St George’s gains Clinical Research Facility status from the National Institute of Health Research

Published: 14 March 2022

In a national, competitive process, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has gained full accreditation as a Clinical Research Facility (CRF) by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).

Thanks to collaborative working between the Trust and St George’s, University of London, the CRF was able to demonstrate an ability to deliver high quality clinical research studies for the local population, leading to the award, which will result in substantial new funding.

CRFs support the delivery of early translational and experimental medicine research, from studies testing new treatments in patients for the very first time (first-in-human trials) through to early safety and efficacy trials. They provide dedicated purpose-built facilities and expertise for the delivery of high-intensity studies funded by the NIHR, the life sciences industry and other organisations.

St George’s is one of a small number of Trusts to gain this new status and will provide funding, allowing significant investment in infrastructure. The site will be one of 28 NIHR CRFs in England, which will receive £161 million over the next five years.

Professor Daniel Forton, Associate Medical Director for Research, said: “This achievement is the result of a lot of very hard work from many people, including our CRF and Vaccine Institute teams. It is a milestone for St George’s and puts us on the map as a research active organisation. I am delighted that we have received this recognition and am excited that we will be able to use the additional funding to support and grow our clinical research. This will be a facility for both our local population and our researchers, who will have access to new facilities and the support of our dynamic nurses and trial practitioners.”

Professor Jon Friedland, Deputy Principal for Research and Enterprise at the university, said: “As the UK’s healthcare specialist university, having a NIHR CRF will only improve our aspirations towards improving health on a global scale.

“With the award of CRF status, St George’s is placed on the map as a key centre for clinical research in the UK. This award supports the university’s strategic aim of translating basic research into clinical benefit, working in partnership with the adjoining University Hospital. In addition, it will make the St George’s site more attractive for further funding and help attract the best minds in research to our leading institution."

As part of the funding application, the St George’s Vaccine Institute formed a critical part of the submission, with the team able to demonstrate huge successes in vaccine trials, including the multiple Covid-19 trials delivered during the pandemic.

Director of the Vaccine Institute, Professor Paul Heath, added: “We’re delighted that St George’s now has CRF status. Our efforts over the last few years have shown our ability to lead on large, multisite trials. The new funding will allow us to expand our work, increasing our staff numbers and training offer, as well as integrating more patient involvement into what we do.”

The NIHR commented positively on St George’s plan to involve local communities in planning and carrying out the research studies.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, explained the importance of the CRF scheme, nationally: “NIHR’s CRFs scheme has been a key force in translational research across England, helping to position the nation as internationally competitive in early stage clinical research. This new funding, a 43% increase, will allow the CRFs to continue to drive forward innovation in experimental medicine and support translation of exciting discoveries into new treatments for patients.”  

The plan for the next five years, working in partnership with the Trust, is to expand the number of diseases and conditions researched and to support new investigators to carry out experimental and translational research for patient benefit.

Find out more about clinical and translational research at St George’s on our website.