Research delivery pilot updates

13 July 2026

Our service design workshops took place on 7 May and 11 June to build on the findings of the scoping exercise, moving away from the challenges when undertaking public health research and towards the opportunities a pilot service could provide. 

Workshops were attended by 26 people from local authorities, schools, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), Integrated Care Board (ICB), Research Delivery Network (RDN) and Universities. 

The workshops introduced some of the resources being developed by us, including the local authority research costing tool and public health research interests map, and exploring how a pilot service could support their use. 

The focus was on the areas highlighted as most challenging for research delivery and the solutions that were identified as being most useful in response to those issues. The emerging themes from these discussions were used to develop a foundation for the service offering.

The themes, proposed approach, and core components of a pilot service offering were presented in workshop 2, with further discussions and feedback shaping the service that will launch on 1 August.

If you’d like to find out more about the pilot, please get in touch with us: nihr.rss.publichealthdelivery@newcastle.ac.uk 

27 April 2026

Our scoping survey was open between 12 February and 16 March to help us to identify the challenges for public health research outside the NHS, and to measure the usefulness of potential options that the public health research delivery support service could provide. The survey also explored the types of public health research being undertaken, and how it is funded; awareness of, and experience of support provided by, the RDN; how research is recorded in settings outside the NHS; and setting specific challenges for local authorities, VCSEs, criminal justice, and schools. 

About the respondents: 

• 160 completed surveys

• all English regions and devolved nations represented 

• respondents work across a range of organisations, including local authorities, universities, VCSEs, RDN, ICBs, schools, nurseries, UKHSA, HDRCs, hospices and the NHS

We will share the full scoping report in the coming months.

We are holding a design workshop in early May to build on the scoping survey findings and move from a focus on barriers and challenges to exploring opportunities a pilot service could provide. The workshop will also introduce some of the resources we are developing, including the local authority research costing tool, and focus on the areas that were highlighted as being the most challenging in terms of research delivery and those that were identified as most useful in response to those issues. The workshop will help us develop a foundation for our service offering. 

It is anticipated that we will launch the pilot support service in August 2026. 

If you’d like to find out more about the pilot, please get in touch with us: nihr.rss.publichealthdelivery@newcastle.ac.uk 

20 February 2026

Since December, we have moved forward with our scoping activity to identify the needs for public health research outside the NHS.  

Our scoping survey was launched on Thursday 12 February and is being targeted to a range of audiences involved in public health research outside the NHS, this includes:  

• researchers who have been awarded funding (now or in the past) to do public health research 

• colleagues working in settings outside the NHS, including local authorities, voluntary, community and social enterprises, the education sector, prisons or probation service, who support and enable public health research to happen within their organisation 

• organisations and teams that help make public health research happen, including the Research Delivery Network and NHS Integrated Care Boards 

In the survey, we are asking respondents to share any challenges experienced when doing public health research outside the NHS, and about the usefulness of some potential support options. We are inviting colleagues to leave their contact details if they would like a further discussion on their responses, input into the design of the pilot delivery support service, or to discuss potential support options for an active study they are involved in.  

The survey is due to close on Friday 13 March and we anticipate sharing the initial findings in April.

If you’d like to find out more about the pilot, please get in touch with us: nihr.rss.publichealthdelivery@newcastle.ac.uk 

18 December 2025

Over the last 3 months we have been working closely with RDN colleagues to establish ways of working and refine the process for eligibility and cross-referrals. We have also appointed a Public Health Senior Research Delivery Manager and a Public Health Research Deliver Manager, both of whom bring a wealth of experience to the pilot.

We have also attended meetings with the RDN Board, our Public and Community Partnerships Advisory Board and our Public Health Engagement Leads to talk about the pilot, and to share our plans and explore how colleagues and stakeholders can be involved.

In early 2026, as part of our scoping activity,  we will be reaching out to local authorities, Health Determinants Research Collaborations and public health researchers with experience of carrying out research in settings outside of the NHS. 

By September 2027, the pilot will deliver recommendations on how a future service could be structured, scaled, and hosted. 

If you’d like to find out more about the pilot, please get in touch with us: nihr.rss.publichealthdelivery@newcastle.ac.uk