Aims and Objectives

We aim to promote increased collaboration of ideas, research staff, and facilities from our partner organisations to maximise the potential for research collaborations.


Alongside this we aim to administer these clinical research grant applications, through the provision of facilities and resources required throughout the research process. This will include the identification of appropriate opportunities for research funding through to the dissemination of study results to the wider NHS.

The objectives of the BCRA are to:


1. Facilitate research income in the local health economy by assisting in the submission of high quality grant applications to the NIHR by NHS staff in collaboration with academic colleagues at UoB.

2. Broaden the research base by creating more opportunities for NHS clinical staff and University academics to collaborate with the NHS in the conduct of high quality research.

3. Collaborate with the Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN) to improve recruitment of patients and the public as participants in clinical studies.

4. Improve services through the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical findings.

5. Capture and exploit intellectual property ensuring effective exploitation of commercial opportunities that arise from NHS research through relevant expertise.

6. Develop the Birmingham Clinical Research Office (BCRO) which is a joint venture between the UoB Research and Knowledge Transfer Office and the R&D office at UHBFT. The BCRA will provide a Protocol Development Service (PDS) and enhance the management and governance processes required for collaborative grants.

7. Where appropriate involve the wider NHS organisations and universities within Birmingham and the Black Country