Strengthening clinical research

Published in 2003, 'Strengthening Clinical Research’ highlighted concerns that UK clinical research has not kept pace with advances in basic scientific discovery, to the disadvantage of patients.

The report called for the creation of a new National Network for Clinical Research as well as calling on the NHS to reconfirm its original goal of placing 1.5% of its turnover into clinical research activities.

Professor John Bell FMedSci (chair)
Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford

Professor Nicholas Day FMedSci
Professor of Epidemiology, University of Cambridge

Sir Colin Dollery FMedSci
Treasurer of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Senior Consultant, GlaxoSmithKline

Professor Gordon Duff FMedSci
Florey Professor of Molecular Medicine, University of Sheffield Medical School

Professor Roger Jones, FMedSci
Head of the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Kings College London

Professor Ronald Laskey FRS FMedSci
Charles Darwin Professor of Animal Embryology, University of Cambridge

Sylvia Lady Limerick CBE
Lay Vice Chairman National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Vice Chairman of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths

Dr Garth Rapeport
Head of Drug Discovery Respiratory and Inflammation Centre for Excellence for Drug Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline

Professor Nancy Rothwell FMedSci
MRC Research Professor, University of Manchester

Professor John Savill FMedSci
Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh

Dr Sandy Thomas
Director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and Senior Fellow Science Policy and Technology Research Unit
University of Sussex

Lord Turnberg FMedSci
Scientific Advisor to the Association of Medical Research Charities

Professor Nicholas Wright, FMedSci
Warden, St. Bartholomew’s and London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry

Professor Sally Davies, FMedSci (Observer)
Deputy Director of Research and Development, Department of Health

To identify, characterise and document impediments to medical research in the UK. The Working Group took an integrated view of basic and clinical research and clarified priorities for action:

• Presenting the evidence that is already available and recommending what further evidence must be collected, in order to quantify the impact of specific issues in the UK (comparing the UK with other countries, where appropriate).
• Taking account of relevant activities by other bodies, identifying gaps and the particular strategic value added by Academy-based activity.
• Providing options and recommendations to address the problems identified and advising on a mechanism to track subsequent outcomes.