The BHF CRC is excited to announce new research development support as part of our continued partnership with UK Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) specialising in CVD research. We offer UK researchers the opportunity to consult with a leading CTU to address questions in, and refine the design of, research projects. Eligible projects must be towards the later stages of development (rather than conceptual) and be of sufficient scale or merit that they will attract the support of one of our established Research Groups.

Smaller scale studies or those in early-stage development are not applicable for this initiative and should be directed towards the NIHR Research Design Service.

Researchers can choose the CTU they would like to work with from the list of our partnered CTUs (https://bhfcrc.org/clinical-trials-units/).

We hope that this initiative will allow researchers to:

-Establish a relationship with a premier CTU, best suited to their proposed study

-Promote CTU involvement at the appropriate stage in study design

-Provide answers to key questions in methodology, statistics or practical design to further study development.

Process

• Researcher(s) to complete the application form with their requirements
• Form and trial protocol to be emailed to enquiries@bhfcrc.org
• BHF CRC to confirm receipt of application and pass onto the CTU selected
• The CTU will review the request form and protocol and respond within 14 days
• The CTU will contact the researcher and schedule between 1 and 3 virtual meetings, each of one hour duration, to advance the project
• The number of meetings required will be decided by mutual agreement between the researcher and the CTU
• The BHF CRC will reimburse the CTU for up to 4 hours of consultancy work, which includes the initial review period.
• At the conclusion of the consultancy, there is no continuing obligation for either the researcher or the CTU in respect of the project
• The parties may continue to collaborate, but this activity would not attract further financial support from the BHF CRC
• Support packages will be available from May 2021 and continue until the allocated budget for the project has been spent.

We look forward to receiving your applications.