Hearing from some of the attendees

Sarah Taylor, Research Manager for Complex Pathways, Cancer Clinical Trials Unit. 

I’ve attended many conferences in my career, but none where I’ve felt quite as at home as the inaugural NIHR CRP conference in March 2023. As the CRP role has not always been well-defined and understood, I think it’s common for CRPs to feel like the black sheep of the clinical research world. It was so refreshing to be at an event where I didn’t have to explain what a CRP is, and does,

every time I met someone new.

The programme was well curated and covered a diverse range of topics. I was impressed by all of the speakers, who were incredibly articulate and passionate about their work. A few highlights for me included the sessions from Steve McSwiggan and Jayne Goodwin on how the CRP role is developing in Scotland and Wales, respectively. As an employee of UCLH and a CRP Engagement Lead for North Thames, my knowledge of CRP development is quite London-centric, so it was interesting to hear about the work of CRPs in other regions of the UK. I also really enjoyed the  sessions from Georgia Melia and Kathryn Slevin, focusing on their personal development in clinical academia and leadership within the CRP role. It was fantastic to see the progression opportunities

available to CRPs. I’ve already recommended the NIHR Clinical Integrated Academic Pathway to some of my CRP colleagues.

Break times provided a chance to network and view the excellent display of posters that had been submitted by CRPs. It was inspiring to see how much CRPs have achieved and the opportunities available for career development. The standard of the posters was very high, and it was difficult to vote for a favourite. The downtime also meant that I was finally able to meet other CRP Engagement Leads in person, which was lovely after months of working together online. 

Fahim Ahmed, Senior Clinical Research Practitioner, Cancer Clinical Trials Unit, NW London.

It was a fantastic opportunity to not only attend the conference and meet some of the amazing CRPs within our community, but also be able to present and facilitate one of the workshops! As CRPs, we are quite humble with regards to the breadth and depth of the scope of practice within our roles.

The “Give and Get” workshop demonstrated the range of skills we have as a workforce whilst highlighting potential issues we face within our roles. This was an incredible opportunity to highlight our strong points and where we could improve!

By showcasing just a fraction of our achievements at the conference it has encouraged many others to take similar paths in their own careers. As well as, further provide recognition and appreciation to the CRP role within research.

I originally became a registered CRP for my own professional development and to raise the profile of the role within my trust. Now almost 200 other CRPs have become registered with similar goals and we’ve begun to solidify our community and build various pathways for professional registration.

Being part of the leadership group provides me with insight into the various projects and achievements within our community. It was a huge pleasure to meet all the CRPs in the leadership group I’ve worked alongside with and share ideas!

I will definitely be looking forward to the next conference! And will hope to see you there!

Iony Evans, Clinical Research Practitioner, Oxford Radiology Research Unit

My Highlights

After much anticipation, it was an absolute delight to attend our very own first nationwide CRP Conference! My first impression was the choice of venue (De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London) which was appropriate for such an important event.

There was an overall sense of ownership of the event and a great sense of belonging to the CRP community. The attendees and speakers were engaged and passionate about promoting the CRP’s professional body in many ways. The choice of speakers was varied, and their presentations were very informative. It was encouraging to see and hear the input from important leaders and decision-makers from different professional bodies such as Head of Research Policy, Managing Directors for Research, Head of Research Workforce development etc.

The Conference was a fantastic opportunity for in-person networking with like-minded CRPs with different levels of expertise, achievements, background, and career aspirations. I certainly enjoyed finally meeting the other members of the CRP leadership forum group.

It was also a learning opportunity thanks to inspiring talks from high achieving CRP academics such as Georgia Melia, as well as the many different posters showcasing CRPs as PI etc.

The workshops and Q&A panel provided an excellent opportunity for us to voice/share our ideas,  address any concerns and have them answered.

How will the Conference change my practice:

• Helped me have a better vision on the CRP career path.

•  Motivated me to better map my personal development plan as a CRP and to encourage other to join the registration too.

• Opened doors to develop in areas such as leadership, academic post-graduate route with a hope to become a CRP PI one day!

• Signposted me to interesting tools, resources, websites that I intend to use, explore, and share with other CRPs in my local area too.

What’s next?

The Conference certainly mapped the road beyond the recognition stage by showing us a clearer picture of the benefits of registration, seeing CRPs being an essential part of the research workforce, and CRPs as decision-makers and research leaders.

There were, however, still many questions/challenging situations yet to be answered and addressed to fully grow the CRP professional body. More work to be done, but the Conference has started us off well.

Workshops

The afternoon included the opportunity for deeper conversations during two workshop sessions, the first looking at CPD - types, opportunities, potential challenges and how to overcome these.  The second looked at sharing and developing expertise as a leader supporting growth and development of CRPs.  As Fahim mentioned, this was a "Give and Get" format with CRPs highlighting skills they could offer and what they may need to develop as a leader. 

We are reviewing your responses from the day and will feed back to you in a later bulletin what the next steps may be in supporting you in these important areas.   Thank you for taking part in the workshops and feeding in the breadth of experience from around the nations.