NIHR Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (SPARC): Where Can I Go?
- Published: 7 June 2019
- Version: V5.3 - November 2022
- 38 min read
Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs)
NIHR’s 20 Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between world-leading universities and NHS organisations that bring together academics and clinicians to translate lab-based scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies. The centres undertake research in research themes across a range of disease and therapeutic areas.
Barts BRC
Barts Biomedical Research Centre
Birmingham BRC
NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre
Bristol BRC
Bristol Biomedical Research Centre
Cambridge BRC
Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
Exeter BRC
Exeter Biomedical Research Centre
Great Ormond Street Hospital BRC
Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre
The NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR GOSH BRC) is dedicated to paediatric research and aims to accelerate discoveries into the basis of childhood rare diseases and to develop novel diagnostics, imaging techniques and new treatments, including cellular and gene therapies.
For further information, please contact: brc@gosh.nhs.uk
Imperial BRC
Leeds BRC
Leicester BRC
Manchester BRC
Maudsley BRC
Moorfields BRC
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
The NIHR Moorfields BRC is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. We are dedicated to pioneering discovery to transform the lives of patients facing sight loss. Our vision is to change lives across the UK and the world by preserving sight and driving equity through innovation, particularly for those with the greatest need. Our research themes all unite around the BRC vision and include:
- Vascular Disease and Inflammation
- Genomic Discovery and Therapeutics
- Regenerative Therapy, Lasers, Medical Devices
- Translational Data Science, and
- Imaging, Visual Assessment and Digital Innovation.
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact Moorfields BRC.
Newcastle BRC
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Newcastle BRC conducts world-class research in ageing and multiple long-term health conditions. We bring together Newcastle Hospitals, one of the largest and most successful teaching hospitals in England, the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University and the Cumbria, Northumbria, Tyne and Wear Mental Health Trust.
We have research themes in:
- Ageing, Sarcopenia and Multimorbidity
- Dementia, Mental Health and Neurodegeneration
- Liver Disease, Multimorbidity and Lifestyle
- Musculoskeletal Disease and Inflammation Medicine
- Neuromuscular Disease, Rare Diseases and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- Skin Disease, Oral Disease and Immunogenomics
- Digital Health, Ageing Innovation and Inclusion
- Informatics and Precision Care for an Ageing Population
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Ageing, Sarcopenia and Multimorbidity: translating the understanding of fundamental ageing processes into advances in the diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of common ageing syndromes. - Dementia & Mental Health - world-class Lewy Body Dementia research and excellence in translational mental health research.
- Liver Disease - chronic liver disease and its associated multi-morbidities.
- Musculoskeletal Disease - targeting musculoskeletal disease as a major impediment to healthy ageing, a leading cause of health-related disability and
a common comorbidity amongst MLTC. - Neuromuscular Disease, Rare Diseases and Mitochondrial Dysfunction:novel approaches to diagnosing, monitoring and treating neuromuscular disease, mitochondrial dysfunction and a broader spectrum of rare diseases.
- Skin & Oral Diseases - innovative, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on understanding of the underpinning pathogenic mechanisms.
- Digital Health - addressing the complexities of enabling people with MTLC to age well through Digital Health Technologies.
- Informatics - exploiting cutting-edge techniques in single-cell genomics, multi-omics, computational imaging and precision medicine.
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
We are a leading UK centre for Multiple Long Term Conditions Research. Examples include:
- ADMISSION - Building on the expertise within our Ageing Syndromes theme, BRC Director Professor Avan Sayer leads a £3.85m MRC/NIHR Strategic
Priorities Funded Research Collaborative which brings together scientists, clinicians and patients to focus on multiple long-term conditions in hospitalised patients. - The UK Multiple Long Term Conditions Research Registry: We have established a UK wide registry of people with multiple long-term conditions interested in taking part in research.
- AI-MULTIPLY – Newcastle co-leads a £2.9M AiM Collaboration grant which is using artificial intelligence (AI) to characterize the dynamic inter-relationships
between MUltiple Long-term condiTIons and PoLYpharmacy across diverse UK populations and inform health care pathways. - In 2022 Newcastle hosted the inaugural UK Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) Symposium welcoming over 130 delegates, including academics and patient and public representatives, from across the UK.
- Multimorbidity and hospital admissions: examining the links and improving outcomes
Industry Collaborations:
We have strong industry relationships across our research themes, with companies attracted by access to our experienced clinicians and scientists, well-characterised patient cohorts, robust delivery infrastructure and track record of effective collaboration. This includes BRC researchers leading three major European Innovative Medicines Initiative, two Joint Undertaking funded projects with a combined value of over €100m. We also host the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration, Chaired by Professor David Burn - visit NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration for information.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- We work closely with a range of third sector partners including the VONNE, Elders Council of Newcastle and LIVErNORTH
- We work closely with local authority partners through both Newcastle Health Innovation Partners and Collaborative Newcastle
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact Martin Dixon (Chief Operating Officer) on email.
Nottingham BRC
Oxford BRC
Oxford Health BRC
Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research BRC
Sheffield BRC
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Our research programme encompasses four main themes:
- Translational Neurosciences
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Infection and Immunity
- Imaging and Engineering for Health
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
Translational Neurosciences:
- Deep phenotyping to sub classify disease and facilitate precision medicine.
- Identification of biomarkers to provide early evidence of therapeutic efficacy.
- Expansion of advanced therapy approaches.
- Influence of environmental factors on the development and progression of neurological disorders.
Cardiovascular disease
- Individualised and targeted pharmacological strategies to improve clinical outcomes.
