R&D Management Structure

Research & Development Website

R&D in LTHT

About the R&D Department

The Research & Development Department is a central corporate function within the Trust. The Department, in collaboration with the University of Leeds, supports the development of high quality R&D within the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Reporting to the Medical Director, the Department comprises an R&D Director who works alongside an Associate Director. The Senior R&D Manager has a joint appointment with the University of Leeds and is supported by the R&D Team.

The R&D Department takes an organisation-level lead in ensuring that research is conducted and managed to high scientific, ethical and financial standards, prepares all submissions to the DH to secure and account for R&D Support Funding and contributes to developing an active research organisation.

In order to meet these responsibilities, the Department works closely with the Clinical Management Teams (CMTs). Each department in the Trust is aligned to a Clinical Management Team that acts as an autonomous business unit. The R&D Department supports CMTs by finding the balance between ensuring that the legal and ethical requirements of researchers are met within the Trust while allowing CMTs to develop their research activity.

The prime objectives of the R&D Department are to:

Ensure the Trust achieves the Performance Targets agreed in its contract with the Department of Health for portfolio NHS R&D funding
Improve the quality, quantity and relevance of R&D activity within the Trust
Help researchers achieve external funding from grant-giving bodies and commercial sponsors and to increase the Trust's external income from research
Provide research support services; including the provision of expertise in statistics and other generic methodologies
Ensure that the information requested from researchers is the minimum consistent with the highest standards of research governance
Ensure all R&D projects in the Trust are appropriately peer reviewed, approved by a Research Ethics Committee, comply with research governance standards and statutory requirements, and notified to the National Research Register
Develop R&D training and educational opportunities for Trust researchers
In collaboration with Clinical Effectiveness, promote the dissemination of high quality R&D information as the basis of improving clinical care in the Trust
Work closely with the University of Leeds to ensure all research activity is of the highest calibre and contributes, where appropriate, to the success of the University in the Research Assessment Exercise
Raise the local and national profile of research within the Trust and develop appropriate collaborations

Please click here for a diagram of the management structure for R&D in the Trust

The Department maintains and keeps up to date a central register of research projects either undertaken by LTHT staff or using LTHT patients, facilities or resources enabling it to report on activity and research expenditure to the Department of Health.

The Department also hosts the two Leeds Research Ethics committees which are managed in conjunction with Central Office of Research Ethics Committees and the West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority.

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