Research Design Service North West

RDS NW e-bulletin – November 2022

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RDS NW e-bulletin

November 2022

 

NIHR Research Design Service Social Care Research Residential Grant Development and Writing Retreat

15 to 17 March 2023 – Castle Green Hotel, Kendal

The NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) is offering a unique opportunity for research teams across England to attend a three-day residential Grant Development and Writing Retreat in March 2023. The purpose of the Retreat is to give busy professionals dedicated time to rapidly progress their social care research proposal to be submitted to an NIHR programme for social care, such as the Research for Social Care (RfSC) or the Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) programme (not including NIHR personal awards or schemes such as LA SPARC.)

What does the retreat offer

The Retreat will provide a supportive environment for teams of two or three people, to develop high quality social care research proposals.

Those attending the Retreat will have access to a range of RDS advisers and protected time to work intensively on their proposals. Continued support from the RDS will be essential in preparing your application for submission to an NIHR programme for social care research, such as the RfSC or HSDR.

It is encouraged but not essential, for attendance at the Retreat, that a member of the wider research team is a social care professional employed in England.

This year we welcome research teams who are working in the field of Child and Adolescent Health and social care research. Successful applicants will be offered a free place at the retreat which will include food and accommodation and an evening welcome dinner on the 14 March*.

More details on the retreat can be found here.

The deadline for receipt of application forms is 16 December 2022.

*excludes travel to/from Kendal

How to apply

Applications to attend the Retreat should be submitted on a standard application form, available here, and submitted to: rds-nw@lancaster.ac.uk

Applications will be reviewed competitively and places awarded to those with the most promising proposals. Support from your local RDS is available and applicants are strongly advised to contact them as soon as possible. Contact details can be found here.

What people say about our retreats

100% of respondents at the 2022 RDS Grant Development and Writing Retreat agreed that attendance at the Retreat resulted in significant progress on their social care grant application and that RDS provided expert support needed to develop their research proposal further and expanded their understanding of the requirements of the funding programme.

“The Retreat provided the opportunity to learn from colleagues, developing networks, gaining new insight into the links between academia, local authorities, independent organisations. To understand the plethora of insight and issues that affect the world of social care today.”

“Speakers were extremely inspiring however in a manner that challenged thinking, bringing new ideas and opportunity for further reflection.”

“The Retreat gave us the chance to have three days protected time with our care home collaborator which is usually very challenging.”

Watch the video from the 2022 retreat.

 

RDS Blog: Social care research: What is it? Where to go? What to do?

One of our specialist Social Care Advisers, Dr Paul Clarkson, has written this month’s RDS Blog.

This month’s blog lifts the veil of social care research, helping to highlight the differences to health research.

We show that the social care sector is actually a collection of sectors working outside, but also with, the NHS. It has a different language and research questions need to be pitched in a different way, with a focus on well-being outcomes rather than cures or successful treatments.

Find out what help is available and link into our social care grant writing retreat running in March 2023.

Read the blog here.

 

What research means for frontline social workers

As part of the NIHR’s Your Path in Research campaign Dr Jenny Harlock, Regional lead for Social Care RDS West Midlands, has written a blog about what research means for social care professionals, how it can help them build their careers and why she has signed up to be a Link and Learn mentor.

The NIHR “Your Path in Research” campaign highlights how people can make research part of their career.

Better research leads to better services for the public. That’s why the NIHR wants to encourage organisations and social care and public health professionals to play an active role in research, as a way to deliver even better services.

 

NIHR Research for Patient Benefit – Competition 50

Application deadline – 8 March 2023

The NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme is inviting stage 1 applications for research proposals that are concerned with the day-to-day practice of health service staff, and that have the potential to have an impact on the health or wellbeing of patients and users of the NHS.

As a researcher-led programme, RfPB does not specify topics for research but instead encourages proposals for projects that address a wide range of health service issues and challenges.

The programme aims to fund high quality quantitative and qualitative research with a clear trajectory to patient benefit. It particularly encourages applications that have a strong element of interaction with patients and the public and that have been conceived in association with a relevant group of service users.

The submission deadline for applications is 1pm on 8 March 2023.

Research for Patient Benefit is currently participating in the following highlight notices:

  • Motor Neurone Disease
  • Brain tumours

Find out more about the call and apply here.

Request advice on your application.

 

New long-COVID Greater Manchester research-ready community

Respiratory consultant Professor Nawar Bakerly who is leading long COVID research in Greater Manchester has been working with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Research for the Future team to develop a research-ready community of people to take part in research into long COVID.

Research for the Future’s unique consent-for-approach database has been updated to collect information about people’s COVID status, recovery, and whether they’ve received a coronavirus vaccine.

To date, over 3,000 people have opted into this cohort, two-thirds of which have previously tested positive with more than a quarter of those stating they hadn’t fully recovered within 12 weeks.

As a Greater Manchester initiative, Research for the Future is perfectly situated to help support your research into:

  • the after-effects of the pandemic
  • better treatment options
  • services to support people living with long COVID
  • why some groups of people are at greater risk of coronavirus infection or developing symptoms of long COVID

For more information about support available to researchers, please see the Research for the Future website or contact Katherine Grady (Programme Development Manager), katherine.grady@nca.nhs.uk

 

NIHR School for Public Health Research Transdisciplinary Placements in public health research

The NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) will soon be opening applications for Transdisciplinary Placements in public health research.

Transdisciplinary Placements will be short placements of around six to eight weeks aimed at those currently working outside of public health, but in a relevant field, who want to gain experience of academic public health research. Successful candidates will be based at one of the SPHR member institutions and will contribute to an SPHR research project, gaining experience of academic public health research with the support of a SPHR researcher supervisor.

Applications for placements will open at the end of November 2022 and close at the end of February 2023.

The SPHR are also planning Transdisciplinary Fellowships which will offer funding of up to 24 months for individuals with a strong research track record in their base discipline, which has relevance to public health.

The first year will involve an approved MSc in public health and the second year an in-depth SPHR research project. The SPHR Transdisciplinary Fellowship competition will launch in September 2023.

Further information on Transdisciplinary placements here.

 

NIHR Three Schools Webinar on increasing public diversity in involvement in research – recording now available

In early October, the NIHR Schools for Public Health Research, Primary Care Research and Social Care Research hosted a webinar on increasing public diversity in involvement in research.

During this webinar people shared their experiences from research with people who identify as LGBTQ+, migrant communities and people experiencing homelessness.

This was the third webinar of the series, after a first session on engaging and working with young people and a second session on involving people living with dementia and learning difficulties in research.

Further information and the webinar recording available here.

 

Voices for Change – NIHR publishes Toxic Corridors video poem

The NIHR has published a new video of a poem that highlights the lived experiences of black men in the healthcare system.

The powerful poem, entitled ‘Toxic Corridors’, was written and performed by author and gospel literary evangelist Kwabena Kimathi. It features NIHR public contributors André Tulloch and Danté Grant and explores the racial inequalities that exist in healthcare, and the interweaving issues of health, healing and spirituality.

Find out more about the poem here.

 

#StepForward Become a NHS Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee member

8 November 2022, 10.15 am to 11.30 am

The NHS Health Research Authority (HRA) has an exciting opportunity for more members to join their Research Ethics Committees (RECs) and contribute to their work.

They are looking for people who are passionate about health and social care research to review applications for research studies, particularly registered healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

You’ll gain a wealth of skills which can help with your career.

Find out more about the HRA REC member opportunity here.

 

Events and webinars

NIHR funding opportunities

Find more NIHR funding opportunities here.

Request advice on your application.

 

Always check with the event organisers/funder for latest information.