FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
NIHR HRCs
What are the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs)?
The NIHR has awarded almost £42 million to establish 14 HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs), hosted by NHS Trusts across England. The NIHR HRCs were launched on 01 April 2024.
The 14 NIHR HRCs replace the previous 11 NIHR MedTech and In Vitro Diagnostic Co-operatives (MICs), which came to an end in March 2024.
The NIHR HRCs are centres of excellence that accelerate the development of healthcare technologies to improve the effectiveness and quality of health and care services.
The NIHR HRCs work with businesses, academics, healthcare professionals, and patients to support the development and adoption of medical devices, diagnostics, and digital technologies.
What is the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health?
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Paediatrics and Child Health is one of the 14 HRCs funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is the only HRC dedicated to children, young people, and their families.
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is hosted by Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and directed by Professor Paul Dimitri.
The core team are responsible for co-ordinating and overseeing all HRC projects and activities.
Our team work across NHS and NIHR infrastructure, including with the other NIHR HRCs, NIHR Local Clinical Research Networks, the Health Innovation Networks, NIHR Biomedical Science Centres, and Generation R (NIHR funded national network of Young People’s Advisory Groups).
Where is the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health based?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is a national organisation but is hosted by Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
The leadership team is based at Sheffield Children’s, while our project managers and theme leads are based at various NHS sites across England, including:
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Does the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health focus on certain clinical specialities?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health prioritises developing technology for child health and paediatrics across five key themes. Each theme is led by one or two expert clinicians.
Our five themes are:
- Early Life
- Long-Term Conditions in Childhood
- Transition
- Mind-Body Integration (cross-cutting theme)
- Child Health Artificial Intelligence Network (cross-cutting theme)
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health utilises the TITCH Network to support the development of child health technology outside these specialist themes.
How can I receive regular updates about the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health?
Please visit our ‘Contact’ page to find links to out social media accounts and to sign up to our monthly newsletter.
COLLABORATION
Who does NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health collaborate with?
We are keen to collaborate with academics, health professionals, businesses, children and young people, and families who are looking to developing evidence-based technology for paediatrics and child health.
Please complete our collaboration request form to tell us about:
- Unmet needs i.e. things which make day-to-day living difficult for children and young people with long-term health conditions or a problem in a health care setting that does not currently have a solution. You do not need to know how to solve the problem.
- Innovations in response to unmet needs. We will consider innovations at all stages of the innovation pathway (Technology Readiness Levels 1-9).
Please read our collaboration request guidance before submitting the form to ensure your request is within our remit.
What support can the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health provide?
The support we offer is outlined on our ‘Work With Us’ page.
Please note that we focus on developing technology for child health in our five themes and prioritise unmet needs and innovations that align with our priorities. Support is available to academics, health professionals, businesses, children and young people, and families.
Please complete our collaboration request form if you would like to tell us about an unmet need or would like us to support your innovation. Please read our collaboration request guidance before submitting the form to ensure your request is within our remit. If we cannot help or support, we will, where possible, signpost to other infrastructure that can.
What is the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health’s innovation pathway?
Our innovation pathway is outlined on our ‘Work With Us’ page.
What are unmet needs and how are they validated?
Unmet needs are things which make day-to-day living difficult for children and young people with long-term health conditions or a problem in a health care setting that does not currently have a solution. Unmet needs can be identified by anyone, regardless of profession or age.
Validating unmet needs is a critical step in developing child health technology. Unmet needs are validated in the following ways:
- Speak to other people in similar situations to find out if they have the same unmet need;
- Review and monitor known unmet needs to identify potential trends;
- Conduct a scoping exercise to find out if an innovation already exists that addresses the unmet need;
- Engage with stakeholders and end users (e.g., clinical teams, NHS commissioners, children, young people, families) to find out if they think the innovation is a good idea; and/or
- Conduct preliminary searches to find out if there is any protection, such as intellectual property, that may prevent the innovation from being developed.
How can I tell the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health about an unmet need or innovation?
Please complete our collaboration request form to tell us about unmet needs, ideas for innovation, or innovations in development. Please read our collaboration request guidance before submitting the form to ensure your request is within our remit. All collaboration requests are treated as strictly confidential and will not be shared with third parties without your express permission. If requested, we can arrange a non-disclosure agreement between relevant parties.
