How the Research Design Service (RDS) can help you

1. How the Research Design Service (RDS) can help you RDS East Midlands

2. Role of the RDS • Established by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) RDS provides support to people preparing research proposals for submission to peer reviewed funding competitions for applied health and health related social care research. RDS is a national service with 10 regional centres. • RDS is free of charge to NHS researchers and those working in partnership with the NHS. • The RDS-EM team has sound experience in writing and supporting grant applications and has a wide range of skills in specialist areas. • RDS staff observe on various funding panels and have a wealth of insider tips on bid developments.

3. Areas of support available The following slides show a selection of areas where the RDS can provide support. • Formulating research questionsYour proposed study should be novel and innovative, and it is important to be aware of existing literature in the area and whether similar studies are being undertaken. RDS EM employs information officers who can advise on how to conduct literature searches to identify existing sources of evidence and potential gaps in your own scoping searches. • Research TeamFunding bodies will look closely at your team composition and need to be confident that you can deliver the proposed project. If appropriate, RDS EM can help identify gaps in the team and suggest potential collaborators from within universities or the NHS.

4. Methodology advice • Research design for quantitative studies • We have a number of statisticians and epidemiologists who can advise on quantitative study design (cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, cohort studies and randomised controlled trials), sample size calculations and proposed analytical strategies. • Research design for qualitative studies • Funding bodies like to see researchers using the full range of qualitative methodologies available, and we have a number of qualitative researchers who can help you build them into your design. We can help with the design of qualitative approaches to sampling and analytical strategies and show you the range of approaches from ethnographic to interview based techniques.

5. Topics of growing importance to funding bodies • Health economics • Cost effectiveness is a growing and important field within health services research. We have experts at hand to help you with the various economic aspects of your design. • Involvement of patients and public • Patient and public involvement (PPI) is an important component in the provision of healthcare services, and the majority of funding streams encourage PPI throughout the research design process. RDS EM can advise on PPI for individual projects, including how to identify and approach patients and the public, and how to apply for funding to engage patients and public in your research.

6. Funding and costs • Funding sources • You may have a specific project in mind but are unsure where to see funding to support it. We can advise on finding appropriate funding streams for you, give advice on preparing appropriate applications and help determine whether your project is within scope. • Costing • Although we cannot give detailed advice on costing your grant application we can give you a list of broad areas you need to consider and suggest further sources of support. We recommend that you seek help with costing at an early stage.

7. How and when to get advice from RDS EM • How do we work? • When you first contact us you will need to fill out an “initial enquiry form” in which you will be asked to give details of your study and where you intend to seek funding (if known). One of our advice coordinators will then contact you to arrange a face-to-face meeting at a convenient time and place. At this meeting they will take you through the range of support available to you, the scope of the proposed funding stream and whether any additional collaborators might be required. Other members of the team will then be brought in to provide more specialised advice on your project, helping you prepare your bid for submission. • When should you contact us? • It is preferable to contact the RDS EM at an early stage to discuss your ideas, although we will try to help at any stage in the development of your research proposal.

8. Other services RDS EM offers • RDS EM also supports research design through workshops and other education events • Turning Research Ideas into Proposals: 2 day bid development workshop • Patient and public involvement clinics: workshop designed to plan meaningful and appropriate PPI in your research proposal • Scientific committee: mock bid reviewing panel attended by the whole RDS EM team with additional lay review comments • Patient and public involvement development award: small wards to support service user engagement where it will contribute to the development of a funding application.

9. Contact details and website • Leicester • RDSEM@le.ac.uk • 0116 252 3276 More information about the services provided by the RDS EM can be found on the website www.rds-eastmidlands.nihr.ac.uk, by subscribing to our Newsletter and email alerts or by contacting your local base. • Nottingham • rds-eastmidlands@nottingham.ac.uk • 0115 970 9310