MRC creates clinical research board
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has announced the creation of a new clinical research board as part of its major reorganisation changes.
The new Physiological Systems and Clinical Sciences Board is one of several indicators of the council抯 strengthened commitment to clinical research, the MRC claims.
This announcement came two days after the UK higher education funding bodies stated they would be judging research by more demanding standards. Future research assessment exercises (RAEs) will give more information about the quality of research in each department through "starred profiles" to replace the current system of grading departments from one to five-star, and experts from business and industry will be brought into the panels judging academics?work to give added weight to applied and practice-based research (Guardian 11 February, p10).
The new board will be one of five MRC boards, which will all have their own budgets. They will also have new responsibilities for developing their complete scientific portfolios and contributing to strategic planning.
Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, said: "There抯 a pressing need to strengthen clinical research in the UK. All the MRC boards will continue to fund clinical research, although the new Physiological Systems and Clinical Sciences Board will have a special responsibility for translational research—in other words, research that moves a scientific discovery into a clinical setting."
The MRC has also introduced changes that it hopes will lead to simpler, more flexible forms of grant support.
The 12 existing grant schemes will be replaced by five, which will include research grants, collaboration grants, centre grants, trial grants, and new investor awards.
"These changes will help us respond to the needs of the research community. Also, we抣l be able to award more for research grants next year than over the past three years, and we抳e put in place mechanisms to avoid drastic fluctuations in grant funds in the future," explained Professor Blakemore. "We抳e also made a bid in the current spending review for an increase in our budget, to enable us not only to sustain support for existing world class medical research in this country but also to make a full contribution to the strengthening of clinical research, for the benefit of patients."
He continued: "The changes go hand in hand with an organisational commitment to greater clarity and openness about MRC抯 scientific policies and procedures. We抮e also putting in place mechanisms for involving the whole research community in developing our strategic thinking and our policies."
In the coming financial year, the MRC expects to spend about ￡168m ($317m; �248m) on research grants, compared with ￡100m this year. Of this money, ￡5m will fund the new investigator award scheme.
"The new investigator awards, announced last month, will help build up the research careers of younger investigators—another key priority for the MRC," Professor Blakemore said.
"We hope the changes will aid the MRC抯 mission to improve human health," he added.
A subcommittee of the MRC抯 governing council will monitor and evaluate the new schemes and will guide the MRC抯 strategic planning.
Last March the Commons science and technology committee published a report into the work of the Medical Research Council that claimed that the MRC抯 poor financial management had damaged funding available for new research. The report was later rejected in June by the government, but Dr Ian Gibson, the committee抯 chairman, stood by the findings and said that the council had deliberately misled parliament.(BMJ Vittal Katikireddi)
The new Physiological Systems and Clinical Sciences Board is one of several indicators of the council抯 strengthened commitment to clinical research, the MRC claims.
This announcement came two days after the UK higher education funding bodies stated they would be judging research by more demanding standards. Future research assessment exercises (RAEs) will give more information about the quality of research in each department through "starred profiles" to replace the current system of grading departments from one to five-star, and experts from business and industry will be brought into the panels judging academics?work to give added weight to applied and practice-based research (Guardian 11 February, p10).
The new board will be one of five MRC boards, which will all have their own budgets. They will also have new responsibilities for developing their complete scientific portfolios and contributing to strategic planning.
Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, said: "There抯 a pressing need to strengthen clinical research in the UK. All the MRC boards will continue to fund clinical research, although the new Physiological Systems and Clinical Sciences Board will have a special responsibility for translational research—in other words, research that moves a scientific discovery into a clinical setting."
The MRC has also introduced changes that it hopes will lead to simpler, more flexible forms of grant support.
The 12 existing grant schemes will be replaced by five, which will include research grants, collaboration grants, centre grants, trial grants, and new investor awards.
"These changes will help us respond to the needs of the research community. Also, we抣l be able to award more for research grants next year than over the past three years, and we抳e put in place mechanisms to avoid drastic fluctuations in grant funds in the future," explained Professor Blakemore. "We抳e also made a bid in the current spending review for an increase in our budget, to enable us not only to sustain support for existing world class medical research in this country but also to make a full contribution to the strengthening of clinical research, for the benefit of patients."
He continued: "The changes go hand in hand with an organisational commitment to greater clarity and openness about MRC抯 scientific policies and procedures. We抮e also putting in place mechanisms for involving the whole research community in developing our strategic thinking and our policies."
In the coming financial year, the MRC expects to spend about ￡168m ($317m; �248m) on research grants, compared with ￡100m this year. Of this money, ￡5m will fund the new investigator award scheme.
"The new investigator awards, announced last month, will help build up the research careers of younger investigators—another key priority for the MRC," Professor Blakemore said.
"We hope the changes will aid the MRC抯 mission to improve human health," he added.
A subcommittee of the MRC抯 governing council will monitor and evaluate the new schemes and will guide the MRC抯 strategic planning.
Last March the Commons science and technology committee published a report into the work of the Medical Research Council that claimed that the MRC抯 poor financial management had damaged funding available for new research. The report was later rejected in June by the government, but Dr Ian Gibson, the committee抯 chairman, stood by the findings and said that the council had deliberately misled parliament.(BMJ Vittal Katikireddi)