NIHR SPCR General Practice Commercial Research Fellows opportunity

30 April 2025

The National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR) is offering up to 11 General Practice Commercial Research Fellowships, with positions available at various universities across the UK, including Bristol.

These fellowships are available to GPs and designed to foster collaboration between general practitioners and key research partners, including the NIHR Research Delivery Network and NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres.

The primary aim of the fellowships is to develop new capacity for commercial research delivery in out-of-hospital settings, particularly by increasing the number of general practices participating in commercial research.

Fellows will be provided with ring-fenced time to focus on this crucial work, which is expected to have a significant impact on the future of healthcare research in primary care. They will receive academic support from their host departments and have access to broader NIHR SPCR training resources. Additionally, they will be part of a supportive peer group that works alongside an experienced academic to enhance career development.

Post title: General Practice Commercial Research Fellow
Location: Centre for Academic Primary Care, Bristol Medical School
Salary: The fellowship is part-time (one day a week/20% FTE); salary will depend on number of years since completion of general practice training.
Duration: 18 months (the fellowship must be completed by December 2026)
Start date: available from 1 July 2025
Closing date: 16 May 2025
Interview date: to be confirmed
Job description and application process: please email your CV and a covering letter (maximum two pages) outlining your interest and suitability for the post to Nadia Rodriguez Ceron (nadia.rodriguez@bristol.ac.uk).
Contact: For informal enquiries, contact Professor Katrina Turner, Katrina.turner@bristol.ac.uk

Fellowship description

Introduction

The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) has been awarded one of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) General Practice Commercial Research Fellowships. These fellowships are designed to foster collaboration between general practitioners and key research partners, including the NIHR Research Delivery Network and NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres. The rationale for the fellowships is the fact that recruitment to commercial trials has almost halved in recent years, providing a barrier to attracting commercial partners.

Primary care remains a largely untapped resource but barriers to recruiting in primary care have been identified, including a historical lack of trust in primary care in working with the commercial sector and primary care academics working in University settings lacking expertise in commercial clinical trials. To fulfil the objectives of the O’Shaughnessy report we need to consider how to overcome these barriers to provide a framework to support the growth of commercial research in primary care.

Main purpose of the fellowship

The primary aim of the fellowship will be to develop new capacity for commercial research delivery in out-of-hospital settings, particularly by increasing the number of general practices participating in commercial research.

The fellow appointed at Bristol will be provided with ring-fenced time to focus on this crucial work, which is expected to have a significant impact on the future of healthcare research in primary care. They will receive support from academics in CAPC and have access to broader NIHR SPCR training resources. Additionally, they will be part of a supportive peer group that works alongside an experienced academic to enhance career development.

Key objectives of the post-holder include:

Establish new capacity in commercial research delivery in out of hospital settings
Increase the number of general practices participating in commercial research
Increase recruitment to commercial studies
Provide new capacity to support the adoption and roll-out of commercial research
Establish a cohort of future leaders in primary care focused commercial research
Develop new collaboration between industrial partners and primary care
Form and enhance partnerships with key stakeholders, including but not limited to the NIHR Research Delivery Network, Health Innovation Networks, commercial partners, Department of Health and Social Care, Biomedical Research Centres
Provide a key contact linking academic departments to key partners in the development and delivery of commercial research.

Salary

Financial support for 1 day per week (0.2% FTE), for up to 18 months. Fellowships will run until 31 December 2026. Appointment position on the pay scale will depend on number of years since completion of general practice training. A small travel budget will be included as it is anticipated fellows will be actively engaging with general practices.

Supervisor(s)

Professor Alastair Hay and Dr Jessica Watson

Person specification

The person specification provides a summary of what is required to carry out this fellowship effectively. It also forms the selection criteria on which the decision on whom to short-list and then whom to appoint will be made. Please ensure that you demonstrate how you meet these criteria in your application.

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

Essential

Vocationally trained for general practice in the UK
Eligible for general practice in the UK
Experience of working in general practice in the UK
Understanding of the commercial research landscape

Desirable

Experience in the delivery of NIHR Portfolio studies
Experience of conducting general practice research
Experience of being involved in or conducting academic or commercial research

Planning, organising and problem solving

Essential

Proven ability to organise a range of activities to deadline and quality standards
Knowledge of regulatory requirements for UK health research involving the NHS, e.g, Good Clinical Practice, Ethics, HRA, MHRA approval processes
Training in Good Clinical Practice in research standards and knowledge of the Medicines for Human Use Regulations (Clinical Trials, 2012) as well as the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research (2022)
Able to apply originality in modifying existing approaches to solve problems

Desirable

Experience of planning the delivery of academic or commercial research studies in out of hospital settings
Able to consider suitability and feasibility of delivering commercial studies in General Practice settings

Communication and interpersonal skills

Essential

Excellent interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills
Excellent people-management skills
Ability to work independently and in teams

Desirable

Track record of presenting research, service evaluation, quality improvement or similar.
Has experience of working with colleagues in PCN, ICB or Local authority settings

Further information

About the Centre for Academic Primary Care

The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) is an integral part of the Bristol Medical School and one of the leading centres of academic primary care in the UK. It is internationally known as a centre of excellence for research and teaching. CAPC has been a continuous member of the NIHR SPCR since its inception in 2006.

CAPC has around 140 members, which include academic GPs, pharmacists, primary care scientists, professional service staff, doctoral and post-doctoral students. There is methodological expertise in relation to trials, qualitative and ethnographic approaches, development and evaluation of complex interventions, analysis of large primary care data sets, systematic review and evidence synthesis, mixed method studies, and PPI and stakeholder consultation.

CAPC has produced world leading research in the areas of mental health, antimicrobial resistance and common infections, multimorbidity, reducing drug related harm, domestic and sexual violence and abuse, urgent care and dermatology.

About the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low- and middle-income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.