1. What the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) can do to support you
Dr Maureen Twiddy

2. NIHR RDS role
“To offer fit for purpose advice and support on research design and methodology to researchers making funding applications”
“To increase the number and proportion of high quality applications for funding”
“To provide consistent national coverage, with a focus on NIHR Programmes”

3. RDS do more than design Identifying appropriate funding sources
Contacting appropriate collaborators in research
Building an appropriate team
Involving patients and carers
Writing plain English summaries
Identifying the resources required
“Grantsmanship” – getting the narrative right
Signpost researchers to specialised support

4. How can the RDS help? Research Proposal Cost issues Recruitment
Appropriate time scale?
Meaningful & appropriate
Cohort, case-control, RCT, ethnographic, interview
Multidisciplinary team
Involvement
of patients
and public
Feasibility
Research
team
Study
Design
Scope
Consent
Appropriate
funding stream
Ethical
considerations
Research
Proposal
Peer-reviewed journals
Grey literature
Registered trials database
Benefit to NHS and patients
Impact
Literature

5. What the RDS does not do:
Write the application / protocol
Help develop a project where there is no intention of submitting it to a recognised funding stream
Support applications that are not research (e.g. audit)
Provide supervision or informal support for students
Post award support (unless named co-applicant)
Continue to support applications where the work has remained unchanged from previous submitted versions

6. Working with the RDS Book an ‘early’ appointment with the RDS
summary of research idea/s
Face to face meeting
first point of contact with a generalist
follow-up meetings with specialists e.g. Health Economist
Review of application

7. Initial meeting with the RDS
Assessment
Importance of the question
Existing research
Potential funding streams
Study design – is it a trial
Clinical area
Feasibility of recruitment strategy
Track record of team
PPI
Costs; research, treatment, excess treatment

8. PICO(s)
PICO can help you define your research question or bring together a search strategy for literature reviews:
Patient/population – who or what
Intervention – how
Comparison – what is the main alternative
Outcome – what are you trying to accomplish/measure/improve/ effect?
Study – what study design will you use to answer your question.

10. Sheffield email: rds-yh@sheffield. ac
Sheffield Tel: (general enquiries) Leeds Tel: (general enquiries) York Tel: (general enquiries)