The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, advancing knowledge and improving care. The CRN is comprised of 15 Local Clinical Research Networks and 30 Specialties who coordinate and support the delivery of high-quality research both by geography and therapy area. National leadership and coordination is provided through the CRN Coordinating Centre.
The CRN enables high-quality health and care research in England by meeting the costs of additional staff, facilities, equipment and support services so that research is not subsidised with funding that has been provided for health and care treatments and service. The CRN also provides a vast range of national and local resources and activities that support health and care organisations, staff, and patients and service users to be research active, such as specialist training, information systems to manage and report research, patient and public involvement and engagement initiatives, and communications expertise.
Delivering studies ‘to plan’ - meaning within the planned timescale and with the right number of participants to make the results meaningful - is of critical importance, which is why the CRN provides the Study Support Service. This helps researchers and the life sciences industry plan, set up and deliver high-quality research in both the NHS and the wider health and social care environment across England. We provide this service for all studies eligible for our support, regardless of location, study type, study size, therapy or research area. Whether your study is medical, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, bio-tech or is looking at healthy populations or people with social care needs, we can help.
The CRN supported over 6,100 studies and recruited over 870,000 participants in 2018/2019. We are making significant steps towards the NHS Long Term Plan’s goal of one million people taking part in clinical research by 2023/24.
Find out more about our performance and key statistics relating to our activity.
