Strategy
Methodology in partnership
The NIHR-MRC Methodology Research Programme is developed in partnership with stakeholder organisations to both identify current and future methodological needs, and to ensure the methodologies developed within the programme are tractable for implementation and sustainable impact.
Standing partners providing input into the programme include:
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW)
- Chief Scientist Office, Scotland (CSO)
- Health and Social Care, Northern Ireland (HSCNI)
Additional stakeholders are consulted as required to best support emerging priority areas (e.g. National Advisory Group on Clinical Audit and Enquiries).
Methodology Advisory Group
In order to ensure that methodology research has a direct impact on study conduct and regulatory decision-making, relevant partners are directly represented within the MRP Advisory Group. This group is responsible for the identification of and developing of responses to strategic methodological priorities.
The MRP Advisory Group is open to anyone wishing to solicit a topic for discussion. Suggestions for future discussions should be discussed with Samuel Rowley (samuel.rowley@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk).
Strategic opportunities
Strategic opportunities target specific rate-limiting methodological challenges, and their importance is recognised by the panel within assessment and funding decisions.
Proposals targeting strategic opportunities should be submitted via the Methodology Research Programme for consideration in open competition with all applications received.
Active strategic opportunities are listed below separately on the methodology portal.
Methodology State of the Art Workshops
To better ensure that methodology research translates into impact on the real-world design and conduct of biomedical and health research, MRC and NIHR are jointly supporting a series of themed workshops in areas of particular methodological controversy or uncertainty. These workshops will directly inform the production of guidance documents outlining the various available methodologies, their strengths and weaknesses, and providing advice on their appropriate implementation.
The produced guidance will demonstrate consensus and increase assurance; to encourage uptake of the best methods.
This guidance will be endorsed by both MRC and NIHR and will be published within the MRC methodology guidance portal.
Previous methodology state of the art workshops:
MRP Embedded Methodology Award
Researchers who hold active or pending funding from the NIHR Health Technology Assessment, Health Services and Delivery Research, Public Health Research or Invention for Innovation programmes can apply for an MRP Embedded Methodology Award.