Name: Our support offer for the life sciences industry
Start: 2025-07-21T13:00:00Z
End: 2025-07-21T13:00:46.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 5

Our vision is for the UK to be a global leader in the delivery of high quality research that is inclusive, accessible, and improves health and care.


This webinar brought together experts from the NIHR, ABHI, and healthtech company, CogStack, to offer an insider's guide on how to successfully develop, evaluate and adopt your health technology within the UK's healthcare ecosystem.

The panel:  
Dr Sajni Haria, Business Development Lead at NIHR
Ravi Chana, Executive Director, Diagnostics at the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI)
Professor Richard Dobson, Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer at CogStack and Deputy Director of the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre

During this webinar, the panel discussed:
- NIHR's role as a partner and bridge across the UK healthcare ecosystem, helping innovators navigate the market and strengthen collaborations with NHS partners.
- The biggest barriers to bringing your innovation to market in the UK and how the NIHR can help you overcome these barriers.
- How the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs) and wider infrastructure offer clinical expertise, specialist equipment and facilities, and advice on regulatory compliance and evidence generation.
- The importance of aligning your innovation with national strategic priorities outlined in the 10-year health plan and Life Science Sector plan.
- How collaborating with the NIHR Life Sciences Industry Hub helped Cogstack overcome barriers they faced early in the development of their data-driven HealthTech.
- Key funding programmes like the NIHR's Invention for Innovation (I4I) programme and other schemes like SBRI, which specifically support product development and implementation across the NHS.

To find out more about NIHR’s free support for the life sciences industry, visit: nihr.ac.uk/support-and-services/industry

Insider’s guide to developing your healthtech innovation in the UK

This webinar was hosted by Sarah Fallon (Network Operations Director at the NIHR Research Delivery Network, and joint RDN lead Director), and was joined by:
Laura Bousfield, National Head of Study Support Services, NIHR
Tanya Turgoose, Industry Operations Manager, NIHR UKCRF Network
Liam Eves, Executive Clinical Trials Consultant and Founder, Renable
Nathan Durkin, Senior Feasibility Site Specialist, PPD Clinical Research Services

During the webinar, the panel discussed:
NIHR’s Site Identification service:
This free service helps the feasibility teams of commercial sponsors and CROs to rapidly gather expressions of interest (EOIs) from suitable investigators and sites throughout the UK.
Recent developments to the service deliver an enhanced experience for sponsors, improving speed, efficiency and inclusivity:
The scope of the service is UK-wide, meaning sponsors have access to all types of sites and settings
One service request can return EOIs from the entire system’s capacity and capability
New matching capability uses pre-populated capacity and capability fields to match studies to suitable research locations
Standardised site profiles create consistency: profiles are maintained directly by sites, not third parties
Sponsors receive EOIs on a rolling basis, allowing site review to happen faster
Captures reasons for site declines, providing valuable insights for sponsors and vital intelligence for enhancing the UK's research capacity, capability and competitiveness.
The panel discussed how the NIHR Scoping Locations for Research tool can facilitate fast feasibility assessment and smarter site selection:
The tool provides visibility of site research activity and experience. This can be overlaid with health prevalence and demographic data to understand where you’re likely to see rapid recruitment.

The panel also discussed what they think it will take for UK research sites to stay globally competitive - balancing speed, quality and inclusivity.

Driving research delivery with data: How to supercharge your feasibility, site identification and site selection

Phase 2 of the UK Clinical Research Delivery Study Set-Up Plan is complete, but there is more to do. This webinar offers reflections from UK research system partners who are instrumental in its delivery. It also provided an update on the Plan and next steps towards achieving the Government's target of reducing clinical trial set-up time to 150 days.

Speakers:

Saeeda Bashir, Head of Clinical Trials Policy & Programmes, DHSC
Lindsey Hughes, Director of Research, NHS England
Janet Messer, Director of Approvals Service, HRA
Kate Jones, Director of Research Delivery, NIHR Research Delivery Network
Kingyin Lee, Head of Clinical Trials, MHRA
Charles Weller, General Manager, NHS Research Scotland (NRS)

Key points
 - The UK Clinical Research Delivery Programme (UKCRD) aims to streamline study setup across all four UK nations.
 - The goal is to reduce study setup times to 150 days or less by March 2026, focusing on commercial interventional  -clinical trials.
 - New policies include mandated use of standard agreements and revised commercial chief investigator agreements.
 - Digital reformation and AI are being introduced to improve efficiency in clinical trial application processes.
 - The NIHR Industry Hub will provide a joined-up offer for sponsors and targeted support for sites.
 - Continuous engagement and feedback are crucial for ongoing improvements.
 - Site-level performance will be monitored against the 150-day target, and the new NIHR RDN funding model will include a performance-based element.
 - Workstream focus areas include contracting & costing, central reviews, performance tracking, and non-commercial studies.
 - Key initiatives involve updating the NHS England Directive and investing in Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs).
 - Collaboration among sponsors, regulators, and sites is essential for accelerating study setup. 
 - Future focus includes maintaining international competitiveness and ensuring compatible processes across the UK.

