Congratulations to our very own Virginia Govoni for her nomination at April’s Sussex Awards, which celebrated excellence across research, engagement, sustainability and inclusion. Virginia was recognised for her work in civic engagement, exemplified through her commitment to public and community engagement through SHCRP's Research Engagement Network and Public and Community Advisory Group. She is pictured here with SHCRP Academic Director Dr James Price. Many thanks to all the SHCRP staff, the PCAG Group, and our REN VSCEs.

SHCRP welcomes Jane Green MBE to the Public and Community Advisory Group.  Jane is the founder of the charity SEDSConnective, the world's first charity dedicated to hypermobile neurodivergent people. Disabled, multiply neurodivergent, volunteer, parent/carer and a fierce advocate, Jane was Honoured with an MBE in 2023 for Services to Neurodivergent people and Hypermobility (GJH EDS).  She also works closely with Dr Jessica Eccles, who co-directs SHCRP’s Research Training Hub.

We very much look forward to Jane's contribution to the group.

The Sussex Research Engagement Network (REN) has had a spring makeover with a comprehensive new web page and lots of new features.  By ensuring that research reflects the needs of a wider range of people, the REN supports better outcomes for communities across Sussex, and the new page has great links, up-to-date news, a resource library, and highlights opportunities to take part in Health and Care research.

The Spring event series continues with:

                     

                  

The Sussex Health and Care Research Training Hub invites you to meet and learn about the different PPIE groups in Sussex. Representatives from University Hospitals Sussex, Sussex Partnership, Sussex Community, East Sussex Healthcare, the South East Coast Ambulance Service, the Research Delivery Network, the Academic Research Collaboration, Youth PPIE group and the Surrey & Sussex Research Engagement Network will outline the PPIE support available within their organisation and across the region.

  

The session aims to increase awareness and provide valuable connections to all clinicians, academics and researchers who are planning a research project and would like to start their PPIE journey.

  

  

The 2026 Sussex Clinical Academic Conference will take place on Wednesday 1^st July at the University of Brighton Falmer campus. This year’s theme will be ‘Embracing Diversity – Hope through Research’ with an aim to focus on widening participation in research. 

A wide selection of exciting speakers is lined up for this year, including Dr Natalie Darko, Associate Professor of Health Inequalities at the University of Leicester, Dr Moitree Banerjee, Head of School of Law at University of Chichester, and Hussein Botchway, Public Relations Champion from University Hospitals Sussex.

  

To register for the 2026 conference please click here.  

  

We look forward to seeing you at this year’s event!

An excellent funding opportunity has arisen that is relevant for early career health and social care professionals considering doctoral research.

  

The NIHR Doctoral Award is a competitive, fully funded 3-year programme enabling health and social care professionals to undertake a PhD in applied health or social care research. Crucially for clinicians, the award covers up to 20% of your time dedicated to professional practice, meaning you can maintain your clinical work alongside your PhD. The award is comprehensive in its financial support, covering salary, full PhD tuition fees at the UK Home rate, research costs, Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) costs, and conference funding.

  

The Scheme is now open. Closing date is 23 June 2026 at 1pm.

  

Find out more here.

                  

  

The Researcher Development Programme for Social Care Nurses is now open for applications. This funded programme supports social care nurses to develop research skills, lead practice-based projects and champion research in their organisations.

  

It includes funded protected time (1 day per week), mentorship and a national peer network.  The deadline for applications is 14^th June.

  

On the 23^rd April Public Health teams from across Sussex came together with colleagues from the Universities of Sussex, Brighton and Chichester, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, along with Sussex Health and Care Research Partnership and the NIHR Specialist Centre for Public Health, to build their research and evaluation skills, find out more about public health research development pathways and to explore how we build on existing collaborations across Sussex. 

  

The day provided a valuable opportunity to share insights, showcase current work, and strengthen connections across the health and care research community.

 

In April 2026, West Sussex County Council (WSCC), in collaboration with Voluntary Action Arun and Chichester and supported/funded by the Sussex Research Engagement Network (REN), delivered ‘Your Voice Matters: Getting Involved in Research’, a workshop designed to encourage community participation in research. This workshop formed part of ongoing work aimed at increasing diverse involvement in health and care research.

  

The workshop brought together 16 Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to explore the value of lived experience in shaping research and services, with keynote contributions from Stonepillow and The Clare Project. Attendees shared experiences of research involvement, including barriers and enablers faced by their communities, and were introduced to practical routes into research participation such as Be Part of Research, opportunities through the NIHR, WSCC and the University of Chichester and active REN‑supported studies. As a result of attending the workshop, participants reported increased clarity on how to engage with research and a deeper appreciation of the value of lived experience.

