Funded research quarterly update

The latest research funded under the NIHR programmes managed by the CCF can now be searched on our website using the health categories of the UKCRC Health Research Classification System.

There are 20 new additions across all programmes as follows:

• Programme Grants for Applied Research – 4 new programmes
• Research for Patient Benefit – 13 new projects
• Invention for Innovation (i4i) – 1 new project
• Programme Development Grants – 2 new projects

Contracted between January and March 2012, the latest research is being carried out across a broad range of applied health and social care research. Examples include:

• a Programme Grant to optimise the diagnosis and management of high blood pressure in primary care through self-monitoring
• a pilot study funded by Research for Patient Benefit to investigate social behaviour and network therapy as an intervention in heroin users being treated with opiate substitutes such as methadone
• an i4i project to develop an enhanced device for spine immobilisation that could be used instead of current methods, which usually involve a semi-rigid collar with head blocks and tape, to improve outcomes in modern trauma care for spinal injuries.

Information on these funded projects can also be found on UK PubMed Central (UKPMC).

Programme Grants for Applied Research review published online

The NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research programme has published a review of its first six competitions online.

Programme Grants are prestigious awards made by the NIHR to fund high quality research that addresses areas of priority or need for the NHS. Awards of up to £2 million are made for programmes of research lasting between three and five years. Funding is awarded to the best applied research teams in England from the NHS and academia, who are working together to improve health outcomes in areas such as disease management, safety and quality.

The Programme Grants review provides an overview of the programme and the application process and reviews the outcomes of the first six Programme Grant competitions. As a result of these competitions, 107 awards were made to fund programmes of applied health research that will provide the evidence the NHS needs to improve health outcomes for patients.

The review also contains case studies from eight researchers, who have been awarded Programme Grants across a broad range of health research, including dementia, children’s medicines, diabetes and trauma.

Since Programme Grants for Applied Research was launched in 2006, over 120 Programme Grants and more than 20 Programme Development Grants have been awarded. Some of the research funded most recently through Programme Grants includes the development of a structured screening programme and lifestyle intervention for the prevention of Type 2 diabetes in populations with learning difficulties and an evaluation of community occupational therapy in dementia patients.

The next Programme Grants competition opens on 11 June 2012. Further information on how to apply can be found on the NIHR website.

Programme Grants for Applied Research is also taking part in the current NIHR call for Applied Research in Surgery. The deadline for receipt of Stage 1 applications is 25 May 2012.

Thinking of applying? Attend one of our funding workshops

If you are thinking of applying to either the Research for Patient Benefit programme or for  a Programme Grant for Applied Research award, there are two workshops coming up that might give you the just the help you need.

Both are organised by the Research Design Service (RDS) which comprises about 130 advisers in ten regions across the country including methodologists, statisticians and health economists ready to advise and support NHS researchers and others wanting to develop suitable applications.

The first takes place on Thursday 29 March in Liverpool with a seminar and Q&A on Programme Grants for Applied Research organised by the RDS North West.

The second workshop on Monday 2 April will focus on the Research for Patient Benefit funding stream and NIHR pre- and post-doctoral training fellowships and is organised by the Research Design Service South East. According to their latest newsletter, during 2010-11, the ten Research Design Services advised on over 2300 new research proposals that led to 300 outline submissions and more than 800 full research applications.

There are many such opportunities available on an ongoing basis across the regions. If you are unable to attend either of the above, you can for example view the presentations online of the event organised in July last year by the RDS for Yorkshire and the Humber: NIHR Funding Programmes – How to be successful.

The Research Design Service is managed by the CCF.

Research Design Services competition

The new competition for NIHR Research Design Services (RDSs) opened today.

Managed by the CCF, proposals are invited from organisations with proven expertise in research methodology and design. We expect the total value of each RDS contract will normally be up to £1m annually for up to five years from October 2013.

The NIHR Research Design Services aim to increase the number and proportion of applications for NIHR research funding that are high quality. There will be up to ten regional RDS offices; together these will form a national Research Design Service.

The competition closes at 17:00 on 1 June 2012.

