Supporting clinical research in the NHS in England: the National Institute for Health Research Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network

Table 3 DeNDRoN academic portfolio activities

	What are they?	How were/are they established?	Current groups
Clinical Studies Groups	Ongoing national multidisciplinary groups undertaking horizon scanning, idea generation, prioritisation, and so forth, in a disease area	Through open national competition during 2006. Annual open calls for new membership. Approximately 100 members in total	Dementias Parkinson's disease
			Motor neurone disease
			Huntington's disease
			Primary care
Task Forces	Time-limited multidisciplinary groups focused on idea generation in specific topic area(s)	Topics identified through CSGs or in discussion with partner organisations. Run in collaboration with specific partners	Vascular dementia (with Stroke Association and Alzheimer's Society)
			End-of-life care (with Alzheimer's Society)
			Assistive technology (with Alzheimer's Society)
Writing Groups	Group of research collaborators working together to submit a multicentre grant application to an NIHR-eligible funding body	Through CSGs; as outputs from task forces; through open calls for expressions of interest; or in response to application from researchers	25 groups were supported in 2011. Approximately one-half have already submitted grant applications

CSG, Clinical Studies Group; DeNDRoN, Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network; NIHR, National Institute for Health Research.

ISSN: 1758-9193