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Future directions

Statement from MRC Council: May 10 2007

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Introduction

At recent meetings the Council has discussed the opportunities for the UK health research environment that will follow the Cooksey Review, and how the MRC should change to best take advantage of them.

At our March meeting the chair of the new Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) Professor John Bell briefed us on the initial steps to set up OSCHR and on the very positive early settlement of the science vote in the Comprehensive Spending Review. The Council also reviewed the work it had commissioned from a joint Ernst and Young/MRC team into roles, structures, and operations as well as a report from the MRC workshop on translational research held in February*. The Council asked the Executive Board to consider these inputs and recommend the changes that will enable us to take maximum advantage to the increased opportunities before us.

We have now agreed a programme of changes and developments to be implemented over the next 12 months. These are summarised below with target dates. We believe these changes will enable MRC to maintain its international reputation for high quality research, ensure that we will be effective and adaptable in the new environment, and strengthen our capacity to develop and apply research findings for public and patient benefit. Many of these changes will involve active engagement and discussion with the research community and/or with other key stakeholders. Some of the timings may need to be flexed to capture input from the new MRC Chief Executive once appointed.

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MRC’s role in the new environment for UK medical research

Fig 1 – a single integrated strategy for UK medical research

Fig 1 key:

  • DG R&D: Director General Research & Development
  • DGSI: Director General of Science & Innovation
  • MRC: Medical Research Council
  • NIHR: National Institute for Health Research
  • OSCHR: Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research
  • PHRB: Public Health Research Board;
  • TMB: Translational Medicine Board
  • HM Treasury: Her Majesty’s Treasury
  • DoH: Department of Health;
  • DIUS: Department of Innovation, Universities and Science

‘Discovery science for health’ is the phrase that the MRC has tended to use to describe its mission, and the Council agreed that this still crisply captures the special role of the MRC.

This means the MRC will continue to support excellent and innovative science, encompassing basic, non-clinical, clinical, and population level research and experimental medicine. The independence of the MRC as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), answerable to a wide range of stakeholders for our use of public funds, will be unchanged.

There will be an increased emphasis on research translation in future and we will increase our commitment to developing research findings for application in new therapies, policies and practices: we want our stakeholders to be able to see delivery of the benefits of our research. MRC has an excellent track record in many areas of translation and knowledge transfer, particularly through MRC Technology (MRCT). As the executive summary of the Joint MRC/Ernst and Young Review recognised

`MRC-funded work has led to some of the most important advances in medical knowledge and research methods of the 20th century. MRC research and training have underpinned development of major new product categories… and provided the evidence base for clinical and public health practice in the UK and in the developing world’.

We are aiming for an even better record in future and will ensure that our policies and funding actively facilitate the translation of discovery science into health and wealth benefits.

The Council believes that the alignment of MRC, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and other public sector funders of medical research within a single integrated strategy will ensure the competitiveness of UK medical research in future. All MRC planning and initiatives will be developed in the context of a single strategy for health research.

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Governance

Our current Council (17 members including Chair and CEO) is large by normal governance standards. We believe that, as recommended in the joint review, a smaller Council with a more focussed strategic top-level governance role is appropriate. We will work with Department of Innovation, Universities and Science (DIUS) to agree templates for a membership of 12 (including the Chair and CEO - the minimum specified in the Charter).

The intention will be to retain essential input from “user” members and to observe the requirement of the Charter that at least half of the members should be appointed by reasons of their qualifications in science. The Council’s advisory system will require the re-establishment of a new strategy and planning advisory group, an Interim Strategy & Planning Group (ISPG), supported by the executive.

We will also take the opportunity to streamline delegation from the Council to the CEO and Executive Board so as to facilitate speedy and informed decision taking while ensuring the Council has the time and the knowledge to perform its governance role.

Target dates

  • Develop template for future Council membership with Chairman and the Office of Science and Innovation (OSI), and for formal delegation to CEO/COO/Executive Board – July 2007
  • Any vacancies for new Council membership to be advertised by OSI in the autumn in the normal way
  • First meeting of newly constituted Council - May 2008
  • Set up and convene first meeting of new Interim Strategy and Planning Group (ISPG) – July 2007

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Strategy and evaluation

Our enhanced strategic function will be seamlessly linked to NIHR and OSCHR via the new MRC/NIHR Translational Medicine Board and Public Health Research Board. We shall develop and implement strategy with strong emphases on partnership with public, private and charity sectors, and on building a stronger evidence base for funding strategy. Stakeholder engagement will be central to the development of our strategy in future – the role played by our research Boards and the wider research community will continue to be key to this process.

