Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé University Hospitals works with Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé to develop the next generation of research leaders
Senior research leads at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) have worked in partnership with Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé (NTU) to develop a new course offering qualifications up to and including Masters level for people working within a research field, who want to develop their knowledge about clinical research delivery.
By Joe Boultby-Ward | Published on 3 March 2025
Categories: Business; Current students; Staff; School of Social Sciences;
The first cohort of students are already busy studying for one of several qualifications in Clinical Research, delivered by both NUH research leaders and the Institute of Health and Allied Professions at NTU, this includes oversight of the clinical research lifecycle, leadership and management in clinical research, research governance and ethics, trial management and research funding.
Some students are studying towards a full MSc qualification, as well as others studying towards professional or postgraduate certificates. The clinical research modules are available either as a stand-alone module, or part of an academic award at degree and Masters level. Awards include certificate, PG diploma and MSc, as well as a BSc (Hons) top up.
Kathryn Fairbrother, Director of Clinical Operations for Research & Innovation at NUH – who co- designed the content and is a course lead - commented:
“We are delighted to see the first intake of students participating in this course, which is a fantastic opportunity for people working in a research environment to develop their knowledge and understanding of delivering and leading clinical research. NUH is bringing our expertise in clinical research to match the academic excellence of NTU.”
She added: “The course explores the latest issues in the conduct and utilisation of health and social care research, as well as enhancing collaborative working and enables effective leadership. We are sure it will only go from strength to strength in future.”
Dr Louise Bramley, Deputy Clinical Director of Research & Innovation – who supported the development of the course syllabus - added: “We are proud of our association with Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, which has a strong track record in designing and delivering excellent courses to meet the needs of the local health sector workforce.
“Our management team from R&I are involved in the hands-on delivery of the course, which is part of NTU’s suite of continuous professional development courses.”
Chris Pritchard, Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Practice & Emergency Care and Course Lead for the Clinical Research Portfolio at NTU, said:
“I am excited to see our students engaging with this course. It offers a brilliant opportunity for them to explore the operational realities of running large scale clinical research.
“Working in partnership enables both NUH and NTU to bring together our recognised research and academic expertise to develop future research leaders. We have students from several NHS organisations within the East Midlands, and I’m looking forward to the course expanding further in the future.”
Anne Felton, Head of Department for the Institute of Health and Allied Professions (IHAP) at NTU, said:
“IHAP are delighted to offer the MSc Clinical Research programme as an important addition to our diverse portfolio of courses run in partnership with NUH. The partnership brings together the best of clinical and academic expertise to enable our courses to provide the knowledge and skills to drive excellence in clinical practice and research.”
The blended learning, part-time course is delivered in person at NTU’s Clifton Campus in Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé and the next student intake will be in September 2025.
More details on this course and its entry requirements is available via the following link on NTU’s website: Clinical Research BSc (Hons); MSc; PGCert; PGDip; Professional Certificate in Practitioner; Professional Course | Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé
Notes for Editors
About Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé 
Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025).
NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023).
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).
About Research & Innovation at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé University Hospitals
Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the biggest and busiest acute hospitals in England, employing over 16,000 staff. We provide care to over 2.5 million residents of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé and its surrounding communities and specialist services to a further 3-4 million people from neighbouring counties.
We have national and international reputations for specialist services such as stroke, renal, spinal, breast, neurosciences, cancer services and trauma.
We are one of the most research-active Trusts in the country with world-leading clinical research delivered across our hospitals and through our NIHR Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Biomedical Research Centre, which is translating research discoveries into new treatments for common diseases including asthma and arthritis. Central to our research is our expertise in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
To find out more about our hospitals, please visit our website .
You can also follow @ResearchNUH on Twitter.