- Virtual coronary physiology to provide cost-effective, personalised disease management.
- Remote personal monitoring to improve diagnosis and treatment.
Infection and Immunity
- Improved understanding of host immunity in immunocompromised patients to improve the prediction, prevention and treatment of disease.
- Targeted intervention in the cycle of infection and inflammation.
- Pathogen genetics and dynamics to enable rapid detection and improved therapy for anti-microbial resistance and mutating viruses.
Imaging and Engineering
- Application of advanced imaging techniques to provide diagnoses and prognoses.
- Using imaging biomarkers to aid the development and evaluation of new therapeutic interventions.
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
Across our themes we will engage in identifying environmental factors and map clusters of disease and their trajectories across our patient population. We are
supporting the design and delivery of novel interventions to provide patients greater access to treatments and prevent the progression from one long term condition to multiple.
We will address health inequalities by maximising research involvement, participation and engagement by the populations which experience the poorest
health outcomes and that can potentially benefit most from the research delivered by the BRC.
Industry Collaborations:
The Sheffield BRC has experience in collaborating with multiple industry partners, including:
SMEs:
- TalarMade (HeadUp collar)
- Nanna Therapeutics
- Benevolent AI
- NZP Limited
- Cerevance
- Quell Therapeutics
- Ammba Digital Consulting
- Optical Jukebox
- Advanced Digital Innovation
- Therapy Box
- Keapstone Therapeutics
Pharmaceutical Companies:
Others:
- Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (https://ct.catapult.org.uk/),
- Verge Genomics (https://www.vergegenomics.com/),
- SwanBio Therapeutics (https://www.swanbiotx.com/),
- GTIMC (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/gtimc).
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- Deep End Practice Network
For PPIE events and integration into research. - Primary Care Sheffield (PCS)
Links our BRC to the wider Sheffield population. - We work closely with a number of charities including MNDA, Parkinson’s UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, British Heart Foundation, British Lung Foundation,
Anthony Nolan Research Institute, British HIV Foundation and NHS Blood and Transplant. These often help design and Sponsor our studies. - Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Studies Group (PD-CSG)
- Sheffield Hospitals Charity (including Neurocare)
- Devices for Dignity (D4D)
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact:
Email: Prof Oliver Bandmann (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead)
Email: Luke Barron (NIHR Sheffield BRC Manager)
Southampton BRC
University College London Hospitals BRC
Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs)
The NIHR funds Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) to support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems. These 15 local partnerships between NHS providers, universities, charities, local authorities, Academic Health Science Networks and other organisations also undertake implementation research to increase the rate at which research findings are implemented into day-to-day practice.
The ARCs undertake research on a number of areas of need highlighted by the NIHR Futures of Health report, including - the challenges of an ageing society; multi-morbidity; and the increasing demands placed on our health and care system.
ARC East Midlands
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Multiple Long-term Conditions
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Building Community Resilience and Enabling Independence
- Translating and Implementing Sustainable Service Innovation (Implementation Science - academic and operational)
- Data2Health
- Ethnicity & Health Inequalities
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Centre for Ethnic Health Research (specialising in community engagement/research in traditionally seldom heard populations)
- The Knowledge Mobilisation Support Unit (operational implementation, working to get innovation into practice)
- East Midlands Research into Ageing Network (EMRAN)
- Varied research programmes and access to international experts and advisors in MLTCs, diabetes, ethnic minority populations, mental health, stroke, frailty, plus e-health / digital health and implementation science.
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
We are the national programme leaders in this area on behalf of the ARCs. For more details, please see our website, or contact Carol.Ackroyd@uhl-tr.nhs.uk for more information.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- We have recently finished working with local authority organisations in the East Midlands on a study looking at home care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In addition, we have a continuing programme of work looking at care homes, falls prevention and community responses to long-COVID. https://arc-em.nihr.ac.uk/research (choose: Building Community Resilience and Enabling Independence theme)
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact; Emma Rowley (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead) via email.
ARC East of England
ARC Greater Manchester
ARC Greater Manchester website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Our research programme is focussed in the areas of:
- Healthy Ageing
- Mental Health
- Organising Care
- Economic Sustainability
- Digital Health
Cross cutting Research Themes include:
- Evaluation
- Implementation Science
Current work programmes include:
- Public and Community Involvement and Engagement
- Research Capacity Building and Academic Career Development
Areas of Expertise and Strength’s for SPARC placements:
- Healthy Ageing and Frailty in community settings
- Dementia
- Falls prevention
- Mental Health - Children and young people
- Mental Health - Parity of esteem for mental and physical health
- Health and Care Inequalities
- Digital Health Inequity
- Care Homes Research
- Evaluation methodology including rapid evaluation and evidence synthesis
- Implementation Science and knowledge mobilisation
- Economic sustainability of the health and care system
- Inclusive Public involvement and engagement
- Behaviour change
Industry Collaborations:
- NIHR ARC-GM is hosted within Health Innovation Manchester with strong links to multiple Life Science and SMEs
- We have been working with NovoNordisk and Novartis on research in diabetes and lipid management.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority/GM Ageing Hub
- GM Voluntary Charity Social Enterprise Sector / and GMCVO
- GM Health and Social Care Partnership
- Centre for Local Economic Strategy
- We work closely with the voluntary and charity sector through the GM Public Community Involvement and Engagement Forum
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact;
Ross Atkinson (Programme Manager) via email.
