February 2025 Newsletter
Date: 28 February 2025
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Welcome to the Forum February 2025 Newsletter
Can you believe it? An excess of 650 delegates already registered to join us at the RDF25 conference in Manchester 18th-20th May 2025. Well, actually, I can believe it, as yet again there is a wonderful broad and inspiring conference programme with external speakers from right across the UK health and care R&D management system in attendance. Moreso, it is THE opportunity of the year for the UK R&D Leadership and Management community to share all their good work, with record abstracts submitted for oral and poster presentations. No wonder so many people want to attend, share, network and learn.
Training our community is one of our core pillars and with new courses available, like Good Documentation Practice Master Class, as well as the training calendar for the year out there is something for everyone. I would like to say a special thanks you to all the training working group and trainers who devise and deliver such valuable material for the community. And remember, if you have a training need that is not yet met, then do let us know.
Wishing you all well as the nights get longer, the sky is brighter and the daffs start to poke their heads out of the soggy soil.
Shona Haining
R&D Forum Trustee
Will you be joining us in Manchester?
Join the 650+ already registered UK Health and Care R&D professionals in Manchester from May 18-20, 2025, for our renowned R&D Forum Annual Conference.
Browse the programme now for the event overview, with sessions ranging from workshops on psychological safety in the workplace to in-depth analyses of embedding sustainable practices into research.
New Training Course Announced & 2025 Course Agenda
The R&D Forum is delighted to announce a new in-house training course has been released.
Good Documentation Practice (GDocP)
This one-day, in-depth masterclass delivered by trainers with advanced clinical records management expertise taking participants through all the key requirements for creating, reviewing, approving, finalising, managing, storing and archiving/preserving essential documents, records, and research data. This Good Documentation Practice Master Class is aimed at anyone with responsibility for creating and managing documentation and data within their organisation. Course date coming soon for Spring, register your interest via email info@rdforum.org.uk
2025 courses
The R&D Forum courses have been designed to support individual development in health research management, support, and leadership. Browse the calendar for the dates of newly-released training course available in 2025.
Book the following courses now:
- Research Governance for PIs and Delivery Teams: 14 March 2025 (Virtual course, one day)
- Essentials of NHS Research: 24 March 2025 (Virtual course, two days)
- Essentials of Research Sponsorship: 27 March 2025 (Virtual course, one day)
- Local Capacity and Capability for Research: 31 March 2025 (Virtual course, one day)
- Regulatory Inspection Ready : 4 April 2025 (in-person course, Leeds, one day)
- Getting the most out of IRAS: 7 April 2025 (Virtual course, half-day)
NIHR Updates
- NIHR Industry Engagement and Delivery Review
- NIHR to transition to new model of delivery for research publications, replacing the Journals Library
- NIHR Update: Research Delivery Network Leaders Blog – January/February 2025
- Share Your Feedback: Help Improve the NIHR Website Experience
HRA Update – GDPR transparency wording template to be used by all sponsors from 1 April 2025
To help ensure research participants have all the information they need to make an informed decision about the use of their data the HRA have developed a GDPR template that they recommend sponsors use.
Survey Reminder: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges to Supporting Trialists’ Behaviours for Greener Trials
This research study sponsored by the University of Aberdeen is interested in exploring factors that influence trialists’ behaviours and attitudes in relation to the design, delivery, reporting and analysis of greener trials. When we refer to ‘greener trials’ we mean clinical trials that are designed and delivered without unnecessary and unjustified carbon emissions.
The survey will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. All data collected in the survey will be confidentially and securely stored on computer servers maintained by the University of Aberdeen. Details of the survey are available in a Participant Information Leaflet.
Application open: Primary Care Commercial Research Delivery Centres (PC-CRDCs)
Following on with the successful Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) funding opportunity funded as a partnership between government and the pharmaceutical industry’s Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme, the NIHR is launching a subsequent funding opportunity to establish Primary Care Commercial Research Delivery Centres (PC-CRDCs). These centres will focus on increasing commercial research capacity within primary care, supporting the UK’s aim to be a global leader in commercial clinical research delivery.
Survey reminder: Research Delivery Network Transformation Survey on Supporting Sponsors and Researchers
We have been invited to complete another survey on the RDN transformation process, this one on how the RDN can best support sponsors and researchers in delivering studies more efficiently, leverage novel delivery methods, and support the UK’s Life Sciences vision and strategy for economic growth. We would like to extend this opportunity to feedback to the whole R&D community. You can do this by completing the survey (see here) by 5pm Thursday 27th February
As with the previous survey, we will submit all responses to RDNCC but also collate themes and use these in future meetings we are invited to attend.
Read more and Take the Survey here
From research to reality: A vision for a research and innovation-powered NHS
This Wellcome Trust report sets out a vision for science to be embedded at the heart of the UK National Health Service (NHS). It examines the current context of the research ecosystem and outlines recommendations to achieve the vision.
Clinical researchers in the UK: reversing the decline
This Medical Research Council report evaluates the current decline in clinical researchers, determines underlying causes and defines necessary actions across stakeholders at a national level.
Trustee of the Month – Angela Topping
This is a new monthly feature so our community can meet and find out more about our Trustees. First up is Angela Topping, Chair of the R&D Forum Trustees.
Read more to get to know Angela Topping – from her first job to what she enjoys about being a trustee.
RDF Resource Exchange
Resources from The Research and Development Forum are there to support health and care research in the UK.
Browse the newly added resource from NIHR, “Review of NIHR’s Industry Engagement and Delivery” below.
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