NIHR CRN Non-commercial Portfolio Application service: Information for investigators and R&D offices
Date: 25 October 2021
To improve the process for non-commercial studies to apply for NIHR CRN support, a new Non-commercial Portfolio Application service has been built within the NIHR’s Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS).
This new service allows investigators to apply earlier and receive an eligibility decision sooner in order to benefit from the full range of support that the CRN’s study support service offers. Through this service, investigators will supply a tailored set of data for review. If the study is deemed eligible, the CPMS study record will be automatically populated, with no further requests for information. Data supplied will be visible across the CRN and the devolved administrations, ensuring coordinated support across study sites. In time, all non-commercial health and care researchers will be able to apply directly to the NIHR CRN, regardless of discipline.
The Non-commercial Portfolio Application service was launched in August 2020 and is being rolled out by the CRN in a phased manner, based on study type. Deployment is in line with the HRA’s programme of work on the development of IRAS and the CRN’s aim to digitise the existing manual application processes. The service is currently available to the following study types:
- Non-commercial English-led studies applying for ethical and regulatory approval for Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs), through the HRA/MHRA’s combined review service (formerly the Combined Ways of Working).
- From 10 November non-commercial studies that do not require HRA Approval (i.e. those taking place in public health and social care settings).
All other study types should continue to apply for NIHR CRN support in the usual way through IRAS or via their local CRN see the CRN Portfolio webpage for details.
Commercial studies should continue to use the commercial services area in CPMS.
For more information on how to use the Non-commercial Portfolio Application service, including user guides and videos, and up to date information on what studies the service is open to, please see the dedicated page on the NIHR website.