Latest news

The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) has established a new Public Involvement and Community Engagement (PICE) Special Interest Group.

The group will provide an opportunity for ARC members – including researchers, students, and public contributors – to ask advice, share good practice, or share obstacles and barriers to public involvement and community engagement. Each meeting will be themed and focus on a particular issue.

We hope the discussions that take place will help to improve practice and generate evidence of the impact of meaningful public involvement and community engagement.

The meetings will take place on the last Thursday of every month, and the first meeting on Thursday 26 January (10am until 11am) will focus on how to approach and engage communities that are marginalised and seldom heard in health and social care research.

Find out more and book

New blog: Nature-based social prescribing: Possibilities, pitfalls and partnerships

A new co-produced and interdisciplinary ‘Rooted in Nature’ research project seeks to understand how nature-based activities may improve the health and wellbeing of young people in Middlesbrough.

In this blog, Charley McFarlane-Troy and Catherine El Zerbi (researchers supported by the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria and based at Newcastle University) share reflections from a recent workshop linked to the project.

They describe their arts-based approach to workshop facilitation, and briefly present the main themes to emerge.

Read the blog

New guides: How to work effectively with interpreters and translators

Do you need to commission or work with interpreters or translators as part of a research project?

Two new guides have been developed by the ARC North East and North Cumbria to support researchers who plan to work with interpreters or translators. The guides explain how to commission and work with language professionals as part of research work, and how to cost this into a research budget.

Explore the guides

Research will explore access to post-natal contraception in the region

A new study supported by the ARC North East and North Cumbria will explore the experiences of women living in the North East and North Cumbria in relation to the contraception care that they have received following the birth of a baby. The study will ask women across our region – who have had a baby in the last three years – to share their experiences of postnatal contraception in an online survey that takes around 30 minutes to complete.

Please share this study with any women that you know or support, who have had a baby in the last three years. Or if you have had a baby in the last three years, then please consider taking part.

Find out more

EVENTS

The Multiverse Lab – Launching an online archive of health and social care public engagement

Friday 27 January, 1.30pm until 3pm

This is a hybrid event. Attend in-person at the University of Cumbria, or online.

“What is the health or social care breakthrough you hope to see in your lifetime?”

From 2020-21, Multiverse Lab asked this question to people across the North East and Cumbria. Now you can find out what they had to say.

Come along to hear about the award-winning ‘MultiVerse Lab’ public engagement project with Multiverse Lab’s artistic director, Annie Rigby, and commissioning partner, Felicity Shenton from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria.

They will share the public’s most talked about issues, how the data is being used and how you can use the online archive to inspire your research.

Find out more and book your place

ARC Mental Health Special Interest group meeting

Monday 6 February, 2pm until 4pm, online

Our next Mental Health Special Interest Group meeting will explore the question: ‘How can we best support holistic health for people living with severe mental illness?’

It will also share learning from a range of current research projects taking place in the region and showcase new services that are supporting health and wellbeing for people living with severe mental illness.

All are welcome.

Find out more and book.

NIHR Methodology Incubator – Funding for Qualitative Research (webinar)

Tuesday 7 February, 10.30 am

Online

This webinar aims to support the careers of qualitative and mixed methods researchers by outlining funding opportunities for health and care research. Speakers will provide an overview of funding schemes including personal fellowships, small project grants, large research programmes and grants for methods research.

Find out more and register

Save the date: Parkinson’s North East and Cumbria Research Interest Group meeting

Thursday 23 March, 10am until 4pm. Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle

Featuring keynote speaker Professor David Burn, Newcastle University.

More details to follow.

You can also follow the Parkinson’s North East and Cumbria Research Interest Group on Twitter @PDNEC_RIG

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula event

How and why children may struggle at school and how to best support the wellbeing of neurodivergent young people.

Tuesday 17 January, 12,30pm until 1.30pm

Online

Speaker: Dr Silvana Mareva, Postdoctoral Research Associate – Peninsula Mental Health Research Initiative.

In this seminar, Silvana will present her PhD work on transdiagnostic approaches to neurodevelopment, with the aim of understanding how and why children may struggle at school and how to best support the wellbeing of neurodivergent young people.

Find out more and book

TRAINING

Visit our Virtual College for training and development courses and resources

Our Virtual College Training Hub brings together training and development opportunities and resources for ARC NENC researchers, members, and partners.

You can also catch-up on recordings of training events that you might have missed.

Browse the latest courses and resources

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Health Research Authority (HRA) survey on people-centred clinical research

The HRA people-centred clinical research project aims to improve the way clinical research happens, so that more people can take part, in ways that are best for them.

As part of this, the HRA have launched a survey to gather views and experiences of clinical research.

They are keen to hear from patients, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers and members of the public.

Find out more and complete the survey

Recommendations for trans-inclusive healthcare for young people

During 2022, a group of researchers came together to think about some of the challenges that young people face in accessing gender affirming therapies within the NHS services of England.

Through engaging in a series of Participatory Action Research workshops the research team developed seven thought-provoking recommendations that invite those working in healthcare settings to examine their own practice and address the obstacles that limit young trans people’s access to medical services.

Find out more and read the recommendations.

NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) launches new Transdisciplinary Placements in public health research (TDP) scheme

Applications are now open for new Transdisciplinary Placements in public health research.

The scheme offers funding for short placements of around 6–8 weeks aimed at those currently working outside of public health, but in a relevant field, who want to gain experience of academic public health research.

Successful candidates will be based at one of the SPHR member institutions and will contribute to an SPHR research project, gaining experience of academic public health research with the support of an SPHR researcher supervisor.

Find out more and apply by 27 February

Applying for research funding? Access free and confidential advice from the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) North East and North Cumbria

The NIHR Research Design Service supports research teams to develop and submit high quality applied health and social care grant applications to NIHR and other national per-reviewed funding programmes.

The RDS NENC are running Virtual Research Clinics throughout February, details below.

Thursday 9 Feb, between 10 am and 4pm

Wednesday 15 Feb, between 10 am and 4pm

Monday 20 Feb, between 10 am and 4pm

Tuesday 28 Feb, between 10 am and 4pm

Email [email protected] to book an appointment.

Find out more about the RDS NENC