NIHR Bristol CRF

The Bristol CRF will provide a purpose-built space for patients and volunteers, that delivers a significant increase in high quality early translational and experimental medicine (ET/EM) research studies, safely and to the very highest standards.

It will bring together all ET/EM clinical research at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) and the University of Bristol (UoB) into a single management and governance structure. This includes the main CRF and the adult haematology and oncology specialist research Unit.

The Bristol CRF research and disease priorities are: vaccine development and testing cancer and new immunity-based treatments The major developments and investment in the Bristol CRF over the last 5-years support our bid to become an NIHR CRF, which includes ambitious but achievable plans to expand our ET/EM research.

Our aims are to: Strengthen and expand the core CRF team responsible for leadership, governance and quality assurance, alongside funding for essential specialist research staff with high levels of training and experience Enable teams to work more efficiently Where funds permit, meet the growing demand for ET/EM capacity from the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and provide access to new therapies and devices for our specialist services Help deliver all seven Healthcare Missions in the UK Life Sciences Vision by collaborating with pharmaceutical companies/small to medium businesses and grow our ET/EM research through reinvestment of commercial income Add to Bristol s growing NIHR research community and together, improve efficiency and increase value for money through shared posts and expertise Provide professional training and development programmes tailored to delivering ET/EM trials, for the next generation of clinical and scientific staff.

Where funds permit, focus on training and championing Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals to lead research studies and grant applications Expand our Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP) work.

This will be led by People in Health West of England (PHWE), a nationally recognised PPIEP network based at the University of the West of England (UWE).

We will find new ways of carrying out PPIEP, share the most effective methods with researchers across the country, and engage with more diverse groups.

Enable us to better challenge exclusion and address under-representation across our research participants and researchers, by working with PHWE, UHBW and UoB Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Workforce Leads to produce a joint EDI plan.

This will include recruiting, training and mentoring paid Research Ambassadors from different minority ethnic communities, who will work with us to reflect the issues facing their communities.

We will focus on the needs and priorities of under-served communities, as well as making it easier for under-represented groups to start and stay in research careers.