Be Part of Research Service
The Be Part of Research website is designed to help anyone find out about health and social care research that is taking place across the UK. It allows members of the public to search for opportunities and take part in studies. The website also acts as a simple tool that clinicians and healthcare professionals can use to support patients who ask about research.
Find promotional materials for Be Part of Research here.
Be Part of Research makes it easier to help people make informed choices about taking part in health and care research in the UK and gives everyone the chance to get involved in research if they want to.
It aims to help people understand what research is, what it might mean to take part, while also showing the range of research currently taking place across the UK.
It also helps researchers find suitable people for the studies they’re running.
Why Be Part of Research?
Research allows us to form a greater understanding of how our bodies work. Through this understanding, clinicians can save lives and help us be healthier, for longer.
Research underpins all medical and healthcare innovations, whether this involves looking for more accurate and earlier diagnoses, better treatments, faster recovery, or preventing diseases.
Research studies cover a wide range of conditions, both common and rare.
Research only happens thanks to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who are willing to take part in research studies every year.
Every volunteer makes a difference.
Be Part of Research Key Aims
Through the use of Be Part of Research, we aim to have a research-ready population who want to learn more about research and feel confident to find their own opportunities to take part in research to benefit themselves and others. Our key aims include:
Strive to be the first point of contact in the UK for public and patients who want to be informed about research or take part in research.
Provide equal access to research opportunities for all patients and the public.
Provide a platform of learning and development.
Provide a modern and personalised experience of health and care research.
Be Part of Research can help anyone
Find out what health and care research is.
Learn how it might benefit you.
Discover what studies can involve.
Explore opportunities to take part.
Our values
We belive patients are key partners in enabling the best research to be delivered to transform healthcare for the future.
We believe that research should be available for all.
We believe research should be a routine part of health and care.
We belive information about research and heathcare should be clear for anyone to understand.
We appreciate the time given by volunteers and acknowlege their valuable contribution.
Be Part of Research is delivered by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the nation’s largest funder of health and care research.
For patients and the public
Be Part of Research provides you with the information about health and social care research, to help you decide whether or not to take part in studies, and enable you to contact researchers about their work.
Some research may require your one-off involvement, while others may have several follow ups over a period of time.
It is always your choice whether to take part in any study and you can change your mind at any time.
For health and social care professionals
Only through research can we find ways to improve prevention, diagnosis, care and treatments. It will help shape the NHS and social care provisions of the future.
Research-active institutions and care teams deliver better quality care.
Your patients may be seeking research opportunities, but don’t know where to find them. As a trusted professional, you can provide best care by directing them to reliable sources of information.
Only ethically approved studies are listed on Be Part of Research.
For researchers
The Be Part of Research study search service promotes studies on ISRCTN and clinicaltrials.gov to large numbers of potential volunteers, letting them know you are looking for participants.
Potential volunteers can search the Be Part of Research database of studies and they can contact you directly about your research study.
You can also search for other studies in the UK that may be looking to open new sites or who may be seeking to recruit from similar participant groups.
"Using the registry to share my research questionnaire with volunteers across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland was easy and led to a fast influx of responses to the online questionnaire. The service helped me to reach my target recruitment and I would be happy to use the service again. "
Jessica Large, Doctoral Researcher, Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour, Loughborough University.