ARC Kent Surrey and Sussex
ARC Kent Surrey and Sussex website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Living Well with Dementia
- Starting Well - Children and Young People's Mental Health
- Social Care
- Primary and Community Health Services
Our cross-cutting themes are:
- Public health
- Digital Innovation
- Health and Social Care economics
- Co-production
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
ARC KSS has strategic focuses on:
- Out of hospital care
- Place-based research
- Areas of public need, particularly coastal health, rural health and deprived populations within or surrounded by generally affluent areas.
ARC KSS has key strengths across our themes but particularly in:
- Capacity building in social care/social work
- Capacity building in public health
- Capacity building in primary care and community care
- Co-production
- Health and social care economics
- Implementation
- Use of health and social care data
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise
We would be keen to discuss placements with individuals interested in:
- Long term conditions in the context of coastal health - linked to our public health theme
- Primary and community care interventions for those living with multiple long term conditions
- Population health approaches to multiple long term conditions
Industry Collaborations
ARC KSS would be interested in placements involving Digital Innovation and particularly relevant to Industry or around:
- Accessibility of digital innovation
- Digital innovation in primary/ community care and/or dementia
- Co-production of digital innovation
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
Experience of working with Kent County Council, Medway Council, East and West Sussex Councils and Surrey County Council. Our work mainly focuses on:
- Social care provision, particularly around strength-based approaches, looked after children, carers and domiciliary care.
- Use of integrated data for public health services
- Understanding the wider determinants of health, particularly in coastal towns
- Population health management, particularly with relevance to multiple long term conditions
- Health and wellbeing of migrant populations
We also undertake collaborative work with a number of third sector organisations in the areas of:
- Children and Young People's Mental Health
- Social Care
- Primary and community care models - particularly CIC GP models
- Social prescribing
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact;
Email arckssacademy@kent.ac.uk
ARC North East and North Cumbria
ARC North East and North Cumbria website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Inequalities and marginalised communities (also national lead)
- Prevention, early intervention and behaviour change (also national lead)
- Multimorbidity, ageing and frailty
- Supporting children and families
Cross-Cutting Research Themes:
- Integrating physical health, mental health and social care
- Knowledge mobilisation and implementation science
- Enabling methodologies (aims to develop, apply, and support the use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies)
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Shared Decision Making
- Alcohol harm reduction
- Dementia, with a focus on excellence in care for those living with dementia, their families, friends and carers.
- Stroke, especially hyperacute services
- Familial hypercholesterolaemia
- Analysis and interpretation of ‘big’ data
- Implementation science
- Evaluation science
- Experience of collaborating with Local Authorities to improve health and reduce health inequalities
- Working with commissioners and primary care to understand their research and evidence needs
- Social work and social care
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
Research largely sits within our Multimorbidity, ageing and frailty research theme which undertakes high-quality research to
- Promote healthy ageing
- Prevent disability
- Optimise the care and quality of life of older people living with illness, frailty and multiple health conditions.
Our cross-cutting research themes focus on
- Integrating physical health, mental health and social care for people living with MLTC and their carers
- Mobilising and implementing the knowledge developed through our research.
Further information on MLTC research is available at on the ARC website.
Industry Collaborations:
- The NENC ARC is building on the AHSN NENC Innovation Pathway, which was created to support ideas from development to commercialisation and provide healthcare sector access for SMEs, and has been implemented at scale with SME contacts. Work is ongoing to link the work of the ARC themes with these SME contacts.
- MedConnect North is a regional AHSN/CRN/NHS collaboration providing expert advice and signposting along the Pathway
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- North East North Cumbria has a co-ordinated approach to Local Authority research capability and capacity development in Public Health, Social Care, and Social Work. Active partnerships include NIHR infrastructure partners(ARC, Clinical Research Network, the School for Public Health Research (which includes FUSE, a collaboration between Newcastle, Durham, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside Universities), the network of 12 North- East Local Authorities (LA), Higher Education Institutions (principally Northumbria, Newcastle, and Teesside Universities) and Arms-Length Bodies (Health Education England and Public Health England).
- Our work with LAs includes a Social Care Research Internship scheme with part-time secondment of two experienced social workers from Newcastle City Council and North Tyneside Council Children’s Social Care. The interns are funded by NENC CRN to support NIHR expansion to non-NHS settings and aims to support the development of research capacity and activity within LA
- social care. Following positive evaluation, this pilot is being extended to three other LAs i.e. Northumberland, Stockton, and Hartlepool. A further two part-time posts are jointly funded by NENC CRN and ARC to embed senior researchers within Gateshead LA (in both Adult’s Social and Children’s Social care) to stimulate research activity.
- We are supporting the development of research in several of our LA partners. Examples are: South Tyneside: embedding research-informed decision-making, Newcastle: developing and implementing research infrastructures, Gateshead: digital inclusion, transitional safeguarding, impact of COVID-19 on service provision to families affected by Domestic violence, and supporting people with multiple and complex needs in the community, North Tyneside: evaluation of a service to support families whose children are at imminent risk of care entry, Sunderland: evaluation of Barnardo’s StartWell service, and Cumbria: early help provision in rural areas. In Northumberland LA we are a member of the County Council Placement Oversight and Development Steering Group.
- We would be happy to work with people interested in a placement with us to develop a plan that will support their development of translational research skills and develop networks and contacts in their areas of interest.
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact:
Email: ARCNENC@cntw.nhs.uk
ARC North Thames
ARC North West Coast
ARC North West London
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Cross-cutting Research Themes include:
- Collaborative learning and capacity building
- Information and intelligence
- Patient, public, community engagement and involvement
We also have an Ethnicity and Health Unit:
https://www.arcnwl.nihr.ac.uk/research/ethnicity-health-unit
And work in Adult Social Care:
https://www.arc-nwl.nihr.ac.uk/research/adult-social-care
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Expertise in Public Health
- Expertise in Primary Care
- Expertise in analysis, interpretation and use of ‘big’ data
- Expertise in reverse and frugal innovation
- Using advanced statistical models to understand patient level and general practice level predictors of vaccine uptake.