Our office structures will be reorganised to form a single group responsible for strategy, planning, communication and evaluation.

We also plan a substantial increase in our investment in evaluation, working in partnership with other funders where possible – including NIHR. The intention is to develop a more robust evidence base of the long-term benefits of all of the research we fund and to have feedback on the effectiveness of our research strategies and initiatives. Development of our future approach to evaluation will involve iteration with the research community and with other stakeholders and will build on optimal approaches for evaluating the impact of medical research as developed by other funders in UK and abroad.

Target dates

  • Set up single office group for strategy, planning, communication and evaluation – to await appointment of new CEO (a special project team will be formed to support the ISPG’s work in the meantime)
  • 6-month project to scope future evaluation strategy (July – December 2007)

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Research translation

A recent MRC workshop helped to clarify the pathways and process of research translation across the MRC portfolio. One size does not fit all. An expanded team in MRC Technology and in MRC will now work closely with the MRC research community to develop robust and effective strategies for translation in the different areas of our research portfolio, and to identify the structures and interventions that are likely to be helpful in ensuring delivery in future. Council will keep under review the need for a new translational directorate separate from MRCT (as recommended in the joint review) and will await a recommendation from the new CEO once appointed.

We will continue strengthening support for innovative clinical research and training in areas such as experimental medicine, biomarkers, imaging, and genotype/phenotype studies; and will build new links between research and users in these areas.

We also wish to expand the support available in medical research for development gap/follow on funding; for highly goal-oriented clinical research, and for academic-industry collaborations. Detailed plans will be developed in consultation with OSCHR and other Research Councils, and announced later.

Target dates

  • Report to Council on a more fully developed translational strategy - December 2007

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Research Funding

MRC submitted a well-developed case to Government via OSCHR and OSI for additional funding in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). The Chancellor’s announcement in March that DIUS’s science budget will rise by an annual average rate of 2.7% in real terms over the CSR period was widely welcomed.

The Treasury said this would `provide long-term certainty for the research community and will deliver resources to meet a range of priorities including further investment to support excellent research’. We are confident that when the details of the MRC settlement, to be announced by the Autumn, are known it will be clear that the MRC has the resources to sustain support for high-quality research across the spectrum of our portfolio and to implement the changes outlined in this paper.

While changes are being implemented during this year it is crucial that research plans are not destabilised. Applicants should continue to submit fellowship and grant funding applications to MRC and to other agencies and to seek advice as appropriate.

MRC’s research boards will remain multidisciplinary, with a balance of basic and clinical research expertise, and increased scientific expertise from industry research.

The remits of our present research boards will be kept under review while we develop plans with OSCHR, for translational medicine and public health research, under the auspices of the two new MRC/NIHR boards. Any changes will be announced well in advance of application deadlines. It is very important that funding for new research projects is not disrupted or delayed in any way.

Target dates

  • Ongoing – final decisions on configuration of MRC boards expected October 2007

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What happens next?

The MRC is determined to maximise advantage for its stakeholders out of the opportunities that the Cooksey Review and the CSR settlement provide. This will involve changes, not all of which can be set out in detail now. Some decisions will involve consultation; joint work with OSCHR and NIHR will probably identify further changes in funding or operations later in the year; and some structural decisions will await the appointment of the next CEO, who will succeed Colin Blakemore in the Autumn.

We will sustain an active programme of stakeholder communication throughout the coming year including through bulletins on MRC’s website, MRC Network and seminars and meetings as appropriate.

Any decisions that might be relevant to potential grant or fellowship applicants will be highlighted on the website/portal immediately.

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Related documents

Additional documents referred to in this statement and as reference materials can be found on the MRC website via the following links:

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For more information

Please contact

Charlotte Davies, Internal Communications Manager
Tel 020 7670 5433
charlotte.davies@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk ()