At the heart of our work are people. People who could benefit from research findings improving their care, helping them to have a better quality of life and play a more active role in society.
The government’s health mission sets out to address the main underlying drivers of ill-health and tackle persistent inequalities in health to put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the future. Research will be key to doing this well. Research that has been done with and for everyone so that the whole population can benefit from its findings will do this best.
We work with people to understand the issues that matter to them in research so that it can take place with and for everyone. Given the right opportunities, many people would choose to take part in research. We know that there are three things important to them in doing so:
- trust – people trust the research and the research team
- purpose – people feel the purpose is worthwhile
- possibility – people are able and confident to take part
We are working with people and the wider research system to set shared expectations for how to design and conduct research in a way that meets these three characteristics – in a people-centred way that puts people first. We support researchers to find out what these expectations are and how to meet them. And we support Research Ethics Committees to assess how well research applications meet these expectations.
New approaches to research, using new technologies such as AI to do research and researching the use of new approaches and technologies in care, can raise new questions and issues about how to do research safely and ethically. They can also raise existing issues in new ways. We work with people, Research Ethics Committees and the wider research system to better understand how to do new types of research here in the UK in a way that people can trust.
Over the next three years we will
Make research more transparent with 100% registration of clinical trials and an increase in clinical trials uploading summary of results on a registry.
Ensure that more research meaningfully involves the public to inform the way it is done shown by an increase in rates of public involvement in applications for review by a Research Ethics Committee.
Support greater representation in, and access to, research so that people from all backgrounds across the UK can take part in research relevant to them. This will be shown by an increase in the proportion of researchers who use an Inclusion and Diversity Plan and are more confident to include a diverse group of people in their research.
Support researchers to do research in new ways and using new technologies such as AI to improve care in a way that people can trust. We will be clear how we support researchers to use new technologies and data to plan and do research, and to research the use of new approaches and technologies in care, in line with the AI Opportunities Plan.
Work in partnership to support new ways to do research such as working alongside the Health Data Research Service and make sure that regulation keeps up with research so you can trust our decisions.
Ensure our policy and guidance are aligned with action to promote and support sustainability in research.
This supports the government's ambitions to
- create a faster, more efficient, more accessible and more innovative clinical research delivery system – making the UK a world leader in clinical trials
- reduce the time it takes to get a clinical trial set up in the UK to 150 days by March 2026
- bring the benefits of clinical trials to everyone
- support public confidence in the Health Data Research Service
- increase in people registered with Be Part of Research supporting the government’s ambition for millions to take part in clinical trials under 10 Year Health Plan