Clinical Research Office. A partnership between Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield
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Research Strategy objectives

The Objectives over the next three years are to

  1. Develop, support and monitor our 27 Directorates to ensure that they deliver high quality research. Academic Directorates will act as role models for meeting NIHR metrics, increasing research capacity and generating NIHR income and other income from national funding schemes.

  2. Ensure that the Trust research strategy is aligned to the strategies of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University

  3. Incentivise researchers by:

    • Maintaining financial support for clinical time currently provided by the Sheffield Hospitals Charity

    • Incorporating time for research as part of the annual job planning

    • Create a Clinical Research Academy, by providing time for research through the award of clinical time awarded following open competition. The clinicians in receipt of awards would use that time to work in the School for Health & Related Research (SCHARR) at the University of Sheffield to develop research grants with input from the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU) and Research Design Service (RDS), having all the appropriate institutional support available to them.

  4. Ensure that the Clinical Research Office meets the need of researchers by:

    • Ensuring a framework for continuing good and efficient governance, rapid approval of projects and guaranteeing the Trust can meet standards of MHRA, FDA and HTA inspections

    • Ensuring that support services meet the need of researchers

    • Maintaining a research informatics system to underpin research activities

    • Providing an efficient Research Finance service to ensure costs of studies are calculated accurately and rapidly and maximum income is recouped

    • Delivering a research communications strategy working with the University and Trust communications teams. This will include engaging the Sheffield public and STH workforce of the value, benefit and need for clinical research

    • Promoting and facilitating public and patient involvement in research

  5. Develop research activity and maximise research income. We will prioritise recruiting patients to studies in a timely manner to help ensure that the trust meets two of the key NIHR targets.

  6. Further develop the Clinical Research Facility to ensure a balanced profile, sustain and build the CRF experimental medicine portfolio and extend best practice across STH.

  7. Ensure the Trust implements the key steps to ensure it meets the objectives for increasing participation in research as part of the Yorkshire and Humber Allied Health Science Network (AHSN).