Study Set-Up Plan update: Progress and next steps

In this webinar we were provided with a unique insight into the success of the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway (VIP).

Fast, efficient, innovative. 

This trailblazing programme of work has created a new blueprint for trial delivery. Inspired by the UK’s unparalleled clinical trial performance during the pandemic, the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway has transformed and accelerated contract commercial clinical trials in infectious diseases and cancer.

In this webinar, our host Dr Angela Parker, Chief Operating Officer at Fylde Coast Clinical Research, and her panel of experts unpacked how we delivered vaccine trials at pace and scale. They discussed:

* Leveraging leadership - rapid access to research expertise
* Optimising infrastructure - taking collaboration to a new level
* Expanding our reach - harnessing the potential of primary care
* Enhancing inclusivity - proven patient centric approaches 
* Disseminating innovation - applying lessons learnt to new therapeutic areas

You heard from:
* Daniel Bamford, Director of UK Clinical Trials Partnerships, Moderna
* Dr Rebecca Clark, Co-Clinical Lead for UK VIP and Partner, Principal Investigator for Fylde Coast Clinical Research
* Dr Christopher Green, Associate Clinical Professor & Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases

UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway: A new blueprint for trial delivery

In this webinar our panel explored how the Associate PI Scheme can help increase recruitment to clinical trials and develop future research capacity and capabilities in the UK.


The webinar was hosted by Holly Speight, Associate Principal Investigator Scheme Manager, NIHR, and features: 
- Jon Wadsley, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospital
- Gregg Baillie, Strategy and Operations Country Head, Novartis UK
- Laura Parkes, Portfolio Team Lead, Novartis UK
- Dr Krishnaraj Rathod, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, The Barts Health NHS Trust
- Dr Angela Parker, Chief Operating Officer, Fylde Coast Clinical Research


Key topics covered:
- Purpose of the Associate PI scheme: The scheme is a 6 month in-work training opportunity providing hands on experience for health and care professionals starting their career in clinical research.
- Benefits for Sponsors: Commercial sponsors like Novartis have seen improved recruitment rates and faster study setup timelines, making the UK a more attractive destination for global trials. Adding your study to the scheme does not require additional ethics approval and studies can be registered quickly and easily by sponsors.
- Benefits for Trainees: The scheme isb open to all health and care professionals, offers mentorship, a solid foundation of research experience, and formal recognition.
- Capacity Building: The scheme helps build a sustainable research workforce by developing future Principal Investigators (PIs), with 99% of trainees reporting plans to stay engaged in research after completion.
- Widening access to research: Encourages the use of a broader range of study sites, including primary care, and helps to ensure representative patient populations and increased equity of access to trials.

Boost recruitment and build future research capacity using the Associate Principal Investigator Scheme

In this webinar our expert panel explored how inclusive and accessible approaches to trial design and delivery can expand your patient demographic, improve retention rates and speed up recruitment. 

The webinar was hosted by Margaret Ikpoh, National Settings Lead for Primary Care for the NIHR, and features: 
Emily Pickering, Specialist Commercial Services Lead, Patient Engagement in Clinical Development service, NIHR
Thanuja Weerasinghe, Lead Research Nurse, Agile Research Delivery team, NIHR
Gillian Richards, public contributor.

The panel explored practical strategies for addressing barriers to participation and delivering research closer to communities, including strategies for improving patient recruitment and retention. Key topics included:
Importance of Inclusion: Inclusion leads to more accurate interpretations, better data quality, and health solutions that work for everyone. Inclusion is now a key condition for NIHR funding.
Public Contributor Perspective: Gillian Richards shares her experiences as a public contributor, highlighting barriers to participation such as finance, internet access, and physical accessibility, cultural and religious barriers, and digital exclusion.
Patient Engagement in Clinical Development (PECD) service: Enables life sciences companies to have direct dialogue with patients and members of the public and collaborate on research design and delivery.
Agile Research Delivery service: Country-wide research delivery workforce specialising in delivering research in diverse settings outside of hospitals, and reaching underserved communities. 
Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES): A survey to gather feedback from study participants about their experience.
Mobile Research Units: Discussion of the potential and accessibility of mobile research units for reaching more communities.
Resources and Training: Discussion of training for public contributors, cultural competency skills, and available resources.

