Ahead of next week's Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) much anticipated report on medical research regulation I see The Times and Sunday Times (both paywall) have published pieces this weekend by scientist Professor Colin Blakemore and journalist Brian Deer respectively, offering different perspectives on the issue of regulation. If you are looking for further background on … Continue reading Regulating research – Blakemore/Deer comment pieces + AMRC background
AMRC
The 2011 medical research charity in-flight dashboard
Let me be the last to convey my New Year message to the nation! During my period of annual leave - which is still ongoing I might add but I care about you all that much - I have been thinking about how AMRC's member charities are faring and feeling as we begin 2011. Mis-spent days … Continue reading The 2011 medical research charity in-flight dashboard
More NHS patients participating in UK clinical trials than ever before
A piece of good news with which to begin the New Year. PharmaTimes is reporting that the number of patients participating in clinical trials jumped by 67% last year to over half a million (compared to over 300,000 in 2009). The new CEO of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network Co-ordinating Centre (NIHR … Continue reading More NHS patients participating in UK clinical trials than ever before
What do patients want from health research regulation?
In a blog 'exclusive' - albeit more by technical chance than design - I am today sharing with you the independent report of the AMRC/INVOLVE patient workshop on health research regulation that took part in early November. We were invited to undertake this important piece of work by the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) as … Continue reading What do patients want from health research regulation?
The legacy of medical research
...and another thing. Two weeks ago I blogged about the CAF/NCVO UK Giving report which showed that medical research topped the causes to which the British public gave money. Well, today, the results of an AA/Populus poll of its 18,000 members have been published showing that of those people planning to leave a legacy to charity, … Continue reading The legacy of medical research
UKCMRI Gets Go-ahead…and news on CST
Those who visit this blog regularly will know that we've been following progress with the plans to build the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation in London ever since our first post. So, in what feels like an early Christmas present for science, it is good to be able to report that yesterday Camden Town Hall … Continue reading UKCMRI Gets Go-ahead…and news on CST
NHS white paper next steps
Some of you may know that today was being dubbed 'Super Wednesday' by some because today is the day that the Department of Health has set out its response to the consultation on the NHS White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.' The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has very helpfully published an … Continue reading NHS white paper next steps
AMRC Opus 125
I can't think of a better way to end the week than to announce our 125th member charity. 'Autistica' is the largest UK charity raising funds for medical research to improve diagnosis, advance new treatments and discover the causes of autism. The charity has been funding medical research for 6 years, and funds project grants, programme … Continue reading AMRC Opus 125
Dressing down the naysayers on public engagement
I have been rather disappointed not to have bumped into a bear or monkey on the tube today. But there is still time. Who knows what I shall do if I happen to bump into a panda. Will it be a real panda fleeing Chinese scientists? Or a Chinese scientist tracking down an errant panda? I'll let you … Continue reading Dressing down the naysayers on public engagement
Up a ladder with the public health white paper
If you refuse to walk under, or indeed climb, ladders then this blog is not for you. The public health white paper is to be launched tomorrow (Tuesday). There has been much trailing of various proposals that will likely appear in the document - from providing vouchers to school children who walk to school, to a … Continue reading Up a ladder with the public health white paper
Earl Howe's Speech at the AMRC AGM
I thought you may be interested in this extract from the Health Minister, Earl Howe's, speech to out AGM on Wednesday: It also gives me pleasure to note [that] AMRC member expenditure on research having exceeded £1 billion for the year for the first time. Given the economic circumstances, I think this is something about which … Continue reading Earl Howe's Speech at the AMRC AGM
User involvement in research – drive your own train
I am at the INVOLVE two-day conference in Nottingham this week. INVOLVE is the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded programme promoting public involvement in research. It is perhaps worth adding that INVOLVE is the only publicly funded national organisation of its kind across the world. It's a packed conference - almost 500 delegates … Continue reading User involvement in research – drive your own train
'A nation of General Practitioners' and other bits of philosophising
The news earlier this week that the National Institute of Clinicial and Health Excellence (NICE) is to lose its powers for deciding which drugs should be made available on the NHS (to be replaced by a new system based around GP commissioning) brought an alternative version of Adam Smith's remarks about shopkeepers to mind: "To found a … Continue reading 'A nation of General Practitioners' and other bits of philosophising
Capability Dave announces cluster therapy for research
Monday saw the Science Mnister, David Willetts, and Health Minister, Earl Howe, announce what are being called therapeutic capability clusters (research consortia) at the ABPI/BIA conference in London. PharmaLetter has an article on it and what I think is the formal news release can be found on Pharma Live. Don't be fooled by the PR … Continue reading Capability Dave announces cluster therapy for research
Guest Blog: Dame Bridget Ogilvie on the spending review
A change is as good as a rest they say. So I am delighted that our former Chair (as well as former Director of the Wellcome Trust), Dame Bridget Ogilvie, took up my invitation to give us her perspective on the spending review and its implications. Its closing sentiments about the development of young scientists … Continue reading Guest Blog: Dame Bridget Ogilvie on the spending review
Briefings on the impact on science of a cap non-EU migrants, data protection etc
A quick pass-by to alert you to the fact that we have a new briefing available on the impact on science of the proposed cap on non-EU migrants...and that we have published our response to the Ministry of Justice consultation on the current legislative framework for data protection. On the former I believe that the … Continue reading Briefings on the impact on science of a cap non-EU migrants, data protection etc
Science funding: it's the economy….!
Research Councils UK have published a report this morning written by the economist Romesh Vatilingam which looks at the economic impact of research in the UK. It states that a £1 billion cut in science funding will costs the UK £10 billion. The British Heart Foundation have put out a news release in response. The … Continue reading Science funding: it's the economy….!
A non-commercial break…and FP8
A brief interlude in all things politics gives me the opportunity to relay some events of the last few weeks. First, a long overdue welcome to our three new member charities: Epilepsy Action; Furlong Research Charitable Foundation and; Pancreatric Cancer UK. That takes our membership up to 124 charities. Monday night saw me attend the … Continue reading A non-commercial break…and FP8
Public, private and charitable research: the spillover effect
RAND Europe and the Office of Health Economics (OHE) last week published this rather fascinating occasional paper from a seminar in May. It examines the spillovers (wider benefits) from biomedical and health research and seems highly salient given what is going on. I thought some of the diagrams were helpful in visualising the multilying effect of … Continue reading Public, private and charitable research: the spillover effect
Government in danger of misunderstanding charities at their peril
Language is everything in politics. We hang of every word of our politicians for any hint of a change in tone or content that might indicate whether a batlle is lost or won. The same is true of those campaigning for change. Just read my blogs from all three party conferences. It feels in this eleventh … Continue reading Government in danger of misunderstanding charities at their peril
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