- Advanced statistical models to predict an individual persons: future need for social care, care home admission, and escalation of social care utilisation.
- Improvement and evaluation networks.
- Capacity building in innovation and quality improvement.
- Engagement and involvement of patients, carers and community in applied health research.
- Supporting digital health evolution and making best use of data.
- Exploring and highlighting the links between ethnicity and health
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
Our Multimorbidity and Mental Health Theme is led by Dr Dasha Nicholls: d.nicholls@imperial.ac.uk
By carrying out collaborations in research and evaluation we aim to better understand health and care needs of the Northwest London population who live with
multimorbidity and mental health conditions.
We aim to learn how to effectively and efficiently achieve improvements in care, and support service providers and users to achieve better experience of healthcare and
health outcomes.
Industry Collaborations:
Recent collaborations include:
- YourMD (Online AI powered symptom checker) collaboration; paper published with public partners included in BMJ Open.
- Bia Care Ongoing collaboration resulted in a prize-winning presentation on the use of group online consultations for menopause care, RCGP Annual Conference. A related case study accepted for publication in NEJM Catalyst. Following an award from Impact on Urban Health, work is planned to examine the experience of menopause of women from minority groups.
- eConsult, platform provider for online consultations in primary, secondary and emergency care.
- Initiated a study regarding healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards prescribing lifestyle medicine interventions: Join Regimen.
- Live Nation Trialled secure COVID platform, evaluating its utility to event organisers, ticket holders and public health authorities
- Innovation and Evaluation Theme continues to identify frugal innovations from low-income countries that have applicability in the NHS. Work with Arbutus.
- Miracradle
Third sector and industry partnerships:
- Community Health and Wellbeing Workers pilot with Westminster City Council
- We are delivering QI training workshops to senior managers and the director of communities at Westminster City Council Local Authority to apply QI in the council context around a population health strategy.
- Tip Top Teeth project with Westminster City Council and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- iMprOVE cohort study has linked data on 15,000 primary schools to local authority data.
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact;
Email: Dr Rowan Myron (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead); and Email: Nick Hewlett (Engagement Co-ordinator)
ARC Oxford and the Thames Valley
ARC Oxford and the Thames Valley website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Changing Behaviours for Better Health and Preventing Disease
- Helping Patients to Manage Their Own Conditions
- Mental Health across the Life Course
- Improving Health and Social Care
- Applied Digital Health
- Novel Methods to Aid and Evaluate Implementation
You can find out more about these on our website.
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
The ARC-OxTV is involved in several research projects involving patients with MLTC. Please look at our website or contact us for more information.
Industry Collaborations:
- Omron Healthcare the largest BP monitor manufacturer in the world.
- The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has partnerships with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Co-op.
- Our Online Support and Intervention for Anxiety (OSI) platform is being developed by BitJam Limited for potential wider implementation, in partnership with the AHSN.
Local Authority Collaborations:
We have close relationships with public health teams in Oxfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council, Wokingham Borough Council, Milton Keynes Council and Reading Borough Council.
Research collaborations include work on school children’s mental health and digital interventions for health improvement (physical activity and healthy eating). We also have social care research collaborations with Oxfordshire County Council, and with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICS.
Our current research interns are a Public Health Consultant from Royal Borough of Winsor and Maidenhead Council, and a Social Worker from Oxfordshire County Council.
Wider public health links include research collaborations with the UK Health Security.
Agency (COVID therapeutics), and links to the regional public health team at the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, and the Thames Valley NHSEI Screening and Immunisation team.
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact our Public Health and Social Care lead via: arc_oxtv@phc.ox.ac.uk
ARC South London
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus
Our core research programme is focused in the areas of:
- Alcohol – tackling the impact on public health from harmful drinking
- Children and young people – improving care for children with complex needs and disabilities
- Maternity and perinatal mental health – addressing health inequities among women from vulnerable groups
- Palliative and end of life care – improving the quality, availability and cost-effectiveness of palliative care
- Patient and public involvement (PPI) research – understanding and strengthening PPI practice in health and social care
- Public health and multimorbidity – understanding and developing interventions to address multimorbidity
- Social care – understanding the value of day services for people with multiple complex conditions
- Covid-19 – responding to the immediate challenges of Covid-19 and its longer-term implications
Our cross-cutting research themes include:
- applied informatics – using the latest technologies and big data systems to analyse population health
- economics and biostatistics – applying health economic and statistical methodologies to evaluate interventions
- implementation science – developing ways to help researchers, NHS managers and commissioners to effectively implement interventions and new ways of working
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Mixed methods research
- Qualitative research
- Analysis and interpretation of ‘big data’ (electronic health records)
- Cross-disciplinary research bringing together clinicians, academic researchers, patients, service users and the public
- Evaluation of complex interventions
- Implementation and improvement research
- Training in multiple qualitative methodologies, research practice, and analysis of sensitive qualitative data (e.g. stillbirth; attempted suicide)
- Experience of collaborating with national and local charities and support organisations in relation to research design, collection, analysis and dissemination
- We have a strong emphasis on co-production of research with an established patient and public involvement and engagement [PPIE] group
Out training and short courses:
ARC South London offers a range of training – for health and care practitioners, researchers, managers, policymakers, patients and service users – designed to
provide the skills to put research evidence into practice.
