Southampton to host new Research Support Service

Researchers in Southampton will access support, advice and expertise in one of eight new national hubs.

The new Research Support Service (RSS) will receive £16.5m over five years. It is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The new service will offer pre- and post-application support for researchers. It will help them develop and deliver clinical and applied research.

The RSS will replace the NIHR's Research Design Service (RDS) and Clinical Trial Units (CTU) Support Funding.

Southampton support hub

Researchers at University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton can use the free service. The team will be based at Southampton General Hospital.

The hub, hosted by the University of Southampton, is a collaboration between 16 units:

• Four universities (Oxford, Oxford Brookes, Portsmouth and Southampton)
• Four local authorities (Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth and Southampton)
• Four clinical trials units (National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit CTU, Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Primary Care CTU and Southampton CTU)

Free access to support

The new RSS is led by Professor Issy Reading from the University of Southampton, and co-director Dr Ly-Mee Yu from the University of Oxford.

Prof Reading said: “I am thrilled that we can continue supporting researchers to develop high-quality applications for health and social care research funding.

"We have supported thousands of research teams since the RDS was formed in 2009. I’m looking forward to developing that support in new and exciting ways as we move into the new contract.”

The collaboration will also host one of two National Specialist Centres for Public Health Research. This will be led by Professor Julie Parkes from the University of Southampton and Dr Adam Briggs from Oxfordshire County Council.

The NIHR RSS has been established following an open and competitive process. This was assessed by research experts and public contributors.