September 2025 Newsletter
Date: 30 September 2025
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Welcome to the Forum September 2025 Newsletter
Hope you all have had a lovely Summer as we now welcome in Autumn.
Work has now begun across all organisations to address the 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan which have implications on how the NHS will work but also will have a direct impact on the research and innovation ecosystem as we embrace the 3 big shifts:
- from hospital to community
- from analogue to digital
- from sickness to prevention
As we embark on Business Planning in line with the above plans in the coming months, looking at how research can help deliver efficiencies and alternative care and treatment pathways will not only be key but will demonstrate the impact and value that research and our community have.
There is a lot of change ahead of us, but without doubt the UK-wide R&D community will continue to adapt and make a difference through our collaborative working.
Dipak Patel
R&D Forum Trustee
RDF26 Call for Oral and Poster Abstracts Open Now
The R&D Forum invites submissions of abstracts for oral and poster presentations on how you are creatively and innovatively responding in today’s dynamic health and care R&D environment. This year’s suggested themes are:
- R&D delivery and management
- R&D workforce (all roles)
- R&D integration, partnerships and collaborations
- Patient and community voice
We encourage submissions from across the UK, from all four nations, and from colleagues in non-NHS organisations engaged in health and care research.
Key deadlines:
- Oral presentations: Friday 17th October 2025
- Posters: Friday 14th November 2025
Submission guidelines, abstract template, and further details available via the button below. Please ensure you have read the guidelines before submitting an abstract.
Learn with the R&D Forum
Don’t miss your chance to grow and make the most of the R&D Forum offering. Join us for the following courses, taking place later this year:
- 27-28 October (2 Day), Virtual
- Designed for any role at all levels when new to a health care R&D department.
Essentials of Research Sponsorship
- 12 November 2025 (1 Day), Virtual
- Designed for individuals in research sponsorship (from non-commercial organisations to small companies)
Local Capacity and Capability for Research
- 14 November 2025 (1 Day), Virtual
- Designed for R&D professionals responsible for assessing, arranging and confirming local capacity and capability
View Calendar for more information
Trustee of the Month – Carolyn Maloney
This is a monthly feature for our community to meet and find out more about our Trustees. Meet Carolyn Maloney, R&D Forum Trustee, also currently leading the operational aspects of research at a major teaching hospital in the East Midlands, where she plays a pivotal role in driving innovation and excellence.
NIHR Updates
- NIHR annual report highlights amazing successes and milestones during 2024/25
- Now Open – Applications open NIHR Senior Research Leader Programme
- RDN Portfolio data published: more than 1 million participants take part in NIHR-supported research
- The New NIHR Research Delivery Network Funding Model to be introduced in April 2026
HRA Update: Using health information to let patients know about research options: legal, policy and ethical issues
The HRA have published a new report on the legal, policy and ethical issues in using patient information to find and contact people about taking part in health and care research.
This work follows recommendations from Lord O’Shaughnessy’s independent review on commercial clinical trials in the UK, which called for clearer arrangements to make it easier for patients to hear about research options in ways that are trusted and transparent.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned the HRA to establish a common approach to contacting patients about research, as set out in the Government’s response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy review.
This report addresses the issues raised by that commission. It does so by setting out position statements to resolve key questions, and by making recommendations and outlining actions where further work is needed.
HRA Update: Thank you for sharing your views on the HRA’s clinical trials guidance
The HRA’s survey inviting feedback on our guidance to accompany the updated clinical trials regulations is now closed.
The HRA would like to say a big thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and comments on both the published guidance and an earlier draft version.
In total, more than 900 comments were submitted. Your feedback will help to shape the HRA’s final guidance and make sure it’s simple, clear and easy to follow for researchers, sponsors and everyone involved in setting up and conducting clinical trials. The guidance should be used to update your processes and policies in advance of the amended regulations coming into effect on 28 April 2026.
The HRA will let you know once the guidance is available.
HRA Update: Join the HRA’s research transparency event on sharing results with participants
The HRA are holding an online event on Thursday 2 October to support researchers to provide good quality feedback to participants.
Sharing results with participants is fundamental to ethical research practice but is often overlooked, leading to low morale and lower participation.
However, this will soon become legislation, along with other research transparency requirements, as part of the amended clinical trials regulations.
The webinar will cover everything you need to know about the new legal requirements, and the webinar will include the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London and the National Institute for Health and Care Research to discuss good practice looks like.
HRA Update: Research Grant Collaboration Agreement published
A new Research Grant Collaboration Agreement has been endorsed by the Health Research Authority for use across the UK.
The contract was developed by the Research and Development ’s Research Contracts Group and endorsed by the Four Nations Contracting Leads.
