Welcome to the NIHR

Peter Knight, Deputy DirectorResearch Contracting, Information Intelligence and Stakeholder Engagement

NIHR Trainees Meeting

Leeds

10 November 2014

• improve health outcomes through advances in research

• improve quality of care by NHS participation in the research process

•strengthen International competitive position in science

•drive economic growth through investment by life science industries

Why is the Government committed to Research in the NHS?

The UK’s relative share of world outputs-2010

The UK’s citation impact- 2010

The UK’s global R&D impact on health related fields

Significant economic benefits

Established 2006 as a vehicle for implementing the Government’s strategy for applied health research

National Institute for Health Research

Strategic AimTo improve the health and wealth of the nation through research

What is NIHR and what does it do?

• The NIHR is the largest funder of clinical research in the country: Wellcome £746m; MRC £767m; NIHR about £1bn

• It supports clinical and applied health & social care research to improve health, well-being and prosperity

• It is internationally recognised as the model for organising a health research system

National Institute for Health Research

• Between Government, Charity and Industry• Between NHS and University• Between research leaders and research facilitators• Between different health care professions• Between different research disciplines• Between researchers and patients

A Health Research System

Partnership

An integrated health research system

• The different parts of the health system support each other

• Basic science relies on NIHR funding for pull through to patient benefit

• Anchoring industry depends on NIHR-funded infrastructure

• Research charities depend on the NIHR Clinical Research Network

• The NIHR addresses failure of ‘the market’ to meet nation’s research needs

• Works closely with other research funders e.g. through OSCHR

• Wider collaboration - £50m/yr for Genomics England

MRC

Research spend 2009 / 2010

Analysis of spend by public funder

Basic research DH

Applied researchApplied research

Basic research

INVENTION EVALUATION ADOPTION

Creation•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Assessment•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Uptake•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

DIFFUSION

Spread•new things•new ideas•new techniques•new approaches

Basic Research Applied Research Commissioning Patient Care

• Better Quality• Better Value

NIHR NHS CommissionersMRC & Charities Providers of NHS

services

The Innovation Pathway

Infrastructure

Clinical Research Facilities, Centres

& Units

Clinical Research Networks

Research

Research Projects & Programmes

Research Management

Systems

Research Information

Systems

Systems

Patients&

Public

Universities

Investigators &Senior

InvestigatorsAssociates

Faculty

Trainees

Research Schools

NHS Trusts

NIHR Health Research System

What has the NIHR done so far?

• Radically increased number of clinical trials; 1300 new research studies via the NIHR Clinical Research Network

• Patients recruited more than doubled to over 0.6m• Highest proportion of cancer patients in the world taking part in

trials (1 in 6)• Helped establish research culture in the NHS: 100% of NHS Trusts

now delivering clinical research• Helped reverse the decline in numbers of clinical researchers• A world leader in PPI• The world’s first funder to publish comprehensive accounts of

commissioned research in the NIHR Journals Library and adopt a gold approach to publishing research findings

Looking ahead

The Government has invested heavily to make this country a unique location for big data and stratified medicine:

• NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and units• NIHR Translational Research Collaborations (TRCs) in dementia and rare diseases• NIHR Translational Research Partnerships• NIHR Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres• UK BioBank• NIHR Biosample Centre• MRC / NIHR Phenome Centre• NIHR CPRD and D-CRIS• NIHR Health Informatics Collaboration• NIHR Diagnostic Evidence Cooperatives• Genomics England Limited

Investigators &Senior

InvestigatorsAssociates

Faculty

Trainees

The community of people NIHR funds to train as health researchers, undertaking and supporting research:

“a vibrant community focused on research and innovation to improve the health and well-being of the nation”

• Open to all professions working in health and social care research

Clinical academic careers

Source: Medical Schools Council survey of staffing levels of medical Clinical Academics in UK medical schools (31 July 2013)

2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Professor Reader/ Senior Lecturer

Lecturer Grand Total

FTE

NIHR Established

Clinical academic careers (women)

2004 20130%

13%

25%

38%

50%Dentistry

Professors Overall

2004 20130%

13%

25%

38%

50%

Medical

Professors Overall

NIHR Personal Training Award Gender Proportion

1,097

732 155

Support for NIHR Trainees

• Schemes to support training for all professions at all levels:– From pre-doctoral (Masters, Academic Clinical Fellowships)– To PhD and post doctoral

• NIHR Research Professors• NIHR Leadership Programme• Mentoring support• Annual trainees meeting and training camps• Educational workshops throughout the year• Support and guidance provided by the Trainees

Coordinating Centre• Opportunities for peer-review and panel membership

NIHR Research Professors

• To develop individual leaders, build team capability and foster leadership in wider research community

• Roll out began early 2009• Three strands:

▪ senior research leaders (including one Medical Physicist)▪ development research leaders (including one NHS Pharmacist

and one Audiologist)▪ trainees (including one Medical Physicist)

• Unique approach - 18 months of personal development• Provided by Ashridge Business School, funded by NIHR• Successful evaluation of programme by RAND Europe• Having a real impact on NIHR

NIHR Leadership Development

NIHR Leadership Programme

Trainees are important to the NIHR

• A key part of the NIHR’s Faculty• You are joining a community of over 20,000 researchers, in the

NHS, public health, social care and universities• You are part of a family of over 2,000 research trainees • Helping to build our capacity and capability for more research in

health and social care• The research leaders of the future• We want to attract, develop and keep the very best researchers• NIHR believes in your abilities and potential• NIHR will support your development

 

What do you need to do? The 6 Cs

1. Capitalise on the opportunities that being part of NIHR offers - including this meeting

2. Collect a mentor

3. Connect – network; your future Colleagues may be in this room

4. Collaborate – health research benefits from different professionals and disciplines working together

5. Cultivate your career – this time is not just about learning to be an academic

Only 5 Cs?

And what do you need to do in Leeds?

• All of the above ...• This is a great opportunity to

discover things and meet people• NIHR organises this event each

year because it believes in your potential – improvements in health will depend on you.

And a 6th C: a bit of celebration is permitted

Check the NIHR website

http://www.nihr.ac.uk/our-faculty/opportunities-for-our-trainees.htm