NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Unit

Description

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is based at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and run in partnership with the University of Oxford. Biomedical Research Centres are part of the Government’s initiative to improve the translation of basic scientific developments into clinical benefits for patients and to reinforce the position of the UK as a global leader in healthcare related research.  The Oxford BRC is a partnership that brings together the research expertise of the University of Oxford and the clinical skills of staff of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust with the aim of supporting translational research and innovation to improve healthcare for patients. It works across all disease areas.

The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) focuses on musculoskeletal disease and is a partnership smaller than, but similar to, that above, and also funded by the NIHR. 

Public involvement in research

All the medical research done at the BRC and BRU is for patients, and we are seeking to ensure that it is also done with them. We want to embed PPI across the research cycle and in specific areas such as the links made with industry, to ensure that these are right for and acceptable to the patients with whom we work.

We have established a strategic group, Patients Active in Research (PAIR), comprising researchers, medical staff, patients and carers, and with a lay co-chair alongside a researcher.

The main aim of PAIR is to bring the patient/public voice to our overarching strategy, and in turn help to support themes in their patient involvement work. The Oxford BRC/U sit in an increasingly complex web of other research and PPI activity and we work closely with, for example, the Oxford Academic Health Science Centre and Network (AHSC and AHSN; see www.oxfordahsn.org), with PAIR helping us to maximise such partnerships for patient benefit.

http://oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/public/get-involved/