Strategic Development

The Strategic Development Function supports proactive planning and evidence-based decision-making. Its primary purpose is to bridge the gap between high-level health and care system intelligence and operational research delivery. By implementing structured horizon scanning and foresight methodologies, the function captures external intelligence from regulatory, policy, and clinical sectors to identify emerging trends that impact research delivery sustainability. 

The function is responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of strategic investment and strategic project delivery. This includes establishing nationally consistent governance for strategic funding allocations, and project impact analysis. In addition the function will run its own proof-of-concept projects that will enable us to assess potential responses to a system challenge, as well as lead on broader strategic projects that require significant national resources e.g. defining social care research, and developing the Expert Connect App.

Furthermore, the function provides rigorous oversight of the RDN Strategic Plan, utilising performance metrics to monitor delivery of the plan against the commitments it contains. By fostering stakeholder engagement and maintaining a transparent portfolio of national and regional projects, this function ensures that the RDN remains agile, avoids duplication, and aligns its resources with the evolving needs of the health and care system.

Intelligence gathering, Knowledge Mobilisation and digital systems: Emphasising the need for robust systems for knowledge mobilisation, intelligence gathering, and the visualization of intelligence

Key deliverables 

• Monthly Strategic Intelligence Briefing to highlight key government and stakeholder policies, reports, and strategies, and articulate their implications for the RDN.

• A mapped inventory of existing intelligence sources

• A system to capture, categorise and organise intelligence in a manner that is accessible to all

• Expert Connect App tool to identify all health and care leaders (e.g. NSSLs, RSSLs and H&C Directors) and understand their expertise. 

• Strategic Intelligence reports for RDN Executive and RDN Board

Strategic Planning and Oversight: Developing, implementing, and monitoring the RDN Strategic Plan.  This includes adapting to system and Government priorities as required.  

Key deliverables

• Schedule of reporting requirements to provide assurance on the delivery of the Strategic Plan

• Collated stakeholder intelligence relating to delivery of the outcomes in the Strategic Plan

• Collated Impact Case studies to show the impact of projects on the Strategic Plan

Strategic Projects, Evaluation and Impact Reporting:  Delivering high-quality national and RRDN-commissioned initiatives that align closely with RDN and Government priorities while effectively demonstrating tangible outcomes and impact.  

Implementing a standardised national and Regional approach to investment to guarantee that funding remains aligned with systemic priorities and specific regional needs.

Key deliverables

• Strategic funding calls incorporating commissioning topics and recommending priority areas, based on system-wide health and care priorities, for National and Regional strategic funding 

• A coordinated timetable of funding opportunities that aligns national strategic, regional strategic, and wider care settings funding calls, and wider NIHR infrastructure calls.

• Guidance on how to develop a new project and the approval and governance steps needed

• NIHR Learn module: what makes a strong strategic submission

• Single strategic projects tracker system/s to track project progress and enables visibility of National and RRDN strategic projects

• Strategic Project Monitoring (proportionate) and reporting framework  to ensure a consistent,  coordinated and timely reporting of project outcomes and impact; including identification of risks incorporating: 

  • Data management including timelines, data management process and overall quality of information required to enable robust project reporting 

  • Development of case studies 

  • Ensuring alignment with the impact reporting across the RDN identifying opportunities for larger scaled evaluations across themed areas.

  • Stage Gate review guidance for determining whether projects remain viable and should continue to receive support throughout the funding period

Stakeholder Engagement: Prioritising effective stakeholder management, collation of outputs and intelligence and organisational transparency.

Key deliverables 

• Stakeholder Management system to log stakeholder interactions across the RDN

• Method of understanding the key themes from stakeholder interactions

• Engagement calendar to show upcoming stakeholder engagement activities

• Stakeholder Engagement Policy and Plan, incorporating:

  • • Clear and transparent process for selecting RDN representatives on external groups

    • Tiering guidance

• Record of Strategic Partnership, such as:

  • • Collaborating with the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres (ATTC) network

Specialised Focus Areas: Addressing specific mandates such as supporting social care research delivery and maintaining pandemic preparedness to meet DHSC and other NIHR or Government requirements.

Key deliverables 

• Definition of a Social Care study in the context of where the RDN can add value.

• COVID-19 publication, as requested by the DHSC

• Updated Urgent Public Health plans, in line with the NIHR Health and Care Emergency Preparedness Delivery Group

• An accreditation scheme for experts to support RDN services