Bowel function Healthcare Technology Cooperative to convene medical technologists

Enteric – one of the NIHR’s pilot Healthcare Technology Cooperatives – is convening a one-day event on medical technologies in the field of bowel function in which it will share lessons learned and be ready to make the most of future opportunities.

The event, Mind the Gap – Linking Innovation to Application in Healthcare Technologies, is being held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London on Friday 20 April 2012.

Further information including the programme and how to register is available from the Enteric website.

The Healthcare Technology Cooperatives are managed by CCF.

Funded research update

The latest research under the NIHR programmes managed by the CCF can now be searched within the health categories of the UKCRC Health Research Classification System on the website.

There are 37 new entries across all programmes as follows:

• Programme Grants for Applied Research – 5 new programmes
• Research for Patient Benefit – 26 new projects
• Invention for Innovation (i4i) – 3 new projects
• Programme Development Grants – 3 new projects

Contracted between October and December 2011, the latest research is broad in its scope of applied health and social care research. Examples include an i4i project to develop a point-of-care device that can quickly diagnose sepsis at a patient’s bedside; Programme Grant funding for a research trial to assess the effectiveness of community occupational therapy intervention for dementia compared to usual care in the NHS; and an RfPB study to evaluate self-help through cognitive behavioural therapy to treat childhood anxiety.

Professor Cheng-Hock Toh at the University of Liverpool, who received the i4i funding for the rapid diagnosis of sepsis device, said:

“The NIHR funding is enabling us to take the next step in translating our molecular discovery towards benefiting patients in the NHS. We are now much closer to making a difference and saving precious lives from sepsis.”

Information on these funded projects can also be found on UK PubMed Central (UKPMC).

NEWS RELEASE – Key appointment to lead adoption of innovative medical devices in the NHS

20 February 2012 – The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme has appointed Professor Nick Lemoine, Director of the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, as the first Chair for the new NIHR i4i Challenge Awards programme.
 
The NIHR i4i Challenge Awards aim to bridge the gap between the innovation and development of new medical devices and their adoption into everyday healthcare. The awards have been designed to support researchers to demonstrate the healthcare benefits of their prototype medical devices in a clinical setting and facilitate the uptake of innovation in the NHS. The first competition opens on 27 February and will address the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in England and worldwide.
 
Professor Lemoine will chair the NIHR i4i Challenge Awards Selection Panel for the next two years.

He said:
“There has never been a greater imperative to innovate in the health sector than there is today, which is why it is such an important part of the Government’s Strategy for UK Life Sciences. Helping to bring the UK’s best inventions into practice in the NHS is a really exciting prospect.”

Martin Hunt, NIHR i4i Programme Director said:
“I am delighted to announce Nick as the Chair of the NIHR i4i Challenge Awards panel. He has a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge to bring to this role. The i4i team look forward to working with him over the next two years as we embark on this new and exciting phase in the evolution of the overall programme.”

Professor Lemoine already works closely with the NIHR – he is currently Director of the NIHR Central and East London Comprehensive Local Research Network. He was also previously Chair of the NIHR Clinician Scientist Appointments & Review Panel.

He has extensive experience of serving on international boards and committees, and has previously chaired boards for both the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK. He has been a long-serving member of the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee at the Department of Health, the CORE Scientific Advisory Board and many other scientific review committees.

Professor Lemoine was previously Professor of Molecular Pathology at Imperial College London, where he was Director of the Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Unit. He was also the first Director of the National Translational Cancer Research Centre at Hammersmith Hospital. His current research interests are in cancer genomics, gene therapy and clinical trials.

He is editor of the Nature Specialist Journal Gene Therapy, and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2006.

