Joint Research Committee

Applications for Joint Research Committee (JRC) awards are open until 10 Jan 2025

The Joint Research Committee (JRC) plays an active role in research across the Trust. The JRC promotes and coordinates Trust-based research activity by supporting research at all levels and across departments. Additionally, the JRC facilitates innovative approaches to interventions and seeks patient and public engagement to improve care and treatment.

Background and objectives

The JRC is primarily concerned with high-quality research within Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital and has several key objectives:

• To support the development of talented clinical and non-clinical junior research staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital, thereby facilitating their career progression to more senior clinical and research posts.
• To support innovative preliminary research studies and small-scale pilot studies, the results of which may form the basis for applications for larger awards by the NIHR and NIHR partners (for example, MRC, Wellcome Trust etc).
• To support research that will result in changes in clinical practice and improved delivery of healthcare at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital.
• To support research that will be presented at meetings and in publications at national and international level, hence promoting the reputation of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital and the capacity to form partnerships at local, national and international levels.
• To provide an opportunity for patients to engage in local research with potential benefits to their care and treatment.

The committee is chaired by Professor Mark Johnson, and committee membership is drawn from a range of clinical specialities at the hospital, including: 

• Acute medicine
• Anaesthetics
• Diabetes
• HIV/genito-urinary medicine
• Neonatology
• Immunology
• Radiology
• Paediatrics
• Dermatology
• Obstetrics and gynaecology 
• Gastronenterology
• Dermatology
• Oncology
• Multiprofessional (nurse/AHP)

There is at least one patient/public representative on the committee. This person is responsible for ensuring that patient and public priorities are reflected in the process of selecting and reviewing research funding applications. 

The committee administers funding generously awarded by CW+ and Westminster Medical School Research Trust.

Committee awards and grants

The committee meets annually, and hospital-based researchers are invited to submit applications for funding. Applications are reviewed based on set criteria using a scoring system and a panel of internal and external expert peer reviewers.

All applications will be judged on the quality of the application and the potential benefit to the NHS and patients. The review process is closely managed and monitored by the committee, which is responsible for all final funding decisions.

Research grants awarded

• PhD studentship awards: Granted on an annual basis at a total of £90,000 for the duration of a three-year programme of study. Funding applied for must be predominantly for staff costs. Consultants are not eligible to apply for this award. 
• Clinical research fellowships awards: Granted for one year only at a maximum of £60,000. These awards are ideal for researchers who wish to undertake a one-year full-time research project. Funding applied for must be predominantly for staff costs. Consultants are not eligible to apply for this award. 
• Small grant awards: Granted for one year only at a maximum of £7,500. These awards are targeted at pilot studies, which can ideally be developed into potential full-time research fellowships. These awards are not designed to “top up” funding for existing projects. Typically, small grants are used to fund consumables, small items of equipment and/or procedures required to support a small research study. They will not cover travel costs or course fees.

Please note that the availability of these grant awards may vary each year.

JRC awards

Each year, with generous support from CW+ and the Westminster Medical School Research Trust, the JRC awards PhD grants, Clinical Research Fellowships and Small Grants to drive high-quality research within the Trust, enhancing long-term patient care.

For enquiries or guidance on JRC awards, please contact the Research team at chelwest.research@nhs.net or call 020 3315 6825. Members of the R&D team will also be in the Innovation Hub every other Thursday from 7 Nov 2024 (2–4pm) to provide advice to anyone considering applying to the JRC.