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Recognising the contribution of Principal Investigators in Greater Manchester

NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Greater Manchester has launched a new initiative to further acknowledge the important role played by our Principal Investigators (PIs). 

A PI is the lead person at a research site who is designated as taking responsibility for the conduct of the study. 

Our new scheme involves the dissemination of ‘appreciation letters’ to PIs leading on NIHR portfolio adopted studies taking place across Greater Manchester, East Cheshire and East Lancashire. 

CRN Greater Manchester has launched the initiative to reflect the fact that PIs do such valuable work - without them and their teams, research simply could not happen.

We felt it was important to take this further step to recognise these valuable contributions and thank these individuals whose work will help to enhance our disease understanding and improve patient outcomes.

The Medical Directors and Research and Innovation (R&I) Directors at the PI's respective NHS trust are copied into the letter to ensure the individual is recognised within their trust. We want to highlight the importance and value of being a research-active trust, encourage the good work to continue, and encourage new PIs to come forward.

The first batch of letters was sent to our dedicated respiratory consultants, whose efforts last financial year helped smash our recruitment target within the respiratory portfolio by 233%, recruiting 651 participants across 36 studies. This year, many have contributed, along with other PIs from other specialities, to the delivery of Urgent Public Health (UPH) studies looking at COVID-19, helping with the recruitment of over 10,100 participants so far.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen two new respiratory PIs come to the fore and we hope that they continue to pursue research as UPH studies carry on alongside the restart of non-COVID studies. We are encouraging more early career researchers to emerge and it is important for those that do to receive recognition and thanks.

The scheme will continue, to ensure PIs and their teams working across our 30 disease specialty areas are recognised for their contributions.