Health Research Methods

The Health Research Methods Unit hosts the Research Design Service (RDS) and Clinical Trials Support Network (CTSN), and aims to improve health and wellbeing by facilitating multi-disciplinary collaboration, supporting the development of health services research projects and hosting large-scale multi-centre clinical trials.

By bringing together clinical teams and academic groups, along with expertise in the development of grant applications and the conduct of clinical trials, the Health Research Methods Unit facilitates the development of powerful working groups who have had considerable success in gaining external funding, delivering clinical trials, and producing high-impact research.

The NIHR Research Design Service

The Research Design Service (RDS) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The University of Hertfordshire unit is part of the RDS East of England (EoE) service, in collaboration with Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

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

What we offer

Specialist advice is offered, free of charge, on all aspects of an application including:

  • Designing a research study
  • Research methods (qualitative and quantitative)
  • Identifying suitable sources of funding
  • Involving patients and public in research design
  • Identifying potential academic, clinical and lay collaborators.

Since its inception in 2008, the RDS at the University has supported in excess of 100 funding applications. Personnel at the University's RDS are research-active with research portfolios in the evaluation of psychological and complex interventions, self-management of long-term conditions, quality of life, longitudinal analysis and multilevel modelling.

For more information, please email David Wellsted.

Clinical Trials Support Network (CTSN)

The Clinical Trials Support Network (CTSN) provides advice and assistance to University of Hertfordshire staff and students as well as NHS clinicians and researchers in all aspects of the management and conduct of clinical trials.

You can read more about the CTSN here

To learn more about what we do, please send us an email, call +44 (0) 1707 284642, or write to us at Clinical Trial Support Network, Health Research Building, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK.

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