Drive innovation of new treatments to help patients
The NHS is an economic driver, procuring better healthcare.
Developing innovations to the point where the NHS can take them up depends on strong cross-sector networks enabling public, private and charitable funders to work together to identify clear priorities and objectives and implement a shared health research strategy.
The Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) has a key role in building these networks. OSCHR was set up following the Cooksey Review to co-ordinate health research in the UK. Medical research charities are represented on the OSCHR board.
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Medical research charities complement other funders' portfolios, funding research that would not ordinarily be supported by public funders.
In an analysis of funding in 2004-05, the Stroke Association spent more than 60% of its budget on later stage applied research (treatment evaluation and disease management) while the profile for public funders in stroke research showed a higher proportion of funding for basic research.
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From Donation to Innovation, AMRC and UK Clinical Research Collaboration; 2007
UK Health Research Analysis, UK Clinical Research Collaboration; 2006
Charities are open about their priorities to help other funders work with them to achieve the best for patients.
Medical research charities have long-term research strategies and make considered choices about which areas of research to fund.
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A publicised research strategy is vital to successfully co-ordinating and collaborating with other funders.
88% of AMRC members feel that the way in which public funds are allocated to science and technology could be more open and transparent to them as research funders.
AMRC submission to House of Lords Science & Technology Committee inquiry Setting science and technology research funding priorities; October 2009
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Clinical Research Network projects have successfully improved the quality of research.
Clinical Research Networks with different focuses can work together to achieve more
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Collaborations between networks and charities can encourage patients to register their interest in research
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UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Units Resource Finder»
Clinical Research Networks need ongoing support and development to build on their successes and continue to realise their potential.
Investment in the NIHR Clinical Research Networks has in some cases more than doubled the number of patients involved in clinical trials.
The Stroke Research Network helped an international, multi-centre stroke prevention study exceed recruitment targets. In 2008-09 there were 7,897 people taking part in Stroke Research Network studies, registration onto these studies has doubled.
Delivering Health Research: National Institute for Health Research Progress Report 2008/09 (PDF) Department of Health; 2009
Researchers can drive translation.
A study exploring the returns from arthritis research found that the researcher is the key driver of research translation.
Charity-supported fellowships, building up strong long-term links with individual researchers can help drive effective translation of research into practice.
The returns from arthritis research, RAND Europe; 2004
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