Funding

Research Costs are NOT care costs.  They are activities that are being undertaken to answer the research question and only exist because the research exists.  Research Costs are met by grant funders through the award of a research grant. 

Examples include:

• Screening / assessments to determine eligibility for a study, performed after the patient has been approached about the study and before they are accepted on to the study.

• Study specific central trial co-ordination and management (normally includes study set-up at practice).

• Investigation, assessments and tests to see if an intervention works.

• Investigations or assessments that are not reported back to the patient or GP.

• Patient follow-up, if not part of usual care.

• Associated costs associated with placebos.

You do need to invoice. These will continue to be paid by the research teams/Sponsor. You need to ensure the reimbursement in the agreement is correct before proceeding with the study. The agreement between your organisation and the Sponsor should only list the Research Costs, not the Service Support Costs or ETCs. 

The additional patient care costs associated with the research, which would end once the  study in question had stopped, even if the patient care involved continued to be provided. Activities are primarily concerned with the safety of the patient, or a duty of care to the patient, during the study. 

Examples include:

• Processing of a patients record to identify if they are suitable to approach for a research study.

• Obtaining informed consent.

• Additional investigations / assessments where results are required by the GP to ensure patient safety.

You do not need to invoice. These costs will be calculated based on the research activity completed at your organisation.

Review meetings will be held throughout the year to monitor activity and check your level of funding is suitable. The RRDN relies on information from your organisations and/or the study team to identify research activity that has been completed. Review meetings are valuable as they may help identify any missing activities for which you could be entitled to reimbursement.

The difference between the Treatment Costs and the costs of the existing standard treatment is referred to as the Excess Treatment Cost (ETC). ETCs are paid for by service commissioners. The ETC amount will be clearly stated on any of our Research Information Sheets for Practices, which will be shared with you when the study researchers are looking for practices to take part, along with any other reimbursement. 

You do not need to invoice. Practices initially cover the ETCs incurred during the study. Reimbursement is processed based on cumulative ETCs and paid directly to the practice by the RRDN. For a small number of studies, ETC reimbursement may follow a different route, which will be specified when applicable. 

The RSI schemes run by South Central Regional Research Delivery Network provide funding to help build infrastructure for research at practices and other primary care organisations. This funding is from the Department of Health and is distributed to primary care organisations to enable research delivery.

• These are annual Infrastructure Funding Streams; funding runs in each financial year (April - March) and organisations will be invited to apply for the schemes just before the beginning of each financial year.

• Payments are linked to level of research activity.

An invitation to apply will be sent to you by email with the link to the application form. Or please contact sc.rrdn@nihr.ac.uk for information.

Two schemes are available:

(1) for Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Frimley organisations

(2) for Hampshire and Isle of Wight organisations.

When your application has been reviewed and approved, a member of the team will be in contact with information about research studies that you can take part in and events that we run.

You do not need to invoice. Payments will be made directly to the practice. Primary care organisations are evaluated based on specific performance criteria to ensure effective and meaningful engagement in research activities. Payments reflect the level of research activity undertaken.

Practices can apply for different levels of RSI funding (per annum):

Participant identification activities

• Introductory* RSI – £1000 (required to act as a participant identification centre (PIC) for a minimum of two studies per year)

• Bronze RSI – £500 (required to act as a PIC for a minimum of two studies per year)

Site-based study recruitment

• Silver RSI – £1000 - £2000 (required to recruit to 1-3 studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

• Gold RSI – £3000 - £5000 (required to recruit to 4-6 studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

• Platinum RSI – £6000 (required to recruit to 7 studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

*Introductory RSI is only available for Year 1 of scheme membership.

• Sessional – £15,000 (required to recruit to a minimum of seven studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

An invitation to apply will be sent to you by email with the link to the application form. Or please contact sc.rrdn@nihr.ac.uk for information.

Practices can apply for three different levels of funding (per annum):

• Level 1 RSI – £1500 (required to recruit to a minimum of two studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

• Level 2 RSI – £4000 (required to recruit to a minimum of five studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

• Sessional – £15,000 (required to recruit to a minimum of seven studies per year and achieve recruitment targets)

An invitation to apply will be sent to you by email with the link to the application form. Or please contact sc.rrdn@nihr.ac.uk for information.

Hub and Spoke Model to deliver Primary Care Research: New Funding Available

Benefits of 'Hub-and-Spoke' working

The hub and spoke model enables practices to work together to reach out to a wider population and give more patients the opportunity to participate in research.

Hub practices act as the site and can offer the full or partial array of research activities as required by the study, whilst the Spoke practices act as Participant Identification Centres (PICs). The Spoke benefits from mentoring and guidance to enable them to build their own infrastructure.  

Available funding from the Research Delivery Network

Funding is available to set up a hub and spoke model and to cover the following activities:

• Time to assess capacity and capability, including feasibility.

• Discuss the research delivery model between hubs and spokes, including staff involved in delegated tasks, and completion of other essential documents.

• Time to put contracts/agreements in place between hub and spokes and discussions with the RDN. 

Hub and spoke funding will be paid directly to the Hub and they will be responsible for having an agreement in place to pay the Spoke/s.

How to identify suitable studies

Studies suitable for the hub and spoke model will be assessed by the RDN Portfolio Manager in collaboration with GP Research Experts and will be highlighted on our Research Information Sheet for Practices (RISPs) and/or promotional emails.

Eligibility

No practice is excluded from this funding, but all practices should already be in receipt of sessional funding or signed up to the Research Site Initiative (RSI) scheme.  Hub and spoke funding is paid in addition to any other research funding and/or support. 

Minimum criteria for 'Hub' practices:

• Must be signed up to the Research Site Initiative Scheme and have an Category B contract in place

• Identified a research lead (and a GP to support if the lead is not a GP)

• At least one GP to complete Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training (free training available at NIHR Learn - you may have to create an account)

• Demonstrate ability for conducting at least one site based study (as Hub)

• Identify someone in house to act as admin support

• Raise awareness of research at the practice

• Communicate with allocated research facilitator

• Consider signing up up the RCGP Research Surveillance Centre and CPRD

• Consider signing up for the RCGP Research Ready accreditation (reimbursed by RDN)

Minimum criteria for 'Spoke' practices:

• As above but at least one PIC feeding into Hub

Applying for hub and spoke funding

Please discuss your plans to use a hub and spoke model of delivery with a Primary Care Portfolio Manager (contact email sc.rrdn@nihr.ac.uk ) before completing the application form. We need to check the study is suitable for this model, and ensure practices meet the minimum criteria above.