£1.6 million in funding from the ICS Research Engagement Network Development programme is intended to support ICSs in building new research networks or developing existing ones, along with developing activity to grow diversity in research participation.
Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, receiving approximately £80,000, has set out their proposal for the programme.
With their area spanning a large geography including urban, rural and coastal areas, the partnership notes that coastal communities pose a particular challenge in terms of health inequalities, deprivation and access.
They state: “given the relative isolation and sparsity of our coastal infrastructure, we propose to build a research network inclusive of our coastal and port towns and communities.”
The Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Collaborative is to work through established VCSE Place Assemblies to explore how VCSE organisations serving the coastal populations can become part of a ‘research ready’ programme, potentially forming ‘build blocks’ to grow the capacity and structure that is required for the coastal communities.
The VCSE organisations will then link in with research partners such as the local authority, primary care, academia and the Local Clinical Research Network in order to discuss and progress any opportunities.
The programme will be split into three phases, with phase one covering the identification of relevant VCSE organisations and exploration of existing research links at a Place level.
Phase two will see the identification and maximisation of existing research partner relationships along with engagement with an academic centre to look at laying the foundations for a possible coastal health population research strategy.
The third and final stage will involve creating a high-level plan of actions to move this work forward and examine possible co-development of a strategy with partners.