I have identified an unmet need or innovation that doesn‘t fall into one of the five themes. What can I do?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health prioritises developing technology for child health and paediatrics across five key themes:
- Early Life
- Long-Term Conditions in Childhood
- Transition
- Mind-Body Integration (cross-cutting theme)
- Child Health Artificial Intelligence Network (cross-cutting theme)
However, we can support unmet needs and innovations outside of these themes through the TITCH (Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health) Network. The TITCH Network is a national network of experts dedicated to transforming child health through technology and innovation. We can circulate a summary of the unmet need or idea for innovation around the TITCH Network to gain expert feedback and/or find key stakeholders to form an effective project team.
If you would like the TITCH Network to support your unmet need or innovation, please complete our collaboration request form and indicate that the request is for the TITCH Network. If we cannot help or support, we will, where possible, signpost to other infrastructure that can. All collaboration requests are treated as strictly confidential and will not be distributed around the TITCH Network or shared with third parties without your express permission.
What happens once I’ve submitted a collaboration request form?
Our process for submitted collaboration requests is detailed on our ‘Work With Us’ page.
FUNDING
How are the NIHR HRCs funded?
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs) are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR awarded almost £42 million across the 14 NIHR HRCs over 5 years, beginning on 01 April 2024.
Can the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health fund our innovation?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is unable to fund your innovation directly.
We can collaborate with you on projects, help you to identify suitable funding calls, and provide support and guidance in the funding application process. Please complete our collaboration request form if you would like us to support a funding application.
We can provide seed funding for proof of concept projects that are supported by our theme leads. Applications for our proof of concept funding calls can only submitted by our theme leads.
Can the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health support our funding application?
We are very happy to support funding applications for projects that fit within one of our five themes and are aligned with our priorities.
Please note that we are required to raise funds for our involvement with collaborative projects, and therefore we can only support grant applications if we are a named collaborator, are actively involved in the project, and have our time costed for.
Please complete our collaboration request form if you would like us to support a funding application.
What are the relevant funding calls for technologies for paediatrics and child health?
Please see our funding pages for a list of relevant, current funding calls.
PATIENT INVOLVEMENT
What is patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), and why is it important?
Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) involves carrying out research with or by patients or members of the public, rather than carrying out research about or for patients or members of the public.
Most funding applications require substantial PPIE to be included in the study design.
We believe that PPIE is fundamental to the successful development and delivery of technologies for child health. The involvement of children, young people, and their families ensures that technology is developed for and with the user, adopted more rapidly, and better accepted into clinical practice. Our ethos is to ensure that children, young people, families are involved at every stage of the innovation pathway.
Who leads PPIE for the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health?
Jen Preston leads our PPIE work. For over 15 years, Jen’s main role has been to develop and implement a strategy for involving children, young people, parents and carers in all aspects of health research to ensure the inclusion of a lay perspective in the design and delivery of paediatric research. Jen currently works at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
Jen set up and co-ordinates GenerationR, which consists of many Young People’s Advisory Groups (YPAGs), based around the UK. The YPAGs meet regularly to learn about clinical and other health related research and discuss how to make it work better for young people. GenerationR has enabled hundreds of young people to have a voice in research design and delivery both nationally and internationally.
How can the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health help us with PPIE?
We work closely with both local and national patient involvement groups. Our PPIE lead, Jen Preston, co-ordinates GenerationR, a national network of Young People’s Advisory Groups. We also work with patient groups across England through our clinical Theme Leads and vast clinical networks.
We have extensive experience involving children, young people, and families across every stage of the innovation pathway. We are therefore well equipped to facilitate your engagement with children, young people, and their families through a variety of means, including co-design workshops, focus groups, and surveys. We can also advise when NHS ethical approval is required when working with children and young people.
Please note that PPIE requires sufficient funding and therefore we usually need to apply for funding before undertaking PPIE.
Do I need ethical approval for PPIE?
PPIE activities (such as advising on research designs, developing protocols or study resources, or being a member of a steering group) usually do not require NHS research ethical approval.
However, NHS research ethical approval depends on the specific patient activities. We can advise on whether ethical approval is needed for individual projects.
For more information, please visit the NIHR PPIE resources webpage or use the Health Research Authority (HRA) decision making tool.
Does the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health have a PPIE strategy?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health has published a five year PPIE strategy and is currently developing an equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategy. You can download the PPIE strategy below.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & REGULATIONS
What is intellectual property (IP)?
