New joint research programme for methodology research to be launched

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

20 November 2007

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have announced a new joint arrangement for methodology research following the Cooksey Review of health funding.

A new joint MRC/NIHR Methodology work stream, the Methodology Research Programme (MRP), managed by MRC and jointly funded by the MRC and NIHR will begin from 1 April 2008. The MRP will be the main MRC/NIHR funding mechanism for underpinning methodology research.

The MRP will fund both investigator-led and commissioned research, and in time oversee other targeted methodology work streams. The MRC and NIHR joint arrangement has been developed with OSCHR.

The December meeting of the current NIHR Methodology Panel will be the last in its current form before the new programme is launched. This web page will be superseded by new pages for the MRP through the MRC after 1 April 2008, with further details of this available in the future.

For further information about either the MRP or the NIHR Methodology Panel until 1 April 2008 please contact:

nihrmeth@soton.ac.uk
Tel: 023 8059 5621 (24 hour answerphone)
Fax: 023 8059 5639.

Or visit the MRC website

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2006 Impact Factor (5.29) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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