Capacity Building

Research Capacity Development (RCD) aims to enhance skills and confidence in people, and processes in and across organisations, to conduct impactful research that is useful. We have recently coined the phrase RCD for impact (RCDi) to highlight the importance of doing research that makes a difference.

RCDi advocates active and continuous experiential learning within research partnerships

We adopt a number of principles, or ways of working in our RCDi strategy (See Cooke 2020).

We work at a number of levels to do RCDi. We work with individuals, ARC themes, organisations, and networks to develop and undertake research that is useful to health services, academia and the wider economy.

Work with individuals

We aim to increase the number of individuals undertaking applied research, either through formal training, or by providing experiential learning. We do this by using the ARC co- funding model, secondment opportunities, and identifying funding for internships, placements, fellowships, and joint posts.

Support to our doctoral students include development of networks across the region. Examples include:

  • PhDs- White Rose:

  • TriARC

  • CArDiNAL

  • Secondments leading to Fellowship: E&UC; Implementation science

All our NIHR funded and co-funded students are members of the NIHR Academy. This means they have access to a host of collaborative opportunities. Add examples

  • SPARC award ( Visiting us and vice versa)

  • Boot Camp

  • Post doctoral linkages and continued collaboration

Work with organisations

We work with a number of organisational networks to enhance RCDi in the YHARC

Much of this organisational work is supported by the Clinical Research Network (CRN), and the Y&H Research Design Service.

ACORN ( Addressing Capacity in Organisations to do Research) Community of Practice

This is a group of 12 NHS organisations and one Local Authority that meets every four months as a community of practice (CoP). The members also work on projects outside these meetings to expand and extend knowledge together about RCDi. Read more on the ACORN webpage.

LARKs

For more information on Local Authority Research Links, click here.

Contact the team

Sam Debbage leads the Research Capacity strategy for the NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber.

Email: Sam.Debbage@nhs.net

Sam Debbage