We were excited to attend this year’s Research and Development Forum Conference (RDF25) in Manchester with a poster abstract!
With over 900 attendees, the Research and Development Forum Conference (RDF25) in Manchester was an excellent opportunity to showcase what HDRCs can contribute to the national health research infrastructure.
Lauren Bell (Research Fellow - Qualitative & Mixed Methods) and Seeman Tsang (Governance Officer), represented the Coventry HDRC over two days. They had the chance to network and learn about the work happening to boost research capacity, collaboration, and public and community engagement to better drive health research.
A presentation by Dr Adam Briggs, who will soon be succeeding Professor Brian Ferguson as Director of the NIHR Public Health Research Programme, highlighted the importance of the building blocks of health and of involving wider partners and residents in research. It was great to meet the NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health team in-person, and hear more about their work to develop a definition of research for local government.
The conference highlighted the range of opportunities for HDRCs to support a truly collaborative approach to research and evidence-informed decision making that addresses inequalities in the wider determinants of health. Have a closer look at the poster.