Bringing research to our practice & Primary Care Network (PCN)

Dr Serge Engamba, GP and PCN Research lead, shares his journey to upskill and develop the research delivery capability of his Norwich based practices, adding industry-sponsored research to his PCNs research delivery portfolio. 

Why our practice got involved in research delivery 

We began delivering academic based research studies at our practice four years ago following a large study we were fortunate to take part in during the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, over the past two and a half years, we’ve started to deliver industry-sponsored research.  

I am passionate about research delivery, as it gives us the opportunity to support our local patient population who may not otherwise have a route into research. We know our patients appreciate being involved in research. People have said to me many times that they are proud to contribute to finding answers to questions that could improve care. So that was the first driver, making sure that our patients had the opportunity to contribute. The second motivation was the realisation that if your patient groups are not a part of research, you cannot always be sure that the results of that research apply to your specific patient group. 

What I enjoy the most about delivering research is being able to bring hope to my patients by trialling new treatments, sometimes to patients who have previously been told there is no treatment. I also enjoy seeing colleagues gaining new skills and finding more joy and fulfilment in their jobs through doing something extra to improve clinical care.

How we got started in research delivery - connections and resources  

Becoming part of a local Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) is a great first step to becoming research active. 

I was part of organisations like the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) and the Primary Care Academic Collective (PACT) which were great ways to network and contact mentors, but that’s not absolutely necessary. Once you've got the RRDN with you they can help identify studies that are easy to deliver in your context. We started out with simple mail out studies which allowed us to get into academic based research delivery.  

My take on delivering industry-sponsored research in your practice is that you need dedicated staff resources. You will likely require time set aside each week for an admin or research nurse which is not an easy thing to do. The way we did this in Norwich was to come together as a network of practices to form a Norwich Research Hub. This is a central team of a GP, nurse and coordinator who are tasked with finding research projects that can be delivered for all the practices that are part of the network. This takes some of the workload from the individual practices as the research hub staff deliver tasks on behalf of the practice. 

Challenges we found getting started out with industry sponsored research 

Along with the challenge of workload, the contracting process was daunting because you are interacting with entities outside of the NHS. Discussing finances and signing projects can seem like untested waters. However, we found the National Contract Value Review (NCVR) made the process much easier, by providing something which is validated by recognised entities and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This helps ensure that the contract you are signing is safe and works for the interest of your practice and patients. 

Another challenge can be getting your first industry-sponsored study. An industry partner will often go back to the same practices where they’ve been successful in delivering research before, so breaking through can be challenging. The way we found helped with this issue was to build a CV to show research sponsors the capability and potential of our practice to accompany the standard Expression of Interest forms that didn't demonstrate the full picture. Our CV shows the population make up of our area, awards we’ve won, our research credentials, portfolio, past academic research, and investments made to our practices to support research delivery. 

Advice for becoming research active 

• Start small - Getting involved in smaller scale research to start can be a great way to test the ability of your practice as well as gaining experience which can be used to leverage larger projects in the future. Investigator Initiated Trials (IIT) mostly involve working with small-to-medium enterprises to help them build clinical protocols or test medical devises. This can build confidence for the whole practice. 
• Connect - Becoming part of local groups and organisations can help support and guide you in your journey as well as creating opportunities for you later down the line. Joining your Regional Research Delivery Network is key! 
• Get dedicated resource – Work with your practice manager and partners to carve out dedicated resources. A PCN model like our Norwich Research Hub may be a good way to develop this dedicated resource needed for industry-sponsored studies. 

For more resources on research delivery visit the

RCGP Research Engagement Hub