Liver Disease Webinar 16 September 2019 Presenters Dr Andrew - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Webinar 16 September 2019 Presenters Dr Andrew Cook, Consultant Advisor, NETSCC Dr Claire Kidgell, Assistant Director, NETSCC

Liver Disease

Session overview

• Introduction
• The research brief
• Tips for successful applications

Questions

Please type any questions you have as we go along and we will attempt to answer them at the end of the webinar We will make copies of the slides, questions and answers available following the webinar

About NIHR

• The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

invests in research to help the NHS and care providers meet the major health and social challenges they face

• NIHR funds research that has the potential to improve

the health of patients, the public and health and care services

Participating programmes

What is applied research?

• Research with the capacity to improve patient and public
• utcomes and NHS services
• Multiple methodologies - not only trials

Not

• Discovery science
• Work involving animals or animal tissue

See remit of participating programmes - if in doubt ask

Liver disease – Purpose of the call

Research proposals evaluating:

• public health measures
• health care interventions
• health and social care services

To improve the prevention, diagnosis and the acute and/or long-term management of liver disease.

Context (1)

• 90% of liver disease is preventable but….
• Liver disease mortality has increased by 250% since

1971

• Damage can be caused by:
• infection (viral hepatitis)
• alcohol (alcohol related liver disease)
• excess weight/type 2 diabetes mellitus (non-alcoholic fatty

liver disease)

• iron overload (haemochromatosis)
• immune-mediated diseases such as primary biliary

cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Context (2)

• 10-20% of the population of England at risk of

developing liver disease in their lifetime

• 6/700,000 individuals may have a significant degree of

liver damage at any one time

• 9yr gap in median age at death from liver disease in 5

most deprived areas compared 5 least deprived

Research following patient need

Ensuring that NIHR research activity follows patient need by encouraging the nation’s best researchers to conduct research in areas where the health needs are greatest.

Research following patient need (1)

A B

Research following patient need (2)

A B

NIHR Research Development Award

• A new initiative by NIHR
• A small amount of additional funding (up to £10K) to incentivise

and support those NHS organisations with limited research activity to undertake high quality research and increase patient participation.

• Justification as to the need for the award and details of how this

additional funding will be used, for example, to ensure protected research time for front line staff.

• A letter of support from the recipient NHS organisation is required

as part of the stage 1 application guaranteeing support for the award and how this would be strategically important to the

• rganisation.
• Details of these additional costs and justification should be

included in the overall budget as part of the stage 1 application.

What are we looking for? (1)

Welcome applications which address one or more of the eight recommendations highlighted in the Lancet Standing Commission’s fourth report (Williams, 2017). Also consider the research priorities identified amongst others through the:

• Alcohol-related Liver Disease James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting

Partnership (PSP)

• Non-alcohol-related liver and gallbladder disorders JLA PSP
• Updated NICE guidance on Alcohol interventions in secondary and

further education

What are we looking for? (2)

• Several broad themes with examples of particular areas of interest which

include the evaluation of both local and National initiatives

• All research proposals should address the potential impact on health

inequalities and equity of access.

• These are EXAMPLES of potential areas of interest for research and DO

NOT represent an exhaustive list.

What are we looking for? (3)

• Reducing health inequalities
• Identification strategies and engagement between services
• Behavioural interventions
• Management of serious complications of cirrhosis
• Organ transplant
• What to do once liver disease has been identified
• Non alcohol related fatty Liver
• Hepatitis
• Paediatrics

What are we NOT looking for?

• Existing published and ongoing projects
• There are a number of existing published and ongoing

projects in the area of liver disease across the NIHR research programmes and more widely

• It is important for potential applicants to be aware of

the existing NIHR research portfolio

General Points

• Applicants will apply to the cross-programme call, not to a

specific programme

• Applications must be in remit of one, some or all of the NETS

programmes – EME, HTA, HS&DR and PHR – info on website

• Welcome ambitious applications spanning several remits and

comprising of co-ordinated teams of investigators spanning several disciplines and centres

• Research following patient need – ensuring that NIHR research

activity follows patient need by encouraging the nation’s best researchers to conduct research in areas where the health needs are greatest

• Co-production

How to make a good application

• Explain why your research is important
• Clearly state how research addresses an explicit evidence gap –

refer to ongoing research and justify

• Consider user acceptability and uptake – involve PPI
• Consider and justify why the research is good use of public
• money. How does it have the potential to improve health and

care?

• Consider your dissemination methods and audience from the
• utset – how will you demonstrate the impact of your research?
• Consider and explain any potential conflicts of interest

How to make a good application

• Get the right team – multidisciplinary, relevant skills
• Realistic estimate of costs at stage 1, full costs at stage 2

– allow enough time for information gathering

• Presentation to committee – information should be clear

to non-experts in the area

• Include diagrams, such as flow diagram or consort

diagram for a trial

• Reference major or related work in train and how your

application will add-value to the existing evidence base

Scientific robustness

• Appropriate and robust design and methodology to

deliver the required study outcomes

• Clear and well justified sample size and effect size –

show your workings

• Outcome – appropriate to proposal
• Backed by a Clinical Trials Unit (where appropriate)

Involve the public & patients

Public and Patient involvement (PPI) matters to the NIHR

• Embed in your study at early stage and throughout the life
• f the project
• Consider how public and patients will be involved in
• Study design / application
• In the study itself
• In dissemination of the results
• Clarify in the application how public and patients will be

involved

• Explain how PPI will benefit the research - include

rationale, activity and training

Stage 1 applications

• Internal remit and competitiveness check
• Stage 1 applications will then be considered by the

most appropriate funding committee

Stage 2 applications

• If shortlisted you will have about 8-10 weeks to

produce a second stage application

• Stage 2 applications will be peer reviewed
• Applications will then be considered by funding

committees and a recommendation to fund or not is made – if funded usually fund with changes

How to make a good full application

• At stage 2 – feedback received from the funding

committees is meant to be helpful

• Applicants should ensure they respond fully to all areas

highlighted by the funding committee

• Proof read – errors in application lead to reduced

confidence in the team – ensure changes made between first and second stage application are consistent throughout

Further support for researchers

• NIHR Research Design Service
• NIHR Website, NIHR Journals Library website, NIHR

Open Data Platform, NIHR Funding and Awards website

• Enquiries - whether remit or process, contact the

email address provided in commissioning brief crossprogramme@nihr.ac.uk

Apply by 1.00pm on Wednesday 27 November 2019 GOOD LUCK!

Any questions?