May Newsletter
Date: 28 May 2026
Welcome to the RDF May 2026 Newsletter
Dear Members,
One word sums up the month of May for the RDF and the research community, and that word is conference. I think it is fair to say, based on your feedback, this year’s was one of the best ever. Warm, friendly and informative, in an excellent venue. It was a testament to the efforts of all those whose hard work made the event such a success.
In the past, this time of year meant the beginning of a quieter time for R&D Offices. It was a time for administrative housekeeping; to rewrite or refresh the SOPs, clear the archiving, and maybe a little staff development, time and finances permitting. Not forgetting to fit in some well earned time off with family and friends. Late spring and summer was a slightly more relaxed time, certainly once the university term ended.
Alas, those days are gone and now work seems to continue at the same relentless pace all year round. Perhaps this is why the conference is such an important event in our calendar. It gives the research community an opportunity, albeit a very short one, to reflect with, learn from and generally catch up with colleagues old and new. Not forgetting a little a bit of fun in the evenings.
This year I was thrilled to see so many new faces, and the energy and positive atmosphere in the room was palpable. Any concerns regarding the future of the “profession” were dismissed, as the up and coming R&D workforce was there for all to see.
Finally, the planning for next year’s event has already begun, so if you are interested in getting involved or want to contribute any way to the conference or working groups, please get in touch.
Wishing you all well.
Margaret Cooper
R&D Forum Trustee
Reflections from RDF Chair on RDF26
It has now been just over 2 weeks since we held our annual conference – RDF26 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, and from my experience at the event, as well as feedback received directly and indirectly from delegates, sponsors and exhibitors, I feel this was the most successful conference (yet).
I have reflected a lot on why I feel this way, trying to capture the ‘why’, and I think it comes down to something I, and my fellow trustees are passionate about – inclusivity.
Being inclusive is one of the core values of our Board of Trustees, and this value is like a golden thread that runs through all our decisions – where we strive to live the value, not just say it.
I feel that by making bold, brave decisions around the content and format of the conference, supporting and encouraging delegates from across the UK Health and Care Research Community to get out of their comfort zones, share stories, to network, to learn, to innovate, to support each other and above all else, work across a complex system to remove as many barriers as we can to make change for good in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world possible.
I would like to thank everyone who attended, supported and made RDF26 the success it was. There is a lot to do between now and RDF27 to keep the momentum flowing, and as a Board of Trustees and through our Working Groups, we are up for that challenge. Keepan eye out for symposia and events around key hot topics so we can dive deeper and bring forward solutions together to move from VUCA to VUCA prime (Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility).
Special thanks go to Carolyn Maloney, Mark Brandon-Grove, Philippa Brice, Helen Riding, Shahista Hussain, Bernie Pearson and the team at Delegant for all the work that goes on behind the scenes and creating the firm foundations and conditions for people to thrive.
Let us all continue to bang the drum for research.
Angela Topping
The Research and Development Forum Chair
Register for Updates about Future Events
Join #Red4Research on Friday 19th June
On Friday 19 June, we’re excited to join people across the UK and around the world in celebrating #Red4Research. #Red4Research is about coming together to show appreciation for everyone involved in research, from participants to professionals, volunteers, regulatory bodies, and partners behind the scenes who bring studies to life.
How to Take Part:
- Wear any item of red clothing.
- Print or make a #Red4Research sign.
- Take a photo and share it on social media with the hashtag #Red4Research.
- Encourage your teams, friends, and partners to get involved too.
Everyone can take part. You can find more information and download free materials below.
Last spaces available for Good Documentation Practice (GDocP) in Birmingham
Course: Good Documentation Practice (GDocP)
Date: 11 June 2026 (1 Day)
Location: Birmingham
Price: £330 +VAT
Duration: 1 Day
With very few spaces remaining, register now for the RDF GDocP Course; a 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.
NIHR Updates
- Strategic Commitments for Public Partnerships: Action plan 2026 to 2027
- Youth engagement and co-production resource guide
Updated clinical trials regulations now in force
New legal requirements for clinical trials came into force on the 28 April 2026.