The template contract is now available on the IRAS website.
The HRA recommend that this is used as the contract between NHS and HSC organisations, and higher education institutions, which have jointly received funding and are collaborating on a research project taking place in the NHS or HSC.
The template is designed to complement the suite of existing Brunswick agreement templates on the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) website and model non-commercial agreement templates on the IRAS website.
If your study is being grant funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research, there are optional clauses to choose, and alternative clauses which can be selected instead for other funders, as appropriate.
HRA Update: New report published on simplified arrangements for consent in clinical trials
The HRA have published the findings of a survey they ran earlier this year to gather feedback on simplifying arrangements for the consent process in certain clinical trials.
This is part of the work the HRA are doing to support updated clinical trials regulations coming into force in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2026.
The new regulations will allow sponsors of certain clinical trials to use simplified arrangements for obtaining and evidencing consent.
This provision will only apply to clinical trials that present a lower risk to participants because they meet specific criteria.
Working with the NIHR Industry Hub – Briefing for NHS R&D and PI Sites
The R&D Forum have been requested to share this update from Dr. Maria Koufali, Life Sciences Industry Director at the NIHR Coordinating Centre
The UK has set an ambitious path for commercial clinical trials. By March 2026, we have a national target to reduce site set-up times to under 150 days, alongside an ambition to double commercial participant recruitment. To deliver this, NIHR is introducing the Industry Hub: a nationally coordinated, four-nations model to support sponsor-prioritised trials. Built on the proven Vaccine Innovation Pathway, the Hub combines central oversight with local delivery, helping sites mobilise more quickly and recruit more effectively.
Read about what this means for Lead & PI sites, why your engagement matters, and next steps.
Cancer report: No time to waste – starting cancer clinical trials faster
Cancer clinical trial set-up in the UK faces many challenges and is a complex process within a complex healthcare system. These challenges include regulatory approvals, contracting across multiple NHS sites with resource constraints and the need for specialised infrastructure such as radiology, pharmacy and pathology. This report draws on insights from the Cancer Research UK non-commercial clinical trial portfolio, to highlight key sources of delays and provides recommended actions to address these to ensure that cancer patients continue to benefit from timely, cutting-edge treatments
New regulations for clinical trials – Join MHRA’s Route B substantial modifications pilot
The blog link provides information about the Route B substantial modifications and why you should sign up to take part in the pilot if you are eligible.
NIHR and research funders’ joint commitment for better inclusion of older adults in research and health studies
The NIHR has signed a joint statement alongside other major UK research funders, committing to greater inclusion of older adults in health and care research. This builds on their announcement in November 2024 that inclusion needs to be considered in all applications for NIHR funding.
Scotland’s Health Research and Innovation Conference, 23rd October 2025 – Registration Now Open
A strong programme focussed on setting a progressive new healthcare agenda has been announced for Scotland’s Health Research and Innovation Conference, taking place in Edinburgh this October.
Hosted by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of Scottish Government and NHS Research Scotland (NRS), the theme of the conference, ‘Research Enabled Health Innovation’, reflects their joint ambition to mark a pivotal moment in empowering an exciting new era of care.
New report showcases the value of non-commercial clinical research
A new report, commissioned by the Association of Medical Research Charities and Wellcome, has found that clinical research funded by charities and the public sector contributed £72.7 billion to the UK economy between 2014 and 2024. The analysis, carried out by Frontier Economics, reveals the ‘triple dividend’ this type of research brings to the UK: unlocking growth, supporting the NHS and improving lives.
National directive on commercial contract research studies
The National Directive on Commercial Contract Research Studies sets out the requirements providers will need to adhere to for commercial contract research. An update has been published on the 24th September 2025. Read below.
Environmentally sustainable health research Recommendations for good practice in the UK and the US
The UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine are committed to addressing the challenge climate change presents to health, including the incongruity between the incredible benefits delivered by health research and its environmental impact.
The Academies brought together a bi-national group of 16 interdisciplinary researchers to participate in this innovative project with the goal of investigating and making policy recommendations on the environmental sustainability of health research. The group members brought expertise and ideas not only from their respective home countries, but also from deep individual experience of conducting research around the world. Read the report below.
Watch the recordings of the NIHR’s September Webinars
If you missed the “UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway: A new blueprint for trial delivery” or the “Live Study Set-Up Plan update: Progress and next steps” webinars this month, watch the recordings below.
RDF Resource Exchange
Resources from The Research and Development Forum are there to support health and care research in the UK.
Browse the Resources available to the RDF below.
Contacting The Research and Development Forum
As a reminder, should you need to contact the Forum the best way is via email which is info@rdforum.org.uk