Industry Collaborations:
Working with pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies
Vascular researchers in ARC South London's public health and multimorbidity theme have worked with a range of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies during
the reporting period. This includes:
- Metadvice, a global healthcare technology company specialising in clinical decision support. Metadvice are sponsoring two PhD studentships.
- GSK, who have funded three PhD studentships.
- Imosphere, a health data analytics company.
Working with medtech/devices companies:
Our alcohol researchers are collaborating with Smart Start Inc, the developers of a sensor for measuring alcohol levels in the bloodstream.
Local Authority Collaborations:
ARC South London provides joint national leadership across the NIHR ARCs (with ARC East of England) in mental health, and palliative and end of life care. At the local and national level, we work with a range of partners including charities, local authorities, industry partners, university partners and academic institutions.
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact Kirstie Coxon (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead) via email.
ARC South West Peninsula
ARC South West Peninsula website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Dementia
- Mental health
- Public health
- Complex care
- Methods for research and improvement
- Children's health and maternity
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Ageing and frailty
- Research with care homes
- Evidence synthesis
- Implementation science
- Operational research and data science
- Patient and public involvement and engagement
- Statistics/cluster RCTs
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
- Older people with frailty - Please contact Vicki Goodwin
- Children with MLTC - Please contact Stuart Logan
Industry Collaborations:
Care homes research - Please contact Iain Lang or Jo Day
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- Public Heath England
- Research in residence programme
- Care homes research – Please contact Iain Lang or Jo Day
- Children’s mental health – Please contact Vashti Berry
- Social prescribing – Please contact Kerryn Husk
To explore potential placement opportunities please contact;
Email Vicki Goodwin (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead);
ARC Wessex
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Ageing and Dementia (National ARC Lead)
- Healthy Communities
- Long Term Conditions
- Mental Health hub
Cross-cutting theme:
Workforce and Health Systems
Training in these cross-cutting themes is led by Prof Cathy Bowen - Email Prof Cathy Bowen
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Addressing inequalities, diet, domestic violence and a wide range of issues that touch on everyone’s lives in particular those in more vulnerable and under-served populations.
- Addressing key social, environmental and behavioural factors that result in long-term conditions (LTCs) and health inequalities.
- Ensuring our population has a good start in life focusing on improving maternal & child health & reducing childhood obesity.
- Identifying undiagnosed LTCs earlier and improving outcomes for individuals and society.
Follow the link for more detail on specific projects
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
MLTC research is mainly embedded within our Long-term conditions theme: integrating person-centred approaches to optimise healthy living to identify, implement and evaluate strategies and technology for self-directed support to support active living by establishing and embedding interventions that mobilise patient capacity and engage patients and communities to minimise crises.
Industry Collaborations:
In collaboration with the IT Innovation Centre within the School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton we are building a critical mass of
NHS professionals in Wessex in regional systems with specialist knowledge ready to work with researchers and innovators on advancing data-driven health systems. A
further aim is to strengthen relationships with NHS providers in the area of data-driven health systems, AI, data engineering, data governance and cybersecurity.
Please contact the ARC Wessex central team as a first point of contact via email.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
Research is directly linked to Wessex population needs, determined in close consultation with senior Public Health colleagues in local authorities:
- We are co-developing and funding three projects led by teams at Universities of Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Winchester in collaboration with local councils and other organisations
- We have established a new collaborative interest through our Researcher in Residence with Southampton City Council to build and extend capacity in domestic abuse research. Focus: addressing the specific and complex issues of domestic abuse where it co-exists with long term and/or life-limiting illness.
- We are working to build applied health research capability and capacity to enable research-led mental health services across the lifespan in pressing areas of mental health linked to substantial health inequalities in our region.
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact the ARC Wessex central team as a first point of contact via email.
ARC West
ARC West Midlands
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Long Term Conditions
- Acute Care Interfaces
- Integrated Care in Youth Mental Health
- Maternity Services
Cross-Cutting Research Themes include:
- Organisational Science
- Methodology, Informatics and Rapid Response
- Public Health
- Social Care
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Osteoarthritis – Management and patient-centred focus
- Patient-reported outcomes
- Expertise in patient and public involvement and engagement (PPI/E)
- Expertise in Acute ambulatory care and “Hospital at Home”
- Health and wellbeing in schools
- Neurodevelopmental conditions and learning disabilities
- Maternity emergency department triage
- Large-scale maternity data-focused projects
- Organisational management and change
- Informatics and “big data” analyses
- Public health
- Adult social care
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC):
- Long-term conditions theme is the largest in ARC West Midlands
- Systems-wide approach to promoting physical and mental health in people with long-term conditions
- Focus on patient-reported outcomes
- Strong links with Social Care Theme
- Research into impact of Long COVID
- Investigations into barriers to participation e.g. access to technology, disability, language and cultural requirements
- Collaborators in the National Multimorbidity Priority study into Primary Care Improvement (PP4M)
Industry Collaborations:
- Collaborative work in primary care with industry partner on machine-learning risk prediction
- Working with industry partner to develop electronic templates for use during primary care consultations to identify factors affecting multimorbidity
- Working with an SME to develop electronic Patient Reported Outcomes which could form a useful adjunct to future research projects
- Collaborating with industry partners to embed templates for the Birmingham Symptom-specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS) in to electronic paediatric
health records
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
- Birmingham City Council
- Coventry City Council
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact arcwm@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
ARC Yorkshire and Humber
Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs)
The NIHR funds Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs); research partnerships between universities and Public Health England (PHE). The 14 NIHR Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) act as centres of excellence in multidisciplinary health protection research in England; funding high quality research that enhances the ability of PHE to use innovative techniques to protect the public’s health and minimise the health impact of emergencies.
