NIHR Research Design Service South Central awarded five-year contract
The Research Design Service (RDS) South Central is one of ten NHS organisations and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that have been awarded a share of £50m to provide the NIHR RDS over five years from 1 October 2018.
The NIHR RDS supports researchers to develop and design high quality research proposals for submission to NIHR funding programmes and other open, national, peer reviewed funding competitions, for health or social care research.
Proposals were invited from NHS organisations and HEIs in England with proven expertise in research methodology and design. Ten organisations were successful and the combined Research Design Services will form a national network, liaising with each other to develop a consistent service to the research community.
RDS South Central is part of this national network and will receive £5.3 million from the new contract. This will enable RDS SC to continue offering free and confidential advice, drawing on a unique breadth of experience and established track record in improving funding applications.
RDS South Central comprises a partnership between the Universities of Southampton, Oxford, Oxford Brookes and Portsmouth and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Our multi-disciplinary team of advisers will continue to provide tailored research design advice to researchers in the South Central region including face-to-face meetings, peer review of applications and support for patient and public involvement.
Dr Issy Reading, who will be Director of RDS South Centre from October 2018 and Principal Medical Statistician from the University of Southampton said: “I am delighted that RDS South Central has received another five years of funding. We look forward to continuing our support for health and social care professionals, academics, patients and the public so that we may work together to develop and refine their ideas into high quality research grant applications.”
The NIHR RDS has been funded for the ten years prior to this round of funding and the advice offered by the RDS to researchers represents a key contribution to the NIHR’s commitment to the delivery of high quality health and social care research.
Find out more about NIHR RDS South Central here and request support here.
Notes for editors
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR): improving the health and wealth of the nation through research. Established by the Department of Health and Social Care, the NIHR:
- funds high quality research to improve health
- trains and supports health researchers
- provides world-class research facilities
- works with the life sciences industry and charities to benefit all
- involves patients and the public at every step
- For further information, visit the NIHR website (www.nihr.ac.uk).