Together, the Health Research Authority (HRA) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have developed amended regulations that have been shaped by – and will benefit – patients, researchers, health professionals, and industry.
The updated regulations are designed to protect trial participants, strengthen patient safety, and accelerate approvals by reducing unnecessary burdens on researchers, to support high-quality, trusted research taking place in the UK.
HRA Update: UK clinical trials reach 150 day set-up milestone
On Wednesday 15 April the government published the latest UK Clinical Research Delivery key performance indicators which showed that the average time to set up a commercial interventional clinical trial has fallen from 169 days to 122 days.
HRA Update: Applications reviewed faster than ever in 2025
The review and approval of applications for health and social care research in the UK is happening faster than ever according to a HRA review of data from 2025, performance data from 2025 which showed that the total number of applications reviewed by Research Ethics Committees in the UK increased by 3.1% last year. The time taken for the reviews for these applications to be completed reduced to a record low of 29 days for commercially sponsored studies in 2025 – less than half of our target of 60 days.
Blog: MHRA Inspectorate – Route B substantial modifications pilot: the results are in
As part of the shift towards a risk-proportionate regulatory framework, the MHRA’s Clinical Trials Unit ran a Route B substantial modifications pilot from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026 to test a new process to streamline the review of modifications to low-risk approved clinical trials.
Any modification that will be eligible under section 11B of the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 were eligible to join the pilot.
The aim is to cut the time it takes the MHRA to review applications from 35 to 14 days by reducing regulatory hurdles for sponsors of low-risk trials and enabling expert assessors to focus on higher-risk trials.
This will lead to faster initiation of low-risk trials – reducing administrative blocks without compromising participants’ safety.
Guidance for reviewers of research applications based in settings outside the NHS/HSC – Update
Last summer the R&D Forum shared an initial draft of the ‘Guidance for reviewers of research applications based in settings outside the NHS/HSC’.
This resource was developed by a sub-group of the R&D Forum Wider Health and Care Settings Working Group. The sub-group includes research governance and support professionals, representatives from the HRA, Health Care Research Wales, NHS Scotland, HSCNI, and NIHR (RDN & RSS).
The guidance serves as a resource for organisations and researchers and focuses on governance reviews for health and care research conducted outside the NHS. The goal is to improve access to high-quality research across these settings, ensuring that it is well designed, conducted/delivered safely and subject to streamline review and assurance processes.
We invited feedback on the draft guidance (via online survey) in Summer 2025 and received 71 responses on behalf of individuals and organisations.
We are revising the guidance in response to the feedback, with the intention of having an updated version available later this year.
National framework launched to strengthen advanced therapy clinical trials across the UK
A new national framework designed to support the standardisation and expansion of advanced therapy clinical trials has launched. The Advanced Therapy Clinical Trials Capability Framework, produced jointly by the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Skills for Health, provides a shared strategic resource to support decision making across advanced therapy clinical trials services.
Give your views on draft sector-specific assessment frameworks
As part of the CQCs Better regulation, better care public consultation, which closed at the end of last year, one of their proposals was to introduce separate assessment frameworks that are more specific and relevant to the health and care sectors that the CQC regulate. The CQC have therefore developed 4 draft sector-specific assessment frameworks.
Innovative clinical research: Delivering trials in the community (FORUM report)
In November 2025, the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) organised a FORUM workshop focusing on decentralised methods of clinical trial delivery.
The workshop included around 60 people with relevant lived experience as well as representatives from healthcare, academia, regulation, funders and government.
In summary, the workshop concluded that decentralised methods could better support the needs and preferences of people taking part in clinical trials, and that there is a need for clearer guidance and shared learnings to increase uptake.
The R&D Forum is well placed, through its working groups to support the needs for clearer guidance and shared learnings and will be exploring how to engage with the FORUM on making research more accessible.
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
The professional network for research management, support & leadership in health & care