  

The event reinforced the vital role of VCSEs as valuable partners in widening access to research, by encouraging research participation amongst their communities and service users in order to make research more inclusive. Learning from the workshop is helping to inform ongoing work to strengthen sustainable research capacity and engagement across West Sussex.

The ARC KSS summer conference will be at Bramber House, University of Sussex, BN1 9BJ,  on 18^th June from 11am-1pm, followed by lunch.

  

This event will celebrate the achievements of ARC KSS so far, highlight the excellent work taking place across the region, and launch our vision and priorities for the next phase.

  

This is a great opportunity for colleagues, partners, and collaborators to come together, connect, and reflect on what we’ve accomplished together. The conference will provide space to share insights, learn from each other, and strengthen the relationships that continue to drive our work forward.

  

An overview of the Conference and the option to sign up can be found here: ARC KSS Building Healthier Futures Together - summer conference 2026

                  

  

Through the NIHR CRDC Sussex a new approach has been introduced to streamline the process and facilitate faster study set up and delivery at UHSussex, including:

  

• improved coordination between research teams 

  

• real-time tracking of study set-up progress 

  

• earlier identification of eligible patients.

  

As a result, since January 2026, all commercial trials at UHSussex have been set up within 60 days with 80% recruiting first patient within 30 days of set up. Over 2026/27 UHSussex has been awarded 1st recruit in Europe twice and the1st recruit in UK award four times.

  

The benefits of this approach are already being seen. In the OPERA 2 Trial - a study exploring new treatments for advanced breast cancer - a patient at UHSussex was able to join the trial just six days after it opened, making them the first participant recruited in Europe.

  

The first patient said: “When my cancer came back, I was devastated. The opportunity to join the trial was offered to me and it felt so positive, a real mental uplift. Even if I am in the placebo group, I will receive close monitoring. I really like receiving treatment at the Clinical Research Facility, everyone is so friendly and helpful there and I have benefitted from speaking to other cancer trial participants.”  

  

Dr Simon Page, Clinical Oncology Consultant and Principal Investigator for the Opera 2 trial at UHSUssex, said “Within the metastatic breast cancer setting anti-oestrogen therapy remains the most important avenue of treatment. This group of drugs also remain the best tolerated types of anti-cancer therapies for breast cancer. Trials such as this are hoped to offer more effective anti-oestrogen therapy, delaying resistance to treatment, without extra toxicity. We are very proud to be able to offer the breast cancer patients of Sussex these types of treatment early on in their treatment journey.”

  

Find out more about the work of the NIHR CRDC Sussex at NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) Sussex - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Do you work in health or social care? Are you curious about research — or already building it into your role? 

  

Or perhaps you actively support, deliver, or lead research? If that sounds like you, we’d love you to join a free online regional event hosted by your National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network Health and Care Director for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions. They will be joined by NIHR Director Ruth Endacott, and colleagues from the  nursing, midwifery and allied health professions team. 

  

Over the next year, Ruth and colleagues will "visit" all 12 NIHR Regional Research Delivery Networks. We encourage staff at all levels to join these sessions. They offer a chance to celebrate the fantastic research  happening in each region — and, just as importantly, to hear directly from individuals about what really matters in your research world. 

The South East RRDN event is on 15th June 2026, 1pm-5pm.

                  

  

Monday 9^th November, 2:00-3:00pm via Teams

  

This session on Demystifying the NIHR will be led by Brighton and Sussex Medical School. We will hear from Professors Carrie Llewellyn and Mood Bhutta, both of whom have held large NIHR grants and served on NIHR review panels. They will share their perspectives on the NIHR funding landscape, the projects they have led, what makes a strong application, and how proposals are assessed. The session will help participants better understand the funder’s priorities, expectations, and application processes. It will also explore key elements of proposal development, including identifying suitable funding opportunities, building competitive applications, and aligning research ideas with NIHR priorities. Participants will have a brief opportunity for questions at the end.

  

This session is open to all researchers who are part of Eastern Arc consortium, ARC KSS, University of Sussex, University of Brighton and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust. 

  

Please register here and then a Teams link will be shared.

  

Of the 63 people who completed the intervention, 85% showed some improvement and 50% showed significant improvement. The effects of trauma can last a long time, but with the right help, recovery is possible. We're grateful to the participants and therapists who took part.  

Deadline for the June edition - Friday 12th June 2026

Publication of the June edition - Friday 19th June 2026