22. Communications

Function Senior Leadership Team: Chelsea Drake & Chris Speed

Executive Senior Responsible Owner: Sarah Fallon

The Communications Service for the Research Delivery Network (RDN) will be delivered by a single, customer-focused Communications Team, spanning both the RDN Coordinating Centre (RDNCC) and Regional RDNs (RRDNs). This team will function as one to ensure a consistent customer experience under a unified RDN brand, with localisation supporting regional engagement without creating distinct regional identities. This is all delivered as part of the NIHR. 

Customers include commercial and non-commercial partners, Chief/Principal Investigators, the R&D community, and NIHR partners, with patients and the public being key audiences. The function will manage all internal and external communications, providing both responsive (reactive) and strategic (proactive) support across the RDN. Key service offerings include maintaining critical channels like 'Be Part of Research' and 'Join Dementia Research,' developing impact stories, and ensuring a "single front door" for customer engagement.

A dedicated team of cross-cutting communications specialists will deliver the function.