HPRU Behavioural Science and Evaluation
HPRU Behavioural Science and Evaluation website
HPRU Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections
HPRU Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus
Our research programme is focused in the areas of:
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Blood borne viruses including HIV, Hepatitis B and C
- Underserved populations including men who have sex with men, LGBTQ+ groups and prison populations
- Sexual health services and delivery of care
Our work is grouped into three themes: Understanding risk and risk reduction for STIs and BBVs; reducing the burden of undiagnosed STIs and BBV and improving the care and management of people with STIs and BBVs.
Cross cutting themes:
- Behaviour change
- Knowledge mobilisation
- Health economics
- Patient, community and public involvement and engagement
Areas of Expertise and Strength’s for SPARC placements:
- Molecular epidemiology
- Cohort studies and data analysis
- Data science
- Surveillance data
- Sexual health/behaviour
- Qualitative/mixed methods research
- Policy review
- Systematic/scoping reviews
- Data linkage
- Prognostic marker studies
Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTC) areas of Focus and Expertise:
We oversee PhDs in MLTC research in our key areas of work.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
Experience of collaborating with Local Authorities, Health Protection Teams and third sector organisations across England in designing and delivering several studies relating to syphilis, HIV, hepatitis and service delivery.
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact Greta Rait (NIHR Academic Career Development Lead).
HPRU Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards
HPRU Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards website
HPRU Emergency Preparedness and Response
HPRU Emergency Preparedness and Response website
HPRU Emerging and Zoonotic Infections
HPRU Emerging and Zoonotic Infections website
HPRU Environmental Change and Health
HPRU Environmental Change and Health website
HPRU Environmental Exposure and Health (Imperial)
HPRU Environmental Exposure and Health (Imperial) website
HPRU Development Award in Environmental Exposures and Health (Leicester University)
HPRU Environmental Exposure and Health (Leicester University) website
HPRU Gastrointestinal Infections
HPRU Gastrointestinal Infections website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Our research programme in Gastrointestinal Infections comprises of four themes:
- People and Places (investigating the drivers of high burden of GI disease among disadvantaged communities)
- Data and Informatics (exploring data and digital innovations to strengthen GI surveillance and outbreak investigation)
- Pathogens and Microbiomes (evaluating and deploying state of the art molecular approaches to diagnose and control GI infections)
- Predict and Prevent (integrating complex data sources for translation into predictive tools for GI disease control)
Cross-cutting research themes include:
- Health inequalities
- Patient and public involvement and engagement
- Knowledge mobilisation
- Mathematical modelling
- Digital health
- Health economics
- Training
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Pathogen genomics
- Microbiome analysis
- Epidemiology and data sciences
- Quantitative sciences applied to infectious diseases
- Applied public health research
- Patient and public involvement and engagement
- Health inequalities and policy
- Vaccine trials and implementation
- Outbreak investigation and conducting research in outbreaks
- Public health microbiology
- Health economic aspects of infectious disease control
Industry Collaborations:
- Life Sciences Collaborations - experience in conducting surveillance, clinical studies and trials of rotavirus vaccine with industry partners including GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Merck (e.g. Eurorotanet website)
- Food Industry Collaborations – with supermarket retailers and poultry producers (e.g. campylobacter infections). Food Standards Agency and Animal and Plant Health Agency collaborations (e.g. One Health approaches to antibiotic resistance in the food chain).
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact Louise Cooper (HPRU-GI Project Manager) by email:hprugi@liverpool.ac.uk.
HPRU Genomics and Enabling Data
HPRU Genomics and Enabling Data website
HPRU Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (Imperial College London)
HPRU Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (Imperial College London) website
HPRU Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (University of Oxford)
HPRU Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (University of Oxford) website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Our HPRU aims to find better ways to manage and prevent threats from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and healthcare-associated infections (HAI), by detecting them faster, working out who needs protecting most and how we can do this.
We have four broad themes, to:
- Better understand who is affected by AMR and HAI, and why, including the impact of inequalities and ageing, and how we can monitor these conditions. [‘Populations’ Theme]
- Use this information to work out how we can reduce AMR and HAI, in ways the NHS can afford and that target those at highest risk. [‘Interventions’ Theme]
- Understand how healthcare-associated and antimicrobial-resistant infections can be affected by what happens on farms or in both the general and hospital environment. [‘Contexts’ Theme]
- Work out how to analyse and compare the genetic code of millions of microorganisms causing infections from across the world [‘Sequencing’ Theme]
Areas of expertise and strengths for SPARC placements:
- Clinical epidemiology
- Big data and data linkage
- Behavioural science and qualitative studies of antimicrobial stewardship
- Health economic evaluation
- Mathematical modelling
- Molecular microbiology
- Large scale genetic sequencing of pathogens
- Analysis of sequencing data allowing diagnosis, resistance determination and inference of transmission networks
- Developing and evaluating new rapid tests for pathogens
Industry collaborations:
Experience with working with Thermofisher and Oxford Nanopore in developing diagnostic methods for pathogens.
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact Aysha Roohi (HPRU Project Manager) by email on aysha.roohi@ndm.ox.ac.uk.
HPRU Modelling and Health Economics
HPRU Modelling and Health Economics website
HPRU Respiratory Infections
HPRU Respiratory Infections website
HPRU Vaccines and Immunisation
HPRU Vaccines and Immunisation website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
Our research programme aims to reverse the decline in immunisation coverage in children, increase vaccine uptake in adults and reduce inequalities in the vaccine service.
