The Research Office at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust provides “cradle-to-grave” administrative support for all research studies involving Trust patients whether they are led by Trust employees or their collaborators.
It works particularly closely with the Joint Research Office at Imperial College to ensure the effective management and governance of research studies being led by Imperial employees within the Trust.
Services offered by the Research Office include:
Research development and study set-up
We provide support to Trust researchers in the development and set-up of new grant applications through our Research Development Managers by:
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proactively assisting in the development of grant submissions, project managing the process particularly for large or collaborative grants and providing administrative support including grant costings.
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facilitating timely study set-up (once funding is secured) by assisting researchers through the regulatory framework to gain Trust approval, including ethics and MHRA applications.
Contacts:
Laura Henderson 020 7351 8121 x2107
Rachel Joynes 020 7351 x8579
Ira Jakupovic 020 7351 8109 (for the development and set-up of Trust-sponsored MHRA regulated studies)
Statistical services
The Trust has dedicated statistical support which is available to all Trust researchers. Researchers are encouraged to consult with the Trust statistician early in the design and planning phase of new studies. The statistician is also able to support the analysis of research projects.
For more information please access the Trust’s statistical services page.
Contact:
Winston Banya 020 7352 8121 x2707
Additional advice on design and methodology issues in the preparation of research applications is provided by the NIHR Research Design Service. It gives priority to applications to NIHR funding schemes, particularly the Research for Patient Benefit scheme.
Research Approvals & Contracting
The Trust needs to ensure that all research undertaken on its premises or by its staff is compliant with the regulations governing health research. Therefore all research projects involving Trust facilities, Trust patients, their tissue or data must follow the necessary processes and gain the appropriate approvals from the Research Office before the project can begin. This is in addition to afavourable ethical opinion.
Further details about the processes and requirements can be found in the approval process section.
Industry funded research
The Trust engages in industry funded research whether it is industry-sponsored or led by the Trust in collaboration with industry. The Trust has a dedicated industry team who take the lead in all negotiations with industry partners and facilitate the timely set-up of industry funded studies.
All agreements must be negotiated by the Industry Business team in the Research Office, who will also also co-ordinate R&D approval for the study once negotiations are completed. Only the Director of Research, or his nominated representative, can sign this agreement on behalf of the Trust.
Contacts:
Ginette Hoare 020 7351 x8572
Mandy Woods 020 7351 x8709
Non-Commercial funded research
To support these investigator-led research projects through the R&D approval process, the Research Development Managers should be the primary point for new investigator-led studies prior to ethics and MHRA submissions. Thereafter our Non-Commercial Business team will be responsible for the processing of applications, subsequent amendments and for ensuring that Research Office approval is obtained.
Contacts:
Research Development Managers:
Laura Henderson 020 7351 8121 x2107
Rachel Joynes 020 7351 x8579
Non-Commercial Research Business Team:
Patrik Pettersson 0207 351 8736
Vandana Luthra 0207 351 8574
Research quality management
The Trust has in place quality management activities, which include monitoring, audit, risk assessment, review of SOPs, pharmacovigilance, study close-out and archiving to ensure that research at the Trust meets best practice and is compliant with regulations.
All Trust-sponsored clinical trials are routinely monitored and reviewed by the Clinical Trial Oversight Committee (CTOC) to ensure that the conduct of studies is compliant with relevant regulations.
Trust compliance with tissue-governance requirements and the Human Tissue Act are overseen by the Tissue Research Oversight Board (TROB)
Contact:
Ira Jakupovic 020 7351 x8109 for Research Governance policy & processes and GCP Compliance
Melanie Reid 020 7352 8121 x2909 for Tissue Governance policy and processes
Intellectual property management
The NHS has a responsibility to commercialise and exploit its intellectual property assets. The Trust’s IP lead is the first point of contact if Trust researchers have an idea/innovation that requires protecting Whilst NHS Trusts, as employers, own all IP generated by their employees in the course of their employment, Trust employees will always be recognised as the Inventor through the inventor revenue sharing scheme to be found in the policy .
Further information is also available in the intellectual property management section.
Please note: the key to commercialising intellectual property is ensuring that the information remains confidential. Therefore ideas should only be discussed on a restricted basis and this may well mean delaying a publication and/or entering into confidentiality agreements with other parties. Prior disclosure of any information related to commercialising IP may render the invention unpatentable!
Contact:
Patrik Pettersson 020 7351 x8736
Legal services
The Trust’s in-house legal advisor assists the Research Office in all research agreements and contracts between the Trust and third parties. These agreements are to ensure that all parties are aware of their role and responsibilities with respect to statutory provisions and government policy and involve the negotiation of terms in the best interest of the Trust, its employees and its patients.
Any agreements negotiated and signed directly by a researcher and a third party are not legally binding upon the Trust and may render the researcher personably liable; a position which may be untenable if the agreement involves the use of Trust resources. All contracts should therefore be discussed with and negotiated by the Research Office. Only the Director of Research, or his nominated representative, can sign this agreement on behalf of the Trust. The legal advisor also advises the Research Office on indemnity issues which need to be addressed in the context of ethics submissions and in contracts with third parties.
Contacts:
Industry funded studies:
Ginette Hoare 020 7351 x8572
Mandy Woods 020 7351 x8709
For all other enquiries:
Patrik Pettersson 020 7351 x8736
Research Training Courses
The Research Office also supports research training courses in the Trust:
Research Induction Sessions:
An introductory session for all new staff involved in research at the Trust
Research Training Days:
Biannual sessions providing researchers with advice and guidance on planning and conducting research in the Trust
Good Clinical Practice (GCP):
The Trust offers an on-line training course. In addition a refresher course is available and has to be completed every 2 years.
Consent Training:
All staff involved in the consenting of Trust patients into research studies must attend the Trust’s generic Consent training
Research Tissue Governance Training:
Tissue governance training sessions are open to any person involved in research involving human tissue at any of the RB&HFT licensed sites
