Our governance
How we are managed
Our work is directed by the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), who is also NIHR's Chief Executive Officer, and by the Director and Senior Management Team of DHSC's Science Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate.
DHSC contracts directly with a number of NHS trusts, universities and life science organisations that between them host our 2 coordinating centres:
- NIHR Coordinating Centre (NIHRCC), hosted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Southampton and LGC
- NIHR Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre (RDNCC), hosted by the University of Leeds
These 2 coordinating centres have operational responsibility for the NIHR. DHSC has contract management boards in place to ensure delivery against contractual obligations.
There are also a number of NIHR functional leaders who support both coordinating centres, working in areas such as communications, digital, data and technology, and public partnerships.
NIHR functional leaders
- Jennifer Allison, NIHR Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery
- Theo Bond, NIHR Head of Stakeholder Relations
- Lorraine Bridges, NIHR Head of Campaigns and Deputy Director of Communications
- Mary Buxton, NIHR Head of Assurance
- Ruth Endacott, NIHR Director of Nursing and Midwifery
- Sarah Fryett, NIHR Head of Web Communications
- Zoe Gray, NIHR Deputy Director for Public Partnerships
- Dr Matthew Hallsworth, NIHR Director of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships
- Cathie Henshall, NIHR Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery
- Candace Imison, NIHR Deputy Director for Dissemination and Knowledge Mobilisation
- Dr Joanna Knee, Head of Business Transformation for the NIHR Digital, Data and Technology Office
- Elaine O'Flynn, Interim NIHR Director of Communications
- Dr Esther Mukuka, NIHR Head of Research Inclusion
- John Nother, NIHR Chief Digital Officer
- Jeremy Taylor OBE, NIHR Director for Public Voice
- Sarah Thomas, Head of NIHR Centre for Business Intelligence
NIHR Centres Executive Board
The NIHR Centres Executive Board shapes and manages initiatives and services for which the coordinating centres have joint accountability. It also provides a forum for discussing cross-cutting activities that are led by an individual centre.
The members are:
- Executive Directors of NIHRCC
- Executive Director of the RDN
- NIHR Director for Public Voice
- NIHR Chief Digital Officer
- NIHR Director of Communications
NIHR Board
The NIHR Board provides advice to the DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser and NIHR CEO, and to the Director of SRE. It supports them in discharging their duties in respect of:
- delivering against NIHR's mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research
- establishing NIHR's strategic direction, currently described in Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter
- setting policy including for research funding
- agreeing operational plans and addressing barriers to their delivery
- ensuring that NIHR's nationally distributed structure is cohesive
- overseeing relationships with key partners and stakeholders
The NIHR Board is designed to provide a balance of policy, scientific and operational perspectives. The members are:
- DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser and NIHR CEO
- Director and 5 Deputy Directors of SRE
- NIHR's 4 scientific directors (one of whom is also the Dean of the NIHR Academy)
- NIHR's 4 operational leaders (the 3 Executive Directors of NIHRCC and the Executive Director of the RDN)
NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
The NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board advises on strategic matters and provides a forum for discussing how to deliver against priorities across NIHR's distributed structure. It informs the work of the NIHR Board.
