Q:  When should I contact RDS London? 

A:  Researchers who are at the initial stages of designing their study should contact RDS London as early as possible, ideally six-months in advance of an intended submission date.  At this early stage we can also give guidance on incorporating Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) to substantiate the importance of the topic and the research question and then input into the study design.  We may also be able to provide financial support for this activity from our Enabling Involvement Fund.

For those researchers who have more developed proposals, we recommend that you contact RDS London eight weeks before submission.  This will give us time to firstly provide an overall review of the study and then incorporate the advice of methodologists and further PPI as needed.  As an absolute minimum, researchers can contact us four weeks before submission.  Any later than this, our experts are unlikely to be able to offer any meaningful support.

Q: How can RDS London support me?

A:  RDS London can provide practical advice and guidance in the design of research studies.  We can also help identify suitable sources of funding for projects and foster collaborative links with established research groups in the capital.

Q:  What expert input can RDS London provide?

A:  RDS London is able to advise on all aspects of designing research, including: focusing an idea and refining a research question; study design; choice and application of appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods; advice on trials and economic evaluations; statistics; involving patients and the public in all stages of the research process.

Q: How many consultations can I have with RDS London?

A:  Our service is not limited to just one consultation and advisers may work with research teams or researchers over a period of many weeks to ensure that they have the greatest chances of success.

Q:  Can RDS London help with applications to the Medical Research Council (MRC)?

A:   Our advisers can provide can provide wide ranging practical advice to those submitting applied health research proposals to recognised funding bodies.  They have limited experience of basic science / lab-based research, so are unlikely to be able to give the same level of expert advice in this area.  We do however have a range of online resources, including guidelines on how to put together a good proposal.  These documents are accessible to all investigators, so please do refer to them (Link to Links Page)

Q:  Do I have to pay for the support given by RDS London?

A:  No, advice is provided completely free of charge.  However, if you would like a member of the RDS team to be a co-applicant then their time must be appropriately costed into the bid so that their RDS commitments can be covered by other staff.

Q:  Does RDS London run training courses?

A:  RDS London does not have a research capacity building role (with the exception of supporting Fellowship applications) and does not provide formal training courses.  However we continually monitor the types of request that we receive and this information is used to identify generic issues which can then become the basis of online guidance or workshops. 

Q:  I have filled in a support request form, what happens next?

A:  Once we have received your request for support, an administrator from your local team will be in touch to collect any additional information or documents that we need.  An RDS London adviser will then be allocated who will provide some initial broad feedback and co-ordinate the input of further expertise within RDS London.  In some instances we may need to arrange a meeting with you or your team to fully understand the project or issues being faced.  We may also need to share the documents that you have provided with RDS colleagues.  On all occasions we treat all discussions and the information that you provide with appropriate confidentiality. 

Q:  Can RDS London help me?

A:  If you are applying for applied health and social care research funding then yes!  Please see our charter for more information.