‘The UK is a dynamic place to conduct research’
This handbook seeks to introduce the research landscape in the UK. There are many different avenues that research can take. These include research in academic institutions, healthcare organisations, charities and industry. There is much collaboration and partnership between different sectors, including sharing of big data. This environment, with its excellent academic, clinical and commercial interaction, makes the UK a dynamic place to conduct research.
We describe some UK research models in this handbook based, in part, on presentations made at a meeting, sponsored by Novartis, entitled ‘Maximising cardiovascular research opportunities in the UK’, held in Birmingham in December 2017. One of the challenges of healthcare research is ensuring that the results of controlled clinical trials translate to patient benefits in the real world. There are significant developments in this area, particularly with the use of electronic health records, which are described. With Brexit looming, we also consider its possible impacts, both positive and negative, on the current research landscape. Additional information from the annals of BJC on how to initiate a clinical trial is included, along with a short appendix listing contact details of some useful organisations.
We hope you will find this a useful resource and wish you luck and success with your research studies.
The British Journal of Cardiology
Articles in the handbook
2. National Institute for Health Research
3. Optimising clinical research using electronic medical records
4. Recent research at the Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science
5. Clinical trials in the UK from a commercial perspective
6. Brexit: threat or opportunity
7. How to initiate a clinical trial in the UK
8. Useful organisations
