting networks and help to develop new collaborations of experts.
We have developed a number of NIHR Translational Research Collaborations (TRCs) and Partnerships that bring together world leading experts in our research infrastructure with experts in the life sciences industry, charities and other funders to carry out early phase translational research.
We can collaborate to scope and build new collaborations around specific disease or challenge areas, to align our funding for translational research in areas of common interest. You can also recommend outstanding clinical or academic experts who we can invite to join existing TRCs.
Your experts
We’re keen to benefit from the broad range of clinical and academic experts associated with your charity, to drive up the quality of our research activities.
You can recommend that your experts join NIHR prioritisation and funding committees or to support ad hoc advisory needs, by sharing NIHR committee membership opportunities with your networks or introducing us to experienced individuals.
You can also help us by signposting and enabling introductions to potential peer reviewers for NIHR funding applications.
Share expertise in patient and public involvement
The NIHR is a world leader in public involvement in research, and we continue to develop new approaches to engaging, involving and collaborating with communities, patient and public groups, charities and other funders.
We can each share the expertise of our patient and public experts, and our PPIE professionals, to support the design and delivery of research that is relevant and needed.
We welcome partnerships with charities to help share involvement opportunities with your patient and public experts, so NIHR research can benefit from their input and expertise. You can also use NIHR resources and networks to seek patient and public experts to inform your research.
Our People in Research website allows researchers to share opportunities for patients and the public to get involved in their research. You and your researchers can submit opportunities to the website to help find patient and public experts who can advise on your charity’s research.
Improve quality
We can share our training products and resources, and vice versa, to support high quality research commissioning and management.
Improving PPIE
We can each share our expertise and resources in patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) to boost the quality of health and care research.
For example, we are part of a partnership that has developed UK Standards for Public Involvement in Research. The standards provide researchers with clear, concise benchmarks for effective public involvement, alongside indicators against which improvement can be monitored. We have also developed free PPIE learning resources both for researchers and for patients and members of the public.
We are also keen to learn from your expertise in PPIE by hearing about your initiatives and methods of working with different patient and public populations. And you can act as a sounding board and contributor to NIHR guidance, resources and examples of best practice.
Improving research commissioning and management
We can share our learning from all stages of the research funding cycle - and vice versa - to maximise impact.
We have more than a decade of expertise in research prioritisation, commissioning, management and dissemination that we are happy to share with research funding charities.
You can also share your own experience of research funding with us to help us improve our practice; for example, in priority setting, enhancing value in research, peer review, research management, data sharing and portfolio analysis.
Improving intellectual property and impact evaluation
We have particular expertise in the areas of intellectual property arising from research and evaluating research impact.
The NIHR Intellectual Property Unit can provide advice to you and your researchers on identification and management of intellectual property arising from research funding. We have particular expertise in intellectual property of limited or no commercial value but important value to patients, as well as ensuring a return for the public money.
We also have expertise in evaluating research impact, and we’re working with other public and charity funders to develop our approach to recognising the patient benefit of research. One such initiative is our regular Impact Club with the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), where we have joined forces with charities to build a community of practice around measuring research impact. We have also run impact masterclasses with AMRC to upskill research managers and staff in charities and the NIHR.
Develop consensus
The NIHR works with other national and international health and care organisations to develop policies and practices that support high quality and effective research funding and management.
For example, we have developed the internationally-recognised Adding Value in Research model to ensure that our research answers the most important questions and is appropriately designed, efficiently delivered, unbiased, published in full, appropriately disseminated and usable.
We have also worked with national and international bodies to develop policy positions on clinical trial registration and disclosure of results, as part of our commitment as a signatory to the WHO Joint Statement on public disclosure of results from clinical trials, and on research integrity.
We can collaborate to develop positions on best practice in research funding and management, to drive up quality and value across the board.