Intellectual property (IP) refers to novel ideas, knowledge, and information resulting from human intellect. There are different types of intellectual property, including:
- Patents
- Copyright
- Designs
- Database rights
- Trade marks
- Know-how
Some types of IP are generated automatically (e.g., copyright) whereas other types of IP need to be applied for and approved (e.g., patents).
There is a difference between background and foreground IP; while background IP refers to the pre-existing IP that organisations bring to a project, foreground IP refers to the IP that will be generated during the course of a project.
Most, if not all, innovations have some IP.
Can the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health help us with IP?
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and hosted by Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and therefore we take IP advice from both the NIHR IP team and Sheffield Children’s Research and Innovation Directorate.
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health can provide general advice on protecting IP and signpost you the right people to talk to.
NHS trusts or universities usually have a research and innovation office who can provide tailored IP advice and oversee IP agreements. Where possible, we advise you to speak to your local IP office in the first instance.
If we become involved with a project, we encourage collaborators to agree intellectual property as early as possible to ensure that projects are not hindered by intellectual property disagreements down the line.
Where can I find out more about IP?
NHS trusts or universities usually have a research and innovation office who can provide tailored IP advice and oversee IP agreements. Where possible, we advise you to speak to your local IP office in the first instance.
There are a number of organisations that specialise in IP and agreements who can help you protect your IP. For example, Medipex is a healthcare innovation hub that works with universities, NHS trusts, and industry. Medipex can perform patent searches, conduct market research, and advise you on IP.
Are there any regulations for health technologies in the NHS?
Some health technologies are classified as a medical device, which means they need to be regulated by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before they are adopted by the NHS.
A medical device is any instrument, apparatus, appliance, software, material, or other article, which is intended for human use that performs a medical purpose, such as diagnosing, monitoring, or treating a medical condition. This could be hardware, software, or appliances ranging from plasters to defibrillators. Medical devices in England are classified depending on risk.
The NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health works closely with the Centre for Healthcare Equipment and Technology Adoption (CHEATA) based in Nottingham to ensure projects and medical devices are acquiring the necessary information to gain MHRA approval.
More information about the MHRA and medical device regulations can be found in our knowledge centre.
THE TITCH NETWORK
What is the TITCH Network?
The TITCH (Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health) Network is a national network of experts dedicated to transforming child health through technology and innovation.
The TITCH Network was established in 2014 to address common problems in child health technology:
- A lack of health technology designed specifically for children and young people.
- Health technology is often designed for adults and repurposed for children and young people with inadequate results and potential complications.
- Many technologies used in paediatric healthcare do not account for the anatomical and physiological changes that occur throughout childhood and adolescence.
- The fragmented approach to developing and evaluating child health technology across the UK.
The TITCH Network provides a platform for the essential and expert stakeholder relationships required to ensure that the very best innovations are developed and commercialised for the benefit of children, young people, and families.
The TITCH Network is supported by both the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health and the NIHR HRC in Long-Term Conditions.
While both the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health and the NIHR HRC in Long-Term Conditions prioritise technology in specific themes, the TITCH Network seeks to develop child health technology across all domains and specialities.
Can the TITCH Network support my idea or innovation?
The TITCH Network seeks to support the development of technology for child health. The TITCH Network can provide additional support to unmet needs and innovations that fall within the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health’s and the NIHR HRC in Long-Term Conditions’ themes. Unmet needs and innovations that fall outside of these themes can still be supported through the TITCH Network; we can circulate a summary of the unmet need or idea for innovation around the TITCH Network to gain expert feedback and find key stakeholders to form an effective project team.
Please complete our collaboration request form if you would like to tell us about an unmet need or would like us to support your innovation. Please read our collaboration request guidance before submitting the form to ensure your request is within our remit.
We review all collaboration requests as a team and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible. If we cannot help or support, we will, where possible, signpost to other infrastructure that can.
All collaboration requests are treated as strictly confidential and will not be distributed around the TITCH Network without your express permission.
Can I join the TITCH Network?
The TITCH Network is comprised of experts across the UK seeking to support the development, evaluation, and adoption of child health technology.
Members of the TITCH Network have a diverse range of backgrounds, including healthcare, education, academia, industry, and patient representation.
Complete the form below if you’d like to enquire about joining the TITCH Network. We are keen to hear from anyone with an interest in or experience of child health or technology, including young people and parents/carers. The form will ask you to provide information about your role and affiliated organisation (if appropriate), the reasons why you would like to join the network, and the expertise that you can offer.
COLLABORATE
Do you have an unmet need, an idea for innovation, or would like some more information? We’d love to hear from you.