Our research looks at the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, how many people are being vaccinated, disease trends, and the impact of introducing new vaccines. We also look at what people think about vaccines and how we can make it easier for people to access vaccinations.
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
- Expertise in evaluating vaccine delivery models
- Qualitative research skills to investigate vaccine confidence
- Mathematical modelling to support vaccination policy
- Analysis of electronic health records
- Opportunities to be involved in an active programme of patient and public involvement, engagement and participation
Local Authority Collaborations:
We have a collaborative working environment, and are keen to strengthen existing and establish new research and training collaborations with HPRUs, ARCs and BRCs across the NIHR infrastructure.
Our research includes active collaborations across a range of third sector organisations such as NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
To explore potential placement opportunities
Please contact NIHR Academic Career Development Co-Leads: Tracey Chantler: Tracey.Chantler@lshtm.ac.uk.
Patient Safety Research Collaborations (PSRCs)
The NIHR funds 6 Patient Safety Research Collaborations (PSRCs) aiming to turn patient safety discoveries into practice.
Central London PSRC
Greater Manchester PSRC
Greater Manchester PSRC website
Research Themes:
- Developing Safer Health and Care Systems: based at the University of Manchester, we focus on underserved patient groups with complex health and care needs and with elevated safety risks. Co-design and co-production, informed by the experiences of staff, carers and patients, are central to our approach;
- Enhancing Cultures of Safety: based at the University of Leicester, our research aims to explore and understand cultures of safety. This will help researchers to identify how to develop positive cultures across health and care settings that will subsequently enhance patient safety;
- Improving Medication Safety: based at the University of Nottingham and the University of Manchester, our research focuses on determining the most cost-effective medication safety interventions to enable the NHS to maximise impact with the limited resources available. We will also improve computerised decision support to reduce unsafe prescribing and further develop and evaluate methods of identifying hazardous prescribing to prevent patients from being exposed to unnecessary harm from medicines, and
- Preventing Suicide and Self-harm: based at the University of Manchester, we are comprehensively identifying recent service delivery innovations in specialist mental health services, in general hospital emergency departments, and in general practice that may reduce risks of non-fatal self-harm and suicide. We will subsequently evaluate their effectiveness at scale.
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC Placements:
- we bring together a large team of experienced researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester with a wide variety of skills and knowledge. Our research teams, or those affiliated to GM PSRC, have interdisciplinary conceptual, methodological, analytical, empirical and technical expertise, including qualitative and mixed methods research, and utilisation of large routinely collected datasets;
- health economics is a focus of work in the Manchester-based Developing Safer Health and Care Systems, Improving Medication Safety and Preventing Suicide and Self-harm Themes. We have strong links to the Manchester Centre for Health Economics at the University of Manchester;
- the following other domains of specialist expertise are well-represented in the GM PSRC: primary care, pharmacy, mental health (psychiatry and psychology), sociology, health services research, epidemiology, and biostatistics;
- our strong links and partnerships across the Greater Manchester conurbation and East Midlands region provide access to diverse populations with greater health and social needs and inequities. This means that we have the expertise and experience to identify important patient safety risks and challenges, and the skills to conduct the research to address them, and
- we develop and test innovative service delivery models through co-design with patients/carers and health and social care staff, and as such patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) is integral to all that we do.
Collaborations:
- British Geriatrics Society
- Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN)
- First Databank (FDB)
- Graphnet Health Ltd
- Greater Manchester Equality Alliance
- Harmless
- Learning Disability England
- Lloyds Pharmacy
- National Confidential Inquiry Into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH)
- Race Equality Foundation
- Samaritans
- Suicide Bereavement UK
- The Phoenix Partnership Ltd (TPP)
- UK Kidney Association (UKKA)
- 42nd Street
To explore potential placement opportunities, please contact Roger Webb (roger.webb@manchester.ac.uk) or Richard Keers (Richard.keers@manchester.ac.uk)
Midlands PSRC
Newcastle PSRC
North West London PSRC
North West London PSRC website
Yorkshire and Humber PSRC
Yorkshire and Humber PSRC website
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
- Safer systems, cultures and practices
- De-cluttering (safely) for safety
- Supporting Safe Care in the Home
- Rethinking safety intelligence for improvement.
To explore potential placement opportunities, please contact Beth Fylan (B.Fylan@bradford.ac.uk)
NIHR Schools
The NIHR has established three national research schools
School for Primary Care Research
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
The School brings together academics and practitioners from across the country to collaborate on cutting edge, topical primary care studies that have an impact both at policy level and in general practices around the country. Our partners research the entire life cycle of complex interventions.
School research teams involve a range of different disciplines, including clinicians (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, dentists), psychologists, epidemiologists, statisticians, sociologists, methodologists (statistics, health economics etc), and patient and public representatives.
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
We have significant expertise in the design and conduct of pragmatic clinical trials, patient and public involvement and engagement, using big data (e.g. Clinical Practice Research Datalink), qualitative research methods, e-interventions and systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
We work with populations with the full spectrum of disease. We have specific clinical areas of expertise e.g musculoskeletal, mental health, antibiotic prescribing, dementia, anxiety and depression, behaviour change, patient safety and multi-morbidity.
To explore potential placement opportunities please email Dr Georgina Fletcher (NIHR SPCR Assistant Director).
School for Social Care Research
The NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) is a partnership between leading academic centres with excellence in social care research in England.
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
The School's research programme covers the following key thematic areas in the context of adult social care:
- Supporting choice and control for people to live flourishing lives: evaluation of feasibility, quality, impact and effectiveness of existing and new models of support.