Members of the Strategy and Engagement Board are expected to play an ambassadorial role, engaging partners and stakeholders in NIHR's work. They are:
- members of the NIHR Board
- Directors of NIHR Research Programmes
- Editor in Chief of the NIHR Journals Library
- representatives of NIHR Infrastructure and Research Schools
- representatives of NIHR Research Professors and Early Career Researchers
- representatives of NIHR public contributors
- NIHR functional leaders and guests
Members of the Strategy and Engagement Board
- Professor Yvonne Birks, representing the 3 NIHR research schools on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR
- Dr Cat Chatfield, Editor in Chief of the NIHR Journals Library
- Alex Churchill, Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Social Care and Head of Commercial Clinical Trials
- Dr Lisa Cotterill, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Professor Dame Nicky Cullum, representing the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Dr Mary De Silva, Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care
- Professor Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy and serves on the NIHR Board as Scientific Director for Research Capacity and Capabilities
- Jessica Eaton, representing early career researchers on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Jennifer Ekelund, NIHR Head of Sustainability
- Professor Ruth Endacott, NIHR Director of Nursing and Midwifery
- Andrew Farmer, Director of the Health Technology Assessment Programme
- Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the Public Health Research Programme
- Professor Anthony Gordon, Director of the National Research Collaboration Programme
- Hayley Hall, NIHR Public Contributor representative on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Dr Matthew Hallsworth, NIHR Director of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships
- Professor Kara Hanson, Director of the Global Health Research Programme
- Lynn Kerridge, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Angela King, NIHR Public Contributor representative on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Dr David King, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Professor Martin Knapp CBE, Director of the Research Programme for Social Care
- Professor Marian Knight, Director of Programme Grants for Applied Research and serves on the NIHR Board as Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure
- Rebecca Lawton, Director of SafetyNet and represents NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborations on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Professor Mike Lewis, Director of the Invention for Innovation Programme and serves on the NIHR Board as Scientific Director for Innovation
- Dr Gail Marzetti, Director of Science, Research and Evidence at the Department of Health and Social Care
- Professor Danny McAuley, NIHR Board as Scientific Director for NIHR Programmes
- Professor Helen McShane, representing the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Caroline Moore, Fellow on placement in the Science, Research and Evidence directorate at the Department of Health and Social Care
- Alice Mortlock, Head of Research Capacity and Growth in the Science, Research and Evidence directorate at the Department of Health and Social Care
- Dr Esther Mukuka, NIHR Head of Research Inclusion
- Professor Kevin Munro, Director of the Research for Patient Benefit Programme
- John Nother, Chief Digital Officer for NIHR
- Elaine O'Flynn, Interim Director of Communications for NIHR
- Professor Kathy Rowan, Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme
- Beth Scott, Deputy Director of Research Programmes in the Science, Research and Evidence directorate at the Department of Health and Social Care
- Professor Laura Shallcross, NIHR Research Professors on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Professor John Simpson, Director of the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme
- John Sitzia, RDN Executive Director at the NIHR Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre
- Jacky Smith, representing Clinical Research Facilities on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Professor Lesley Stewart, Director of the Evidence Synthesis Programme.
- Richard Stubbs, representing the Health Innovation Networks on the NIHR Strategy and Engagement Board
- Jeremy Taylor OBE, NIHR Director for Public Voice
- Professor Neil Thomas, Director of the NIHR Research Support Service National Collaborative
- Professor Wendy Tindale, Director of the HealthTech Research Centre network
- Dr Mark Toal, Deputy Director of Research Systems at the Department of Health and Social Care
Governance diagram
NIHR Coordinating Centre
Leaders of NIHRCC are responsible for managing NIHR’s funding schemes - research programmes, research schools and university-led collaborations. This includes initiatives in low and middle income countries and NIHR Academy programmes that build research capacity and capability.
They are also responsible for managing NIHR’s investment in research experts and specialist facilities. This investment spans the innovation pathway from early translational to clinical and applied research. Our investment underpins, enables and supports not only public sector research but also research funded by the life sciences industry and charities.
Leaders of NIHRCC
- Dr Martin Ashton-Key, Director and Clinical Advisor at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Dr David Baghurst, Director of Research Programmes, Infrastructure and Industry Engagement at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Dr Lisa Cotterill, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Dr Richard Dudley, Director of Digital Operations and Data at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Lynn Kerridge, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Dr David King, Executive Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Nicola Melody, Director of Strategic Operations at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Quinton Newell, Director of Strategic Operations at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Ben Patient, Director of HealthTech and NIHR Head of Intellectual Property and Commercial
- Dr Dani Preedy, Director of Research Programmes at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
- Peter Thompson, Director of NIHR Academy Programmes
- Elaine Williams, Director of Strategic Operations at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
NIHR Research Delivery Network
The Research Deliver Network (RDN) launched in October 2024.
The RDN consists of 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) and a Coordinating Centre (RDNCC), working together as one organisation.
The RDN operates a joint leadership model consisting of the:
- RDN Coordinating Centre Directors
- Network Director from each of the 12 RRDNs
- Representatives from DHSC
The RDN Board sets the network's direction, develops strategies and plans and ensures consistency in their implementation at both a national and regional level.
The RDN enables the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England.
The RDN distribute funding to support the research workforce of over 12,000 staff based in NHS trusts, GP practices, care homes, hospices, local authorities, dental surgeries, schools and prisons. It also provides a range of services supporting sponsors in the delivery of health and care research across England, together with the UK-wide research volunteer services, Be Part of Research and Join Dementia Research.
