Our Clinical Research Facility (CRF) delivers innovative research with the potential to develop into clinical applications or new treatment for people living with mental health conditions and is aligned with the aims of Oxford Health BRC – a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT).
Our facilities and specially trained staff enable participants to be carefully taken through complex high-intensity research protocols with safety as the top priority.
Strong partnerships with the University of Oxford , OHFT, Oxford Brookes University, and Oxford University Hospital (OUH), all of which are represented within the broader Oxford Academic Health Partners (OAHP) ensure a joined-up approach to our research strategy and priorities and embed the CRF within research infrastructure across Oxford.
We use the NIHR funded UK-CRF network as a resource to develop, share and implement excellence in CRF operations. Being part of the wider NIHR network enabled us to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and we adapted the CRF to support the delivery of two major vaccine trials Oxford/Astra Zeneca and Novavax during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
A key part of the success of the NIHR is through its collaboration with industry at different levels (pharmaceutical companies, SMEs, etc), recognising the importance of the life sciences and biomedical sector to the UK as well as opportunities for scientific innovation.
CRF links with industry are through our key partners as well as other avenues such as the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN). Public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) are embedded within our activities through a formal structure.
The CRF operates within the wider NIHR community which includes the NIHR CRN, the mental health Translational Research Collaboration and, in 2020, the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce which responded to the urgent call from Public Health England to tackle COVID-19.
