The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the strength and importance of the UK’s research base, with real achievements in the development of new vaccines, diagnostic tests and in the evaluation of potential treatments. This would not have been possible without the massive team effort across the all parts of the research community in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Work is continuing to recover the UK’s diverse portfolio of clinical research. Building on the lessons learned from COVID-19, we can create a research delivery environment which is patient-centred, pro-innovation and digitally-enabled.
Working with government, research sponsors, other regulators and the NHS, we have now published our collaborative vision for the future of clinical research delivery.
Our collective vision for UK clinical research delivery is ambitious, but the experience of the last 12 months has shown us that it is achievable.
To support our bold vision, we have identified five key themes which underpin the improvements we will take forward.
These themes are:
- create an environment where research is valued and embedded into the everyday practice across the NHS and all health and care settings
- make research open to everyone and to make participation in research as easy as possible
- better use of data and digital tools to make the UK the most advanced and data-enabled clinical research environment in the world.
- for the UK to be the best place in the world to conduct streamlined, efficient and innovative clinical research
- a sustainable, supported research delivery workforce – offering rewarding opportunities for all healthcare staff and exciting careers for those from all professional backgrounds who lead research.
The HRA is proud to support this vision. You can read more about what this means for us in our blogs by Janet Messer, our Director of Approvals, and Matt Westmore, Chief Executive.