A national network, delivered locally

The NIHR CRN is comprised of a Coordinating Centre and 15 Local Clinical Research Networks. We work with organisations delivering care in the NHS and wider health and care system (partner organisations) to support and deliver studies.

the Coordinating Centre (CRNCC)

The CRNCC is hosted jointly by a Consortium formed of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Leeds.

The purpose of the CRNCC is to provide the headquarters of the NIHR CRN including executive and operational leadership, management, and governance of the whole of the NHS research infrastructure that comprises the NIHR CRN working with, and on behalf, of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Consortium leads an Alliance of organisations which provide leadership for our Clinical Specialties and information systems, including King’s College London, Imperial College London, the Universities of Liverpool and Newcastle and PA Consulting.

15 Local Clinical Research networks (LCRNs)

15 LCRNs support the delivery of clinical research across the whole of England in all Clinical Specialties and disciplines. Each LCRN has a single Host (detailed on the central contact list linked to below), which is a provider of NHS services, that has a contract with DHSC to deliver the LCRN. The CRNCC manages these contracts on behalf of DHSC, through the Performance and Operating Framework (POF) .



  1. North East and North Cumbria

  2. North West Coast

  3. Yorkshire and Humber

  4. Greater Manchester

  5. East Midlands

  6. West Midlands

  7. West of England

  8. Thames Valley and South Midlands

  9. East of England

  10. Kent Surrey and Sussex

  11. Wessex

  12. South West Peninsula

  13. North Thames

  14. South London

  15. North West London


Individual LCRN organograms are available via the Central Contact list to anyone with an NIHR account. They are linked from row 7 of the tab for each LCRN, with the links being updated when updated versions are received by our team.

We have created an example organogram that will give you an idea of how the LCRNs are made up. Follow this link to explore:

LCRN General Organogram

Please note this is not an actual organogram, but an explainer of the rough LCRN setup and the various roles you should find in an LCRN. Each LCRN can fulfil their contract differently so you may not find role equivalencies in each LCRN, apart from those mandated by the POF. The LCRN model and language used can vary depending on the LCRN.

Together, the CRNCC and LCRNs ensure all partner organisations across England are supported to deliver high quality clinical research in all clinical specialties and disciplines through national services and systems.