Submit a research idea

We are keen to hear from colleagues in local health and care organisations who have ideas for research to better understand their area of work, or to develop and test innovative practice.

Examples of the kinds of research ideas we have previously supported

  • determining best practice for supporting menopause in primary care
  • investigating community led initiatives to support people with multiple long term conditions to prevent them deteriorating
  • exploring the effectiveness and acceptability of continuity of care in general practice
  • conducting research to determine the best way to present health guidance to people with learning difficulties.

If you have an idea, please get in touch with our Research Team at bnssg.research@nhs.net.

What we will do with your idea

  • we will search research funders to see if anyone is tackling this idea already.
  • we will help establish collaborators to take the work forward.
  • we will engage with local and national bodies to try and gain support for the research project to be developed.

What you can expect as an outcome of submitting an idea

  • if there is an answer out there already, you can expect us to give this to you to help inform your work.
  • if an answer is being found at the moment, we will put you in touch with the relevant team undertaking the work so that you can liaise directly with them.
  • if there is no clear answer, we will endeavour to bring together a collaborative team to develop research, and look to invest funding from our competitive funding applications.

Your commitment

The amount of time you will need to invest in uncovering an answer can range from a bit of reading and a few conversations with colleagues from the health and academic environments, to co-leading and driving a programme of research over several years. The required time depends entirely on the question, available collaborators and the stage that the research is at.

We will do our best to help to establish a work-plan that suits your circumstances.

Read our Pipeline Support document to find out more about our approach to ‘bridging the gap’ between academia and practice. The research pipeline is our process for taking novel approaches from the health and care services and supporting these to develop into research projects funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Get in touch

Email: bnssg.research@nhs.net

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB
100 Temple Street,
Bristol,
BS1 6AG

Our opening hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. We are closed on bank holidays.