- Adult social care needs (met and unmet), and prevention in its broadest sense.
- Digital and other new technologies.
- The adult social care workforce: recruitment and retention; workforce development, skills, and training; roles development and new ways of working; challenges including equality and diversity.
- Care resources management and allocation: eligibility; assessment; innovative approaches to funding; equality and value across self- and state-funded services; financial pressures facing adults needing support and their families.
- Supporting carers and volunteers.
- Communities and local area networks to promote well-being; including asset-based approaches, social prescribing; community and individual capability; personalisation; interdependency.
- Care systems and markets: local authorities management of volume and quality in local services/markets; market-shaping and the impact on providers and others; impact of major changes (e.g. legislation/policy) to systems of care; the impact of coproduced service provision.
- Diversity, inequality and communities/populations less well represented in research: covering areas such as variations in accessing adult social care; promising practice and support for specific user groups; coproducing solutions to challenge inequality.
- Adult social care at the interface with other systems.
- Appropriate development and utilisation of robust outcome measures of interest to commissioners, managers, staff, people who use services and their carers where gaps are identified.
- Analysis of cost-effectiveness of models and intervention: ensuring that resource impacts are addressed alongside outcome impacts, and that any trade-offs are transparent.
- Using routinely collected social care data and development of analytic tools and infrastructure for service planning, policy making, identifying inequalities, and measuring outcomes.
- Understanding the acceptability of using individual social care records for these purposes from user, carer, family member and professional perspectives.
- Anticipating the future: new and emerging priorities.
Areas of Expertise and Strengths for SPARC placements:
Please explore individual institutional strengths for the best fit; however broadly our areas of expertise include:
- Mental health
- Carers
- Workforce
- Dementia
- Learning Disability
- Choice and Control
- Finding and Funding Care
- Care homes and domiciliary care
- Digital and new technologies
- Care economics
- Care assessments
- Aids and Adaptations
But this is not an exhaustive list
Industry Collaborations:
We have good links with home care and care home providers, the voluntary sector and advocacy groups
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
Each membership organisation will have individual links with LAs and other partners appropriate to their areas of research. As a School we have strong links with ADASS, LGA, the Chief Social Worker, Royal college of OTs, Skills for Care and many national third sector organisations.
Explore potential placement opportunities:
Please contact our Programme Manager Jen Hill (e-mail: sscr@lse.ac.uk) to explore initial ideas
School for Public Health Research
Research Themes and Areas of Interest/Focus:
The NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) is a partnership between leading academic centres with excellence in applied public health research in England.
The School aims to build the evidence base for effective public health practice. Our research looks at what works practically to improve population health and reduce health inequalities, can be applied across the country and better meets the needs of policymakers, practitioners and the public.
The NIHR SPHR has four research programmes:
-
Children, young people and families
-
Public mental health
-
Health inequalities
-
Healthy Places, healthy planet.
Local Authority/Third Sector Links and Partnerships:
The NIHR School for Public Health Research members have links to a number of local authorities and third sector organisations. Please visit the SPHR website for further information.
To explore potential placement opportunities please get in touch over email.
Read our blog:
Reflections on the LA SPARC Chloe Gay and Sarah Richardson
Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs)
Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) website
NIHR’s 28 Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) are purpose built facilities in NHS hospitals where researchers can deliver early-phase and complex studies.
The facilities have cutting-edge clinical facilities, technologies and expertise and are designed to support high intensity studies and overnight stays. Whilst CRFs vary due to local need, all will include the following:
- Outpatient and usually inpatient facilities;
- Support for high intensity studies;
- Highly trained dedicated research support and management personnel;
- Specialist equipment and laboratories to conduct a variety of research studies;
- Standard Operating Procedures to ensure studies are conducted to GCP/Research;
- Governance Framework (and its successor) requirements.
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs)
Experimental Cancer Medicine Network website
The NIHR funds 17 adult and 12 paediatric Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) across England, in close partnership with Cancer Research UK.
The ECMCs act as an efficient and effective UK-wide network for delivering pioneering, early-phase cancer trials, bringing together world-leading laboratory and clinical researchers to test new treatments for adults and children with cancer.
The network of centres speeds up the process of cancer drug development and the search for biomarkers to diagnose cancer, predict the aggressiveness of the disease, or show whether a drug will be effective.
HealthTeach Research Centres (HRCs) website
The NIHR funds 14 HRCs in England. Each HRC has a distinct therapeutic focus to bring together the life sciences industry, patients, carers, the NHS, researchers, commissioners and investors.
They accelerate the development of healthcare technologies to improve the effectiveness and quality of health and care services. They do this by helping medical device, digital technology and diagnostic companies (collectively known as healthtech) to develop, evaluate and validate new innovative health technologies to address pressing healthcare challenges. This includes help to generate evidence to demonstrate financial value (health economics) or improve operational efficiency in the NHS (real-world evidence generation).
National Patient Recruitment Centres
National Patient Recruitment Centres website
The NIHR National Patient Recruitment Centres (PRUs) are the first family of NIHR-funded research facilities that are 100% dedicated to delivering commercial research.
The five purpose-designed centres have been established to increase the UKs capacity to deliver large scale, late-phase commercial trials and to make it easier and quicker to deliver commercial research in the NHS.
Policy Research Units
The NIHR funds 20 Policy Research Units (PRUs) to undertake research to inform government and arms-length bodies making policy decisions about health and social care. The units create a critical mass of experts for research in priority areas for health and social care policy.
The units provide both a long-term resource for policy research and a rapid-response service to provide evidence for emerging policy needs. The units also offer advice to policy makers and analysts on the evidence base and options for policy development.