Strategies for growing patient recruitment and retention through inclusive research design and delivery

In this webinar, you will learn about the Study Set-Up Plan, a plan that aims to streamline and reform the set-up and delivery of all clinical trials to rapidly address the delays affecting clinical research. 

This plan is co-led by The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and delivered through the UK Clinical Research Delivery programme, a cross-sector programme of work that brings together key stakeholders to achieve the common aim to offer a world-leading environment for life sciences to undertake research across the UK. 

This webinar is for anyone working within the UK clinical research ecosystem who is interested in learning more about this Government priority. 

Confirmed speakers: 

Saeeda Bashir - Head of Clinical Trials Policy & Programmes, Department of Health and Social Care
Alex Churchill - Deputy Director Clinical Trials, Department of Health and Social Care
Alastair Nicholson - Head of Co-ordination and Standardisation, Health Research Authority
Kate Greenwood - Senior Improvement Delivery Manager, Health Research Authority
Emma Lowe - Director of Transformation, NIHR Research Delivery Network
Alison Austin - Deputy Director of Research, NHS England
Laura Bousfield - National Research Delivery Director (Interim), NIHR Research Delivery Network

Streamlining and reform of study set-up

Health research regulators across the globe are encouraging researchers to increase the diversity of people taking part in clinical trials.

The Health Research Authority (HRA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all issued or updated inclusion and diversity guidance in the last 12 months. With these changes ongoing, one thing is certain: inclusive research is better research.

In the UK our data capabilities are rapidly expanding and creating new ways to target research locations that offer opportunities to engage diverse populations.

You will hear from:
- Esther Mukuka, NIHR Director of Research Inclusion
- Laura Bousfield, NIHR National Research Delivery Director (interim)
- Mark Evans, NIHR Research Data and Digital Transformation Manager

Related information and resources
The following resources were discussed in the webinar. Links to learn more about these resources are now available under the Attachments tab:

Research Location Scoping Tool
Find, Recruit and Follow-Up Service
The NHS Research Secure Data Environment Network

If you would like to know more about any of the topics discussed in the webinar, contact the Industry Team: industry@nihr.ac.uk

Addressing the diversity challenge: Using data to identify the right research locations

Clinical trial delivery in the UK is evolving to take trial activities to the patients, delivering research in different ways, such as remote, decentralised, virtual or hybrid trials. Join the NIHR for the chance to learn from real-life examples as panellists explore how they overcame practical challenges to establish this model and highlight opportunities to achieve more accessible research for participants and real-world evidence.

The evolution of clinical research: embracing new delivery models in the UK

As conversations surrounding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in health and care research participation continue to broaden, we are also expanding our scope of involvement and inclusivity. However, achieving the ambitious goal of EDI remains a challenge.
In this interactive webinar, brought to you by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), we delve beneath the surface of EDI in research to unpick common challenges in offering equal participation opportunities in the UK.

EDI in clinical research: The case for adaptive strategies at every step

A panel of industry experts will discuss how the NCVR is transforming study set-up timelines in the UK.

Revolutionising research: Inside the NCVR evolution in the UK

This webinar is an explainer of our extensive range of NIHR services, support and tools available to help life science companies to deliver clinical research in the UK. 

Hosted by Emanuela Mariani and Kim Down both Business Development Managers at NIHR.

Topics covered include:
- An introduction to NIHR and its role in the UK life sciences sector.
- Our 5 pillars of support: 
Expertise
Our world-leading clinical, care, and academic experts can provide support throughout your research journey. This could include helping to develop your innovation, design your trial, or optimising an existing protocol for fast and efficient delivery in the UK. 
Research delivery
Services: 
Designed to streamline research initiation and delivery; we can help you to rapidly identify the right locations, settings, investigators and sites for your research, as well as tools and support for costing, contracting and monitoring study progress.
Facilities and sites: 
We fund world-leading research facilities - physical spaces to conduct research. This includes highly specialised research units with cutting edge capabilities.
Participants
We have services, support and tools to help you find and recruit participants for your research. We can support recruitment in traditional settings such as hospitals, as well as a range of diverse settings in the community, and also engage patients and public contributors to help you plan and design patient-friendly research.
Samples and data
We can support you to access and curate a range of pre-consented datasets and patient sample biobanks to conduct your research.
Funding
Our funding schemes for innovators and SMEs are targeted towards de-risking and advancing development of your health technology or product.
- Case study examples with companies such as Amgen and Novartis illustrating the impact of NIHR's services.

Our support offer for the life sciences industry

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Life Sciences

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Our support offer for the life sciences industry

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