Deliver commercial clinical research in the NHS

We are your research delivery partner in the UK

From acquiring patient feedback on your protocol, to feasibility and site selection, to monitoring performance, we can support you throughout your research journey. Our flexible package of support is available to all life science companies and Contract Research Organisations, regardless of location, study type, study size, or therapy area. The earlier you get in touch the more you will benefit from our support.  

There are three key areas where our Study Support Service can really have an impact on the success of your study: Plan, Place, Perform.
 

Plan

We provide a range of support to help you plan your clinical study or trial. All you need to get started is a study outline or draft protocol.

• Expert advice and guidance to plan your research
  Personalised, one-to-one advice to help you understand the UK research landscape in your therapy area. Explore what support is available and connect with the right people.
  
  
• Engage directly with patients to improve your trial design
  Meet your regulatory and ethical requirements with ease. We can organise and facilitate engagement activities with patients to obtain their perspective on your trial protocols, recruitment strategies and patient-facing materials.
  
  
• Find out how feasible your study is in the UK
  Access NHS clinical experts to advise on the feasibility and deliverability of your protocol in the NHS or social care environment.
    
• Discover our digital engagement tools
  Explore our range of digital tools and systems that can help promote your study to participants, and directly support recruitment.
   
• Is your research inclusive?
  Read our guidance on improving inclusion of under-served groups in clinical research or talk to our team about our research targeting capabilities.
   
• Research-ready site personnel
  Our dedicated, research-ready workforce of 10,000+ personnel is embedded throughout health and care services across England, all connected via our national network.
   
• Good clinical practice training
  Get access to our Good Clinical Practice training, which is internationally recognised byTransCelerate. It’s free to NHS site personnel delivering your study.
    

Place

We will help you to place your study more strategically to optimise study performance.

• Identify sites for your study
  We use our national network to quickly gather expressions of interest from investigators at sites throughout the NHS, including primary care (general practice) and social care. You can still use this service if you have already identified some, but not all, of your sites.
  
  
• Work with Principal Investigators (PIs) of the future
  Receive increased support at a site level by registering your study for our Associate Principal Investigator Scheme. This initiative provides in-work training opportunities for healthcare professionals to gain practical experience in research delivery under the mentorship of existing Principal Investigators. 
    
• Data driven site selection
  Our national, real-time, research activity data can then help you decide which sites offer the best recruitment potential.
    
• Faster costing and contracting 
  The UK’s unified approach to research costing and contracting will further support your clinical trial site selection strategy and help to minimise study set-up timelines. You’ll need to inform us of all your selected study sites and we will connect them into the UK's interactive Costing Tool for you.
    

Perform

Once your study is approved, we’ll work with you to get your sites up and running and to stay on track.

• Streamline your study set-up
  We know how important it is to get from approval to recruitment. Our national network will identify obstacles and share solutions, to help ensure multiple sites open as quickly and efficiently as possible.
   
• Keep your research on track
  We will work with you to ensure your research project is making progress by monitoring study-wide performance and targeting additional support through our regional teams.