First Round Of Awards Made Under The New NIHR Programme Of Research For Innovation, Speculation And Creativity (RISC)

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Lymphology/Lymphedema
Article Date: 15 Sep 2007 - 15:00 PDT

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Seven new health research proposals are being funded by the Department of Health to investigate a wide range of topics that have the potential to be of real benefit to the NHS and its patients. Each research project in the first round of awards will receive funds of up to £100,000.

The topics funded are very diverse and range from investigating the use of online communities to help prevent self-harm, to testing whether using acupuncture in conjunction with moxibustion, a chinese herbal remedy, can improve the health and well-being of patients suffering from lymphoedema, a frequent after-effect of cancer treatment where parts of the body become swollen.

These new awards are being made as part of a new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding programme called Research for Innovation, Speculation and Creativity, or RISC. NIHR will allocate up to £5 million per year for this programme to make awards of up to £100,000 each.

The RISC programme provides an opportunity for researchers to test potentially paradigm-changing ideas in Health Services and Public Health research that would probably not fare well in the traditional peer review system

Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Public Health said:
"I am delighted that we have a health research funding programme such as RISC to allow new, radical ideas to be tested. The RISC scheme will fund innovative proposals that may be considered too risky or unusual to receive funding through more traditional routes, but could make a major difference to people's health and well-being".

Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, Chief Executive of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, chair of the awards committee said, "I am very pleased with the first seven awards, this is a good start. We will now look at the lessons learnt from this first round to try to help future applicants and we hope to see a growing number of awards in the future, as this programme matures".

All researchers based in the NHS in England can put forward their ideas for ground-breaking research for consideration and joint applications from NHS researchers with academic partners as co-applicants are welcome.

1. The successful first round applicants are:

Applicant Institution: Exploring a novel Professor Monica University Hospital of spectroscopic method for Spiteri North Staffordshire diagnostic monitoring of COPD

The Immunological Prof Paul Emery Leeds Teaching Stethoscope: A new tool Hospitals NHS Trust kit to identify appropriate patients for complex biologics therapy

Using acupuncture and Dr Beverley de Mount Vernon Cancer moxibustion to promote Valois Centre well being and improve quality of life in patients with secondary lymphoedema

Collaborative learning on Dr Christabel Devon Partnership Trust the web. The role of Owens online communities in public and professional health education: an exploration based on self-harm

Dielectrophoresis as a Prof Stephen UCLH NHS Foundation prognostic tool for Porter Trust potentially malignant and malignant disease of the mouth

Melatonin in acute mania Dr Digby Quested Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Transplantation of Dr Ragai Ramsis King's College Hospital Microencapsulated Mitry NHS Foundation Trust Hepatocytes - A Novel Treatment for Children with Acute Liver Failure

2. Applications to the RISC programme are reviewed by a funding committee drawn from a range of backgrounds, such as NHS clinicians, academics, NHS mangers, industrialists and venture capitalists. The committee was chaired by Mr Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, Chief Executive of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and then approved by Professor Sally Davies, Director General for Research and Development at the Department of Health.

3. RISC is a responsive rather than a commissioning research programme, so it does not specify topic areas but welcomes applications on a wide range of issues. As a condition of funding, all researchers will be required to submit an 'end-of-grant' report that will be collated into a publicly available report. One of the main benefits of the RISC awards will be the record of negative results - that is those potentially paradigm-changing ideas that proved to be unsuccessful.

4. The Department of Health budget for health research for 2006-07 is £753m. Of this, £50m is allocated for capital funding; the rest is allocated to research through a portfolio of national research programmes. The funding supports clinical research in the NHS research commissioned for policy development, and the NHS costs incurred in supporting research funded by other bodies such as the Research Councils and charities. Some funding is provided to increase capacity to undertake research, and to underpin the UK Clinical Research Collaboration and priority disease research networks.

5. The Government's health research strategy, Best Research for Best Health, January 2006, sets out the direction that NHS research and development will take to ensure a vibrant, world-class research environment in England. The strategy and its implementation plans are available here ResearchAndDevelopmentStrategy"

6. The National Institute for Health Research is the key mechanism through which the Department of Health is delivering 'Best Research for Best Health'. More information about the National Institute for Health Research is available on its website at: http://www.nihr.ac.uk

7. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients."

http://www.dh.gov.uk/