The i4i Challenge Awards programme is now recruiting selection panel members. For further information on applying for a panel position, please see the NIHR website: http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/CCFPanelRecruitment.aspx

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

The NIHR i4i Challenge Awards aim to bridge the gap between the innovation and development of new medical technology and its adoption into clinical pathways. The programme seeks to identify and support medical technologies with the greatest potential clinical benefit, along with potential for integration into clinical decision and treatment pathways and implementation on a large scale. The awards hold one competition per year that will address a particular ‘challenge’ that is a priority for the NHS. The first competition will open on 27 February and will address the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular disease. Applications seeking to implement diagnostic and monitoring point-of-care devices for cardiovascular diseases into everyday clinical practice are invited. Project teams will be led by a clinician based in an NHS Trust in England. For further information or to apply, please visit the NIHR website. http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/i4i/Pages/i4iChallengeawards.aspx

Invention for Innovation (i4i) is a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) programme that aims to support and advance the development of innovative medical technologies for the benefit of patients in the NHS in England and Wales. The programme funds projects lasting 1-3 years that aim to develop viable medical product prototypes. NIHR i4i supports collaborative research and development between at least two partners from industry, NHS organisations and universities or other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). For a proposal to be eligible for an award, the project team must comprise researchers from at least two of these sectors. www.i4i.nihr.ac.uk.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading-edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk.

On 5 December 2011 the Prime Minister launched a new Strategy for UK Life Sciences which aims to continue the country’s record of world-leading innovation in life sciences. In the strategy, the Government describes how it aims to provide a better environment for life sciences, to improve the lives of patients and contribute to economic growth. The strategy highlights the important contribution NIHR research makes to innovation in life sciences, and sets out a number of key actions where NIHR is leading. A summary of the investments and policies to support UK life sciences are described in Investing in UK Health and Life Sciences, available from: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/uk-life-sciences-get-government-cash-boost/

The full range of policies and actions that support the Government’s strategy are described in detail within two documents:                                                                                                          
1) The Strategy for UK Life Sciences:                                              
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/s/11-1429-strategy-for-uk-life-sciences                      
2) NHS chief Executive’s review: Innovation Health and Wealth – accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_131299

For further information please contact:
Victoria Steven, Research Communications Manager, NIHR Central Commissioning Facility.
Tel: 020 8843 8072, email: victoria.steven@nihr-ccf.org.uk

Call announced for surgery research

The Government has announced a themed call for surgical research to address the evaluation of technology-driven implanted or implantable medical devices, surgical procedures or surgical services.

The NIHR call for proposals opens on 23 February and closes on 25 May 2012.

This call is a key component of the NIHR response to recognition of the need for an increase in research-based evidence related to surgical productivity and to patient outcomes:

– Through supporting capacity building across a wide range of surgical disciplines and,
–  Increasing the volume of high-quality research on the effectiveness, delivery and organisation of surgery and surgical services.

The following six NIHR research programmes will be participating:

Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME)
Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR)
Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Invention for Innovation (i4i)
Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR)
Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB)

i4i, Programme Grants and RfPB are managed through the Central Commissioning Facility (CCF):

– For applications to i4i the scientific evidence upon which the proposed project is based must have progressed beyond basic research. The proposed project must also be focused on a specific application, with the specific qualities or characteristics of the proposed technology defined. Proof of the scientific principle must have already been achieved. In exceptional cases and where technology from a sector other than health is being investigated, proposed projects may look to obtain technical feasibility. Project teams should have the demonstrable experience to carry out all aspects of developing the proposed technology, scientifically, clinically and commercially. Where there are known
gaps, applicants should explain how they plan to address these.

– Applications to PGfAR are likely to describe substantial programmes of research involving a number of discrete but inter-related components or activities which together have potential for benefits to patients and the NHS within 3-5 years of the end of the grant.

– Applications to RfPB should arise from daily practice in the NHS and must demonstrate a trajectory to patient benefit in the short to medium term. The programme supports applications which are regionally derived and applications for feasibility and pilot studies are welcome.

i4i Life Sciences Accelerator – what did the delegates think?

The first i4i Life Sciences Accelerator programme was well received, with positive feedback from participants.

The programme is a new i4i initiative that aims to help researchers from companies, academia and the NHS who are seeking funding to support development of new medical devices improve their chances of success.

The intensive four-day residential course - which is based on the highly regarded Henley Accelerator programme – provides specialist advice and support to help participants develop their business skills and enable them to construct well-crafted funding applications and business plans. 

Delegates also have the opportunity to network with experienced medtech professionals and other attendees, helping them to grow to understand their personal goals and business objectives whilst forming a supportive peer group.

