Partnership with Industry
Strategic partnerships with global organisations help Scotland maintain its status as a global centre of research excellence
Working closely with industry is a key priority for NHS Research Scotland.
The NRS Industry Partnership Forum, formed in 2010, ensures close liaison between the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry. It is co-chaired by Chief Scientist Office (CSO) and Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and provides a forum for positive discussion on how NHS Boards and companies can streamline their delivery of clinical studies.
NRS also has strategic collaborations with four industry partners:
- Announced on 9 February 2012, the Strategic Alliance with PPD is intended to cover a broad range of Phase I – III trials across multiple therapeutic areas
- NRS becoming an IQVIA Prime Site was announced at the inaugural NRS conference in October 2012, designed to increase the number of contract clinical trials conducted in Scotland
- On 31 October 2013, the Minister for Public Health announced that NHS Research Scotland has been awarded Pfizer global INSPIRE status, making Scotland a location of choice for Pfizer studies
- Most recently in May 2014, NRS entered into a Strategic Alliance with Roche, through which an increased number of contract and investigator-initiated studies would be placed in Scotland.
NRS Commercial Group
The aim of the NRS Commercial Group is to create a fast, predictable, supportive and enabling environment for industry to ensure that Scotland is the ‘go to’ place for commercial clinical research. The group will work to ensure a standard operational process which is central to our pan-Scotland ethos, as set out in the Scottish Governments 2015 Health and Social Care Research Strategy.
The group includes representation from commercial R&D teams across Scotland, NRS Operations group and is chaired by the NRS Industry Liaison Manager.