The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation’s largest funder of health and care research. The CLAHRC East of England is a partnership between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
The aims of the NIHR CLAHRCs
- To develop and conduct applied health research that is relevant across the NHS, and to translate research findings into improved outcomes for patients
- To create a distributed model for the conduct and application of applied health research that links those who conduct applied health research with all those who use it in practice across the health community
- To create and embed approaches to research and its dissemination that are specifically designed to take account of the way that health care is delivered across the local Academic Health Science Network
- To increase the country’s capacity to conduct high quality applied health research focused on the needs of patients and targeted at chronic health conditions and public health interventions
- To improve patient outcomes locally and across the wider NHS
- To contribute to the country’s growth by working with the life sciences industry.
NIHR CLAHRC East of England
NIHR CLAHRC East of England began operating on 1st January 2014, growing out of its predecessor (CLAHRC for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough), it now extends the collaboration throughout the East of England, harnessing the strengths of the Universities of Cambridge, East Anglia, and Hertfordshire.
NIHR CLAHRC East of England focuses its research efforts on the needs of people with complex problems, often vulnerable when multiple agencies are involved in their care: young people, frail older people, those with dementia, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries or mental ill health.
The CLAHRC collaboration encompasses some thirty-six organisations, with research hubs in the Universities of Cambridge, Hertfordshire and East Anglia working closely with individuals and organisations involved in the whole care pathway.
Service users and carers are at the heart of what we do, in parallel with an ambitious public health programme. Co-production and collaboration at all stages of the research process are fundamental to making a positive impact through applied health research.
Our values
- We are a learning organisation first and foremost
- We tackle complex issues, working to bring benefits to people at risk through better quality care, making a profound difference to their lives
- We are an inclusive organisation; we rely on our stakeholders to help shape research questions, and to work with us in the co-production of peer-reviewed research evidence
- We build trusting relationships with our stakeholders, enabling them to be critical friends
- We use our research funds in the most cost-efficient way, getting the best value for money
- We achieve impact by embedding research, and implementing best evidence, in health and social care services
Our research themes
Cross-cutting elements of the collaboration include researching the best ways to involve patients and the public in health research, health economics and patient safety where we enjoy a strong partnership with the Eastern Academic Health Science Network. Our research themes are:
Our partner organisations, who have committed matched funding to our joint collaboration, include those planning, commissioning and delivering health and social care within the East of England, as well as industry partners. Through on-going prioritisation and peer-review, NIHR funds are used to support applied health researchers and fund high quality research projects. We aim to develop strong, region-wide grant applications to NIHR and other national funding bodies, and align our work with other NIHR investments in the region. This will ensure high quality research, maximising value for money, and will support our CLAHRC East of England legacy.
CLAHRC East of England partners:
- Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
- Cambridgeshire County Council – Children, Families and Adults Services
- Cambridge Learning Disability Partnership
- Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Eastern Academic Health Science Network
- East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group
- East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
- East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- Health Education East of England (previously known as the East of England Local Education and Training Board)
- Hertfordshire Community Health Trust
- Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- NIHR Brain Injury Healthcare Technology Cooperative
- Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- Norfolk Clinical Academy for Dementia
- Public Health England Knowledge and Intelligence East (formally ERPHO)
- Rescon Ltd
- University of Cambridge – Dept. of Psychiatry, Institute of Public Health, Engineering Design Centre, Judge Business School
- University of East Anglia – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
- University of Hertfordshire – Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care