We're holding an event in November for people across the research system to come together to inform, influence and input into areas of work of the HRA. As valued members of our community we would love Research Ethics Committee (REC) members to join us.
This event will take place at Prince Philip House, Westminster in London, on Tuesday 17 November. It is scheduled to begin at 10.30am and finish at 3pm, although these times are subject to change.
Taking part will be researchers, patients, and the public, as well as representatives from research funders, pharmaceutical organisations, medical research charities, and research and development (R&D) delivery. We are also involving members of the HRA Board, HRA staff, and our volunteers.
We will start with a panel discussion with senior sector leaders, followed by 3 deep-dive workshops, running in parallel, each focused on a priority area of work of the HRA. These 3 workshops include:
Plan and manage health and care research
An interactive user research session for people who use our current services to explore and inform the development of our new digital service. This new service, Plan and manage health and care research, will ultimately replace current IRAS.
AI in health and care research
Exploring when the development, testing or evaluation of AI in health and care may be considered research, and how the HRA can better support researchers working with AI. The workshop will use practical examples to help inform improvements to the HRA’s existing guidance and decision-support tools, building on the findings of the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare.
Earning trust in research
A session supporting our work to develop new resources that help people understand how they should expect to be treated when taking part in research, and the safeguards that exist to protect them.
We can reimburse the travel costs and expenses of those taking part in person in line with our expenses policy.
If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with our engagement team by Sunday 27 September and include the following details in your email:
- which REC member designation you are (lay, healthcare, social care, all other members)
- which of the above workshops you would like to participate in
- a brief outline of anything relevant to your selected workshop you would like to share about your knowledge, experience and/or interest in these topic areas (maximum 100 words). Formal qualifications and/or responsibilities are welcomed but not required
We are expecting a lot of interest in attending the event so to make sure we allocate places fairly we’ll be using a random selection process to ensure a good mix of different member designations.
We will let people who register an interest know if they have been allocated a place or not during the week commencing 28 September.
Payment
In line with our HRA Community members payment policy and procedure we can offer a honorarium for this activity, to include:
- if needed, £55 for attending a pre-meet and related preparation (for example, reading a briefing document)
- £165 for attending the event in London, including travel time and event preparation
- £27.50 for reading the summary notes from the workshop you attended and taking part in the update and feedback meeting
We will send you a payment form when the activity is complete.
Payments are offered in recognition of your contribution to shaping HRA’s work. This does not create an employment contract or affect your voluntary role for REC and CAG activity. We cannot pay for time already funded by another organisation (for example NHS or university). Participation and acceptance of payment are entirely your choice.