UKRRC

The UK Respiratory Research Collaborative was launched in 2006 under the Chairmanship of Professor Stephen Holgate. The initiaitive grew from two well attended workshops at which respiratory professional bodies and lung charities met to discuss how best to take forward the respiratory research agenda.

The first Report - Raising the Profile was produced after a conference at the Royal College of Physicians of London in October 2005 which prioritised key areas for respiratory research development.

Download the Report here

A second workshop was held in February 2006, where 6 key priority areas were identified.

Download the Summary Document here

Terms of Reference of UKRRC

Produce and update a strategy for respiratory research in consultation with constituent groups and others
Promote the need for world class research into respiratory disease
Facilitate translational research in respiratory medicine
Continue working to raise the profile of respiratory research in the UK
Raise awareness of the need for a good career structure for respiratory researchers
Promote conditions in which more research can take place in NHS settings.
Work to increase the funding for respiratory research in the UK
Raise awareness of the amount that has been achieved by the respiratory research community
Liaise with UK agencies and funders - DoH, MRC, Wellcome Trust and so on - to share information, respond to consultations where an united response would be helpful, and to work jointly towards the shared aim of improved patient care. Such liaison to be effected in 2 ways - direct involvement in meetings, and open lines of communication meantime.

View full list of UKRRC Members here

Prioritisation Exercise 2007/08

During the Autumn of 2007 the UKRRC worked on a mechanism through which to identify and jointly agree research projects of national importance to the UK Respiratory Research community. The aim was to prioritise these with a view to presenting them to prospective national funding bodies.

A paper on the Delphi process that was adopted and the resulting top 6 priority questions has now published in Respiratory Medicine Journal and may be downloaded here.

The wider list of priority questions, which are now ready to be worked up into studies for funding applications, is presented here.

It is important to note that this represents an early first step in the long road to raising the profile of respiratory research in the UK, and that we do not overlook other important respiratory disease areas. Given the success of this initial approach, we plan to repeat this prioritisation exercise in 2008 and beyond with a focus on other respiratory disease areas and then, within the fields that formed the substrate for the first prioritisation exercise, to identify further priority questions.

Newsletters

Download Newsletter Eight (Nov 08) here
Download Newsletter Seven (May 08) here
Download Newsletter Six (January 08) here
Download Newsletter Five (November 07) here
Download Newsletter Four (May 07) here
Download Newsletter Three (February 2007) here
Download Newsletter Two (November 2006) here
Download Newsletter One (July 2006) here

Current Research Opportunities

Please follow links to find out more about specific opportunities

MRC Respiratory Medicine Highlight Notice
The Population and Systems Medicine Board (PSMB) portfolio of grants for respiratory research is small relative to the mortality and morbidity caused by respiratory disease. The PSMB would therefore welcome innovative proposals for increasing understanding of the mechanisms of respiratory disease that would underpin the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Full details available here
Scadding-Morriston Davies Joint Fellowship in Respiratory Medicine 2010
The Fellowship is available to support visits to medical centres in the UK or abroad for the purpose of undertaking studies related to Respiratory Medicine. Applications are invited from medical graduates practising in the United Kingdom, including Consultants and irrespective of the number of years in that grade. There is no application form but a curriculum vitae should be submitted together with a detailed account of the duration and nature of the work and the centres to be visited, confirming that these have agreed to provide the facilities required. Please state the sum of money needed for travel and subsistence. A sum of up to £20,00 can be awarded to the successful candidate, or the sum may be divided to support two or more applications. Applications should be sent to the Secretary by 31st January 2010. Dr I A Campbell, Secretary to the Scadding-Morriston Davies Fellowship, Llandough Hospital, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, CF64 2XX.