December 2020 Newsletter
Date: 23 December 2020
Welcome to the Forum December 2020 Newsletter
Seasons Greetings
The NHS R&D Forum has been sharing the views and experiences of UK R&D teams with Government, Policy makers and Regulators throughout the year. We hope that you have found support in your endeavours by connecting up through Forum and the Forum Leadership team continues to work to create the environment for this to happen.

Our website has been updated with more ways to get involved. Submit and find resources, suggest or host a roundtable discussion and contribute to consultations.
Take a look: www.rdforum.org.uk

Dates: 25-29 January 2021
Over five days in the last week of January “Reflect & Connect: Research Before, During and After COVID19 (Reconnect21)” will cover three Streams on each of the days. The streams are:
- Policy & Decision Making (12:00 each day)
- Inside COVID19 Research (14:00 each day)
- Making Research Happen (17:00 each day)
Policy & Decision Making will include speakers from DHSC, MHRA, NIHR, and HRA.
Inside COVID19 Research will include speakers involved in the PHOSP-COVID, REMAP-CAP, RECOVERY and PRINCIPLE research trials and Inside the COVID19 vaccine trials delivery programme.
Making Research Happen will include HRA, ABPI, AMRC, and the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales.
These sessions will include live Q&As and also be recorded to allow those who cannot attend all sessions to catch up on demand.

A one-day course designed to provide an understanding of the requirements of an NHS organisation when determining whether to take part in a particular research study as a host. Designed for staff in R&D offices responsible for assessing and confirming local capacity & capability, for sponsors of health research and researchers designing studies.
Click below for full course information and details of how to book your place.

Date: 18th February

Click here for full course information and details of how to book your place.

On the 9th December over 130 members of the R&D non-commercial Sponsors community joined our first virtual symposium event. All slides will be made available Forum wide and you can follow the chat via #noncommsponsors.
For those who registered, recordings of all the sessions are now live on the microsite for your enjoyment.
If you were unable to attend, you will find the presentation slides on our website by clicking here.

Forum contributes to MHRA guidance
Why people should be involved who do not have the internet
Connecting Through COVID Coffee
New Forum blog by Sally Humphreys NHS R&D Forum Research Management Working Group Chair

NIHR Update
We would like to share the following updates on behalf of NIHR.
- Participants in NIHR-supported Covid-19 research exceeds half a million
- COVID and me – vaccine stories
- Restart case studies
- Restarting cancer research: opportunity to share your view
- NIHR Aerosol Generating Procedures Task and Finish Group
- What is Health Research? – An NIHR Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
- New look for NIHR Learn
- Innovation in Trail Design and Study Delivery during the COVID pandemic Podcast Series II
HRA Update:
We would like to share the following updates on behalf of the HRA:
- Prof Matt Westmore to become new CEO of the HRA
- Call for NHS CTIMP sponsors to join Combined Ways of Working pilot in 2021
- Fast-track ethics review pilot opens in January
- Updated amendment tool on IRAS
- Technical Assurances update: MPE/CRE review procedure and generic risk statement
- Updated guidance for health and social care researchers at the end of the transition period
- Updated guidance on Data Protection Impact Assessments
- Updated guidance on amendments to COVID 19 studies
MHRA update
On-site access to Electronic Health Records by Sponsor representatives in clinical trials
Population Research UK: A new initiative launched
New 8th Caldicott Principles

New SOP: Newcastle JRO: Virtual and e-consent in Research at NuTH
What do people think about third parties using NHS data?



