These 12-month fellowships (1 session per week) will provide an opportunity for motivated GPs, primary care registered nursing staff or allied health professionals to upskill themselves and their practices in commercial research.
The aim of the fellowships is to increase commercial research capacity and capability in primary care in the SWC RRDN. Up to four fellowships are on offer.
Background
The UK saw a 44% reduction in commercial clinical trials initiated between 2017 and 2021, with the country's global ranking for phase 3 industry clinical trials falling from 4th to 10th.
In 2023, the UK Government (Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Office for Life Sciences) commissioned the Lord O'Shaughnessy review into the UK commercial clinical trials landscape. The aim of the review was to “support the life sciences sector to unlock UK growth and investment opportunities and suggest resolutions to the key challenges in conducting commercial clinical trials in the UK”.
Problem statement 8 in the Lord O'Shaughnessy review was that “primary care is a negligible provider of clinical trial activity, despite the opportunities it provides for delivering population-scale trials, and there is too much reliance on hospital settings for the delivery of trials.”
Role description
Fellows will:
1. Upskill themselves in commercial research delivery
Including:
- completing commercial research online training;
- shadowing commercial research delivery at SWC RRDN Primary Care Commercial Research Delivery Centres (PC-CRDCs) or other commercially active sites (8 days per fellow, travel costs at the fellow’s/practice’s expense), including joining meetings with commercial companies where possible to build relationships;
- joining a peer learning group with the other fellows, and other clinicians being trained by SWC RRDN PC-CRDCs; (iv) joining the SWC RRDN primary care commercial community of practice.
2. Engage the wider GP practice team in commercial research delivery
Including:
- delivering presentations about commercial research to the GP practice team/partners,
- developing a practice capacity and capability plan for progression to commercial research delivery.
3. Engage healthcare professionals/practice managers in local networks in commercial research delivery
- Present to, and share relevant information with local networks, including Primary Care Networks, ‘GPs at the Deep End’ Bristol and Weston, and PRECAS (primary care research delivery community of practice).
4. Engage with patients and the public to raise awareness of commercial research
Engage with local Patient Participation Groups and work with the RRDN Research Engagement and Inclusion team to develop a plan for wider patient and public engagement.
5. Progress their practice towards commercial research delivery
Depending on the practice’s starting point, one/some/all of:
- submitting expression of interests to commercial studies and making the practice’s marketing profile;
- delivering a commercial research study as a Participant Identification Centre site;
- delivering a commercial research study as a study site.
6. Explore opportunities to secure further commercial research delivery funding
7. Report on progress with 3-monthly learning logs and fellowship team meetings, as well as a final report
Eligibility
The Fellows will be clinicians working in a GP practice within SWC RRDN that would like to start delivering commercial research. The practice and clinician applying will need to be confident delivering academic research, and have done so in the last 12 months, but not yet be experienced in delivering commercial research (not more than one commercial study delivered in the last 12 months). The practice will need to confirm their support of the clinician’s application and of their intent to develop the practice’s commercial research portfolio.
We particularly welcome applicants from:
- parts of the region that are currently underrepresented in commercial research delivery;
- Deep End practices. Clinicians appointed to the recent NHS England commercial research mentor/mentee scheme are not eligible to apply.
How to apply
Please email your CV and completed application form (Office document, 52kB) to: commercialresearchdeliveryfellows-group@bristol.ac.uk
Closing date: 2 June 2026 (applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within 2 weeks of the closing date)
Fellowship start date: from 1st July 2026 (fellowship will run until 30th June 2027)
For informal queries please contact Dr Emily Brown and Dr Polly Duncan at: emily.brown@bristol.ac.uk and polly.duncan@bristol.ac.uk
Person and practice specification
The person and practice specification provides a summary of what is required to carry out this fellowship effectively. It also forms the selection criteria on which the decision to appoint will be made. Please ensure that you demonstrate how you meet these criteria in your application.
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Criteria |
Essential |
Desirable |
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Person |
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Vocationally trained for UK general practice (GP, primary care registered nursing staff or AHP) |
Y |
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Currently employed in a substantive role in a GP practice in SWC RRDN region |
Y |
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Experience of conducting general practice academic research (including in the last 12 months) |
Y |
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Not experienced in delivering commercial research (no more than one commercial study delivered in the last 12 months) |
Y |
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Understanding of the commercial research landscape |
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Y |
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Proven ability to organise a range of activities to deadline and quality standards |
Y |
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Knowledge of regulatory requirements for UK health research involving the NHS, e.g. Good Clinical Practice, Ethics, HRA, MHRA approval processes |
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Y |
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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) |
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Y |
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Able to apply originality in modifying existing approaches to solve problems |
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Y |
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Excellent interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills |
Y |
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Ability to work independently and in teams |
Y |
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Ability and willingness to work flexibly and travel according to the requirements of the role (8 days shadowing at commercially research active sites in SWC RRDN, travel costs at the fellow’s/practice’s expense) |
Y |
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Practice |
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Experienced in delivering academic research (including in the last 12 months) |
Y |
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Not experienced in delivering commercial research (no more than one commercial study delivered in the last 12 months) |
Y |
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Partners are supportive of clinicians’ application to the fellowship and of developing the practice’s commercial research portfolio |
Y |
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Based in part of the SWC RRDN region that is currently under represented in commercial research delivery or is a Deep End practice. |
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Y |