Find out what the delegates on the first programme last October had to say about their experiences – and how the programme has helped them – in this video introduced by i4i Programme Director Martin Hunt.

For more information on the programme, please download the flyer.

The next i4i Life Sciences Accelerator programme will be held from 15-17 February and from 6-7 March. Spaces are still available – if you are interested, please contact Ed Cooper, Programme Director: ed.cooper@vitalsix.co.uk

NEWS RELEASE – New infrastructure to develop healthcare technologies and interventions for the NHS

 

PRESS RELEASE – New infrastructure to develop healthcare technologies and interventions for the NHS

23 January 2012 – Clinicians and researchers are invited to bid for infrastructure funding to support collaborations between the NHS and industry to lead to the development of medical devices and healthcare technologies.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) will establish Healthcare Technology Co-operatives (HTCs) to address clinical areas or themes of high morbidity and unmet need for NHS patients. The aim is to produce new technologies that improve treatment and quality of life.

This new scheme builds on learning from a pilot scheme that funded two HTCs from 2008. Their innovations include a dignity bidet commode developed for stroke survivors which won an NHS Innovation Award in 2009, and the APPEAR and SMART surgical procedures and instrumentation for bowel surgery which was awarded the prestigious Cutlers’ Surgical Award in 2011.

Led by a clinical director, each NIHR HTC will involve multidisciplinary teams, working collaboratively with industry, patient groups, academic researchers and charities. HTCs will be expected to build networks with a broad range of stakeholders including the NIHR infrastructure and to work closely with the NIHR Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI).

Professor Dame Sally C. Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health said:

“The National Institute for Health Research Healthcare Technology Co-operatives competition announced today will help to identify clinical issues from a front line service perspective and devise technology-based solutions to address them.

“These centres of expertise will act as a catalyst for the development of much-needed new medical devices, healthcare technologies and/or technology-dependent interventions.”

The initiative also supports the Government’s Strategy for the Life Sciences which aims to provide a better environment for life sciences, improve the lives of patients and contribute to the UK’s economic growth, enabling patients to access novel treatments earlier.

NIHR HTCs will operate within the evolving NHS innovation landscape and the implementation of the NHS Chief Executive’s review: “Innovation Health and Wealth – accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS”. They will be expected to engage with the proposed Academic Health Science Networks and local showcase hospital programmes, where appropriate, as they develop.

The closing date for submission of the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire by NHS Trusts in England is 19 April 2012 at 5pm.

A briefing meeting for potential applicants will be held on the 29 February 2012 at the Department of Health (Richmond House). Up to two people can attend per organisation. Details of how to register for this event can be found on the NIHR website at: http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/HTCCompetition.aspx.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:

Information on how to apply for NIHR Funding for HTCs can be found on the NIHR CCF website at: http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/HTCCompetition.aspx .

New Strategy for Life Sciences                                                                                                           

On 5 December 2011 the Prime Minister launched a new Strategy for UK Life Sciences which aims to continue the country’s record of world-leading innovation in life sciences. In the strategy, the Government describes how it aims to provide a better environment for life sciences, to improve the lives of patients and contribute to economic growth. The strategy highlights the important contribution NIHR research makes to innovation in life sciences, and sets out a number of key actions where NIHR is leading. A summary of the investments and policies to support UK life sciences are described in Investing in UK Health and Life Sciences, available from: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/uk-life-sciences-get-government-cash-boost/

The full range of policies and actions that support the Government’s strategy are described in detail within two documents:

1) The Strategy for UK Life Sciences:                                               http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/s/11-1429-strategy-for-uk-life-sciences

2) NHS chief Executive’s review: Innovation Health and Wealth – accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_131299

About the Healthcare Technology Co-operatives pilot

The new NIHR HTC scheme announced today builds on learning from a pilot scheme that funded two HTCs from 2008 under the umbrella of the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme. More details are available at: http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/i4i/

About the NIHR

The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/

For further information please contact:

Georgia Gale Grant, Research Communications Manager

NIHR Central Commissioning Facility
Email: georgia.galegrant@nihr-ccf.org.uk     Direct dial: 020 8843 8073