“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the NIHR family” – Kathryn Fairbrother | Research News and Media

“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the NIHR family” – Kathryn Fairbrother

This year marks 20 years of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) — and two decades that have transformed the research landscape across the NHS.

For colleagues here at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and for our research partners, the anniversary is more than a national milestone; it is a moment to reflect on how NIHR funding, infrastructure and opportunities have shaped the work we do every day.

Kathryn Fairbrother, Director of Clinical Operations for Research & Innovation at NUH, has seen that transformation first-hand.

“Before the NIHR was established, NHS organisations were already research-active, but the NIHR significantly enhanced their capabilities,” she explains.

That investment has helped trusts like NUH become among the most research-active in the country. Crucially, it has funded the people who make clinical research possible.

“The NIHR pays for staff working in R&I, which is a crucial foundation for our work.”

 

A research culture embedded across the NHS

One of the NIHR’s biggest achievements – according to Kathryn - has been normalising research as part of everyday NHS activity.

Kathryn reflects on how far things have come: “Nationally, research involvement among NHS hospital trusts has grown from approximately 30–40% before the NIHR to 100% of them today.”

Having a dedicated research organisation within the Department of Health and Social Care has brought research “to the forefront,” helping shift perceptions beyond the idea that research only happens in labs.

For colleagues across our hospitals — from nurses and midwives to healthcare scientists and AHPs (Allied Health Professionals) — this shift has opened doors. The NIHR Academy and programmes like NUH’s Research Futures have created pathways for people at every stage of their career.

Early career awards support staff to develop their own studies and pursue PhDs, while senior investigator awards help showcase local expertise and grow new areas of research development.

 

World-class research facilities here in Nottingham

NIHR investment has also enabled Nottingham to build research infrastructure that rivals the best in the country.

· Our NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) focuses on translational medicine — “bringing lab research directly to the patient’s bedside” to advance treatments and deepen understanding of disease. It supports personalised therapies and facilitates large-scale collaboration between academic and clinical teams

· The NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility (CRF) is another major asset. Kathryn describes it as “one of the largest facilities in the country,” enabling early-phase complex studies, including those requiring overnight stays — and studies that “were previously impossible to conduct in the East Midlands”

· Looking ahead, the forthcoming National Rehabilitation Centre and NIHR Health Tech Research Centre in Rehabilitation will help shape the future of rehabilitation research, the latter working with industry partners to develop new technology-enabled treatments.

 

Research that makes a difference to patients

NIHR funding has helped our clinical and academic teams secure a wide range of grants, particularly Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) awards, which Kathryn highlights as having a direct impact on care.

These awards allow innovations to reach patients more quickly than traditional longer research timelines might otherwise allow.

For Kathryn personally, working with the NIHR since 2009 has shaped her career. Her early experience in the local NIHR research network provided her with “a grounding in NHS research management” and a deep understanding of the national landscape — knowledge that underpins her leadership today.

 

Our ambition for the next 20 years

The next few years will be pivotal. Nottingham will be rebidding for both the BRC and CRF and preparing a bid for the new Research Delivery Leadership award — an opportunity to strengthen Nottingham’s position as a leading research centre in the UK.

Partnerships with Primary Care, including Cripps Health Centre at the University of Nottingham, and with commercial research delivery centres, will help expand research opportunities across the region.

 

A moment of gratitude

As the NIHR marks its 20th anniversary, Kathryn offers a simple message of thanks: gratitude for the opportunities NIHR funding has created, and recognition for “the hard-working teams that manage awards and deliver the trials that make these partnerships possible”.

It is a sentiment shared across our teams. Our research community is stronger, more ambitious and more connected because of the NIHR. And we’re proud to be part of its story.