The National Institute for Health Research at 10 Years: An Impact Synthesis: 100 Impact Case Studies

• Published in: Policy File 2016
• Main Authors: Jones, Molly Morgan, Kamenetzky, Adam, Manville, Catriona, Ghiga, Ioana, MacLure, Calum, Harte, Emma' Spisak, Anton, Kirtley, Anne, Grant, Jonathan
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Government; Health care policy; RAND Corporation; Science/Technology

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds and supports world-leading clinical and applied health and social care research, as well as research infrastructure in the NHS. Providing £1 billion of funding each year, NIHR aims to: drive the faster translation of new treatments, technologies and diagnostics to improve outcomes for health and care services; promote the wealth of the nation, including via inward investment from the health research community; pull basic science discoveries through into tangible benefits for patients and the public; and provide research evidence to support more effective and cost-effective NHS delivery. To mark its tenth anniversary, the Department of Health commissioned the Policy Research in Science and Medicine unit to consider the question: 'What are the ways in which NIHR has benefited the health research landscape in the past ten years?' This report identifies and celebrates 100 examples of positive change resulting from NIHR's support of research. A synthesis of 100 case studies is provided, which highlights the benefits and wider impacts of research, capacity building, and other activities undertaken with NIHR's support since its creation in 2006. The report concludes with a reflection of how the NIHR has transformed R&D in and for the NHS and wider health service, and the people they serve. The report draws together --- for the first time --- examples of the breadth of NIHR's impacts in a single resource. It will be of interest to healthcare professionals involved in research, academics working in health and social care, and members of the public wishing to understand the value of research in the NHS and the wider health and care system.