Helping industry to navigate the UK research landscape

We will provide you with personalised, one-to-one advice about all the different areas of support available to you. This advice is completely free of charge and will include:

• access to NIHR expert opinion to help you understand the UK research landscape and the UK track record of studies (academic and commercial) in your therapy area of interest
• exploration of recruitment potential and patient care pathways
• advice on eligibility for accessing support from our research workforce embedded in the NHS at site level
• guidance on regulatory submissions
• access to and support to use our interactive Costing Tool (iCT) and model site agreements
• information about available GCP training
• signposting to other support services you may find helpful.

 The earlier you engage with us, the greater impact we can have on the successful delivery of your study.

Find out more about the NIHR Early Contact and Engagement service

Engage with NICE and other key stakeholders from the healthcare system as you develop your market access strategy. 

We enable companies at all stages of product development and commercialisation to gain valuable insights. These can help you get new and innovative products adopted as quickly as possible. We bring together the best people to help you gain insight for your market access planning in a safe harbour environment.

Find out more about the NICE Office for Market Access (OMA)

We will help you to determine if your study is compatible with UK clinical practice and if it can be delivered in the NHS. All you need to do is submit a synopsis or draft protocol via a single online submission form and we will do the rest.  This service is completely free of charge.

Our nationwide  network enables us to efficiently and rapidly provide you with feedback from NHS clinical experts and key opinion leaders from the relevant  therapeutic area. Our experts will look at elements such as study complexity, patient population, time lines and recruitment strategy. They will offer valuable suggestions to improve study design and delivery and increase the potential of achieving your recruitment target on time.

Find out more about the NIHR Early Feedback service

The primary aim of the service is to bring patients and life science companies together earlier in the clinical development process, before a study protocol is finalised, so that patients can help companies to make the trial design as patient-friendly as it can be. The NIHR is in a unique position to be able to broker this relationship as a neutral, public sector organisation, working in close partnership with the NHS, with a long history and track record of supporting the life science industry to deliver clinical research in the NHS.

This service operates a full cost recovery model.

Find out more about the NIHR Patient Engagement in Clinical Development service

Seek answers to your questions through our comprehensive, confidential and non-binding advisory service. The 18-week standard advice service helps you optimise evidence generation plans to demonstrate the value of your product.

• A meeting with NICE and a panel of leading experts allows you to explore important issues.
• A report answers your questions and sets out NICE’s advice and insights.

Our Express version of this service offers the same features but on a 12-week time line. This is suited for more focused engagements where timeliness is key.

Find out more about NICE Scientific Advice for Pharmaceuticals

MedTech advice is designed specifically for developers of medical devices, diagnostics and digital health technologies. It offers a hybrid service that combines a META Tool consultation with our more traditional scientific advice services.

With MedTech advice, you'll get a high-level gap analysis of your evidence base. You'll also get advice on the key issues around your prospective evidence generation plans and your approach to economic modelling.

Find out more NICE Scientific Advice for Medtech

Our Site Identification Service enables you to rapidly receive expressions of interest from investigators throughout the NHS including 10,000+ General Practices in England, and from the wider UK. All you need to do is complete one simple online submission form. Interested sites are required to respond within 15 working days.

If you have preselected your sites you can use our Site Intelligence Service to ‘sense check’ your recruitment targets. We utilise local site and study data and our local expertise to check for competing studies and ensure that there is adequate capacity and capability to deliver your study at your chosen sites.

As with all our Study Support Services, this service is free of charge.

Find out more about NIHR Feasibility Services