This is a transcript of our video about the under-served communities programme, produced for Diversity and Inclusion week, which ran from November 29 to December 3 2021.
Lynn Kerridge- CEO, NETSCC- Co-Sponsor for the Under-served Communities Programme 0:09
Through the under-served communities programme, we are committed to addressing the misalignment between research and health research need. People in regions and communities where the burden of need is greatest are often under-served by health and care research. This programme has a number of projects aligned to transforming that research landscape.
Stephen Lock- Head of Business Intelligence, CRN- Project Lead for 'Geographic Intelligence' 0:35
The research targeting tool is going to help people who are designing research, developing research, making funding decisions about research and deciding where research should take place. It's going to be a single place where people can really easily visualise what is meant by an under-served community.
Gary Nestor- CRN Head of Cluster (E), CRN- Project Lead for 'INCLUDE' 0:54
The purpose of NIHR INCLUDE is to ensure health research is inclusive and diverse in nature. So that ultimately, we deliver on our vision of better healthcare through more inclusive research. Now is the time for a call to action for us all to use the NIHR INCLUDE guidance and framework to achieve this collective goal.
Claire Kidgell- Assistant Director, NETSCC- Project Lead for ' Funding criteria and performance management' 1:14
So we know within NIHR that our funding criteria provisions and assessment processes can sometimes create barriers or successes when inviting research applications to apply for funding. So therefore, we are starting to look at framing funding calls to really actively encourage inclusion of geographic populations or communities that have been historically under-served by NIHR research activity. Because ultimately, we want to ensure that the research we fund is conducted in the areas where the health needs are the greatest.
Tom Pratt- Senior Programme Manager, Academy- Project Lead for ' NIHR funded workforce capability and geographic awards' 1:46
It's an issue that research funding goes to the same small number of places and organisations, meaning we don't always have research expertise in the areas where they're needed. To help address this, we're actively promoting and encouraging people in less research active areas of the country to undertake a master's in research through our NIHR fellowship schemes. This will create a pipeline of researchers to build capacity in those areas where we really need it. And in the longer term, start the journey to have research leaders of the future who will be based all over the country.
Caroline Wroe- Clinical Director of LCRN- Project Lead for 'Site Readiness to Support Research' 2:16
So, I'm leading a project about site readiness to support research. And this is about how we can listen to, learn from and equip the individuals and organisations delivering research across the UK, to make sure that it's accessible equally to everyone.
William van't Hoff- CEO, CRNCC- Co-Sponsor for the Under-served Communities Programme 2:34
This programme will help enable people to take part in research wherever they live, and whatever their circumstances and so they can gain the positive benefits of that. It's also a way in which NIHR can work together to get the greatest impact for its research and in so doing, we can improve really, the health of all our people in the country.