Register for our next Basics of Commercial Research Webinar (7th October 2025)
SUBMIT A 'STRONG' EOI;
When completing the EOI for your site / PCN / group of sites you should highlight how you are eligible/how beneficial it would be for the study team to work with you, and detail the experience you have across your site(s).
Key pointers to include for a strong EOI:
Inform them how many........eg. type 2 diabetic patients are registered at the practice (study/disease related dependent)
Number of years the site has been research active and RSI Level(s)
Number of previous studies the site has participated in, especially in the field the particular study is in
Highlight any dedicated clinicians or speciality clinics for the area being researched, eg. diabetic, asthma
Overall practice(s) population size
Location eg. Rural/University/Coastal - If it will be positive for the study
Demographics of patient population
For groups /PCNs - Highlight one contact for all sites and include if they can be set up together/ model of delivery
Number of GCP trained staff at the site(s)
Research infrastructure e.g. do you have a dedicated area for research or a monthly research meeting etc.
Include how you promote research - Research display boards/ newsletter etc.
Any other specific research achievement's - eg. First UK or Global Recruits/ NIHR Research Award winners
Utilise the specific study and eligibility criteria and work around that to give your Practice(s) the best chance of being selected for a study.
EXAMPLES
⭐Top Tip ⭐ - Create a short paragraph of text and save this somewhere easily accessible - when submitting an EOI simply make minimal adjustments to take into account the study your are EOIing for and Copy and Paste!- Your Local Primary Care Team is more than happy to support with this!
A) An experienced research site with the ability and infrastrcute to set up studies easily and quickly. We have been the 1st practice to recruit the 1st patient to a study in the uk on 2 occasions now. We are now level 2 on the NIHR RSI scheme, which we have been part of for the past 5 years, participating in 35 studies. We have 4 GCP trained staff at site. We have a patient population of 6000 serving a deprived area. In our practice we have a research notice board which we display posters and other research literature, along with our website and social media channels. We have participated in diabetes, cancer and asthma studies this year, recruiting well and within timelines. Our research leads meet bi monthly to discuss research and it is also discussed at team meetings within the practice, so our whole team is aware we are research active. We have a dedicated respiratory nurse who is GCP trained and has capacity to deliver this study.
B) A busy large city centre Practice, NIHR RSI level 2 with 10,500 registered patients. S1 Initial search based on your study eligibility criteria has returned 300 potentially eligible patients.
Two members of the practice team are GCP trained with 4 years research experience and have capacity to set this study up as soon as possible. Have participated in 20 studies over the past 4 years, which have recruited well, including us being the highest recruiting site in the Country for a diabetic study last year. We have a dedicated diabetic nurse who has supported patients at our practice for the past 15 years. Research is promoted well at site. We have active social media accounts where studies can be advertised and an electronic screen in the waiting room ready to display research study information.
C) A group of 7 Practices with an overall patient population of 70,000. We are NIHR level 1 on the RSI scheme, we have participated in 8 studies over the past 2 years, recruiting to target and within study timelines. Our centralised model offers one point of contact and ensures set up of studies in a timely manner for all sites. We offer our patients shared services using a hub and spoke model, so our patients are happy travelling to other sites for different services. We believe offering this model for your study would enable a successful recruitment rate within timelines. All sites have GCP trained staff and we have a research nurse employed by the PCN, who has 10 years research experience and can deliver this study.
Please reach out to your Local Primary Care Team if you need any extra support or to take a further look into how your sites EOIs can be improved!