The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Delivery Network plays a vital role in advancing research across the NHS, including primary care settings. Click here to find out more.

The James Lind Alliance is a non-profit making initative that brings together patients and clinicians to identify and establish key research priorities, particularly in the area of cardiovascular disease. Full details can be found on there website here. 

These are several key publications that highlight the need to increase the number of clinical academics, particularly within primary care. Take a look at the below: 

• The Academy of Medical Science - Building clinical academic capacity and the allocation of resources across academic specialties
• Medical Research Council - Clinical researchers in the UK: reversing the decline

The NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) is dedicated to helping researchers design impactful studies and apply for funding to bring their projects to life. Their website provides support on how to develop applications for national, peer-reviewed research programmes. For further information, please click here. 

Key funders supporting cardiovascular research include the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the British Heart Foundation. Full details about what they fund can be found on their website. 

The NIHR Academy offers funding opportunities to support primary care team members across disciplines to conduct essential research. It also provides training and support to health and care researchers at all stages of their careers. 

At the PCCS 8th Annual Conference 2025, Prof Derek Connolly gave us an overview of "What's new in research": 

Prof Clare Taylor, Professor of General Practice at the University of Birmingham, presented at the PCCS 5th Spring Conference on "Research: Evidence into Practice": 

The British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellance (BHF CRC) offers a wide range of resources and services to help support you at every stage of your research journey, from early-stage project development through to collaboration and public engagement. Whether you are looking for funding opportunities, expert consultation, or a platform to connect with like-minded researchers, there is something here for everyone. Below is an overview of what is available to you:

• Research Development Fund (RDF) – A small grant to support early-stage research projects. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/researchdevelopmentfund/
• CoNNeCT Cardiology Programme – A dedicated online platform designed to support cardiologists in training to participate in multi-centre research projects. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/connect-cardiology-a-collaborative-nationwide-network-of-cardiologists-in-training/
• Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement – A coordinated approach to PPIE, connecting researchers with patient and public advisors, based on the expertise and characteristics they seek. We achieve this via our diverse network of patient-focused organisations and a dedicated online space for patients and public members to connect with research involvement opportunities. Our support also extends to facilitating introductions and enabling connections with PPI. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/our-network/
• Research Group (RG) Coordination and Collaboration – Provision of an online Microsoft Teams platform and coordination services to facilitate consistent research group engagement and collaboration, as well as access to a well-equipped meeting room ideal for face-to-face and hybrid meetings. For enquiries, please contact enquiries@bhfcrc.org
• Research Development Support – We create and facilitate surveys, partner meetings and stakeholder events for researchers. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/shaping-the-future-of-congenital-heart-disease-research/
• CTU Packages – We facilitate and fund up to four hours of consultation with expert Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) across the UK. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/clinical-trials-units/clinical-trials-units-ctu-consultancy-packages/
• BHF CRC National Research Collaboration Database – An online space linking clinicians, academics, patients, funders and specialist industry partners to support wider participation in research. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/bhf-crc-national-clinical-research-database-patients-and-public-researchers/
• Priority Setting – We provide essential support for the planning and delivery of priority-setting projects, including infrastructure, administrative support and networking. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/deciding-the-top-10-research-questions-for-hypertension/
• Hosting educational podcasts and webinars - We collaborate with leading organisations to enhance research education and development. Find out more here: https://bhfcrc.org/soopr-podcast/ and here: https://bhfcrc.org/cardiowebinar/

Many of the current and future treatments in the cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CVRM) space are in injectable formulations. We are keen to understand healthcare professionals’ and patients’ experience and perspectives on injectables.

We are reaching out to ask for your support with two short surveys around injectables in the CVRM space: 

• Your experience as a healthcare professional – to gather insights from all clinicians. Link to survey is here: https://forms.office.com/e/jQib4A0dNv

We are working together on this highly important project led by King’s College London to understand what matters most to you about women’s heart health and use those insights to shape future research.

If you live in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, we want to hear from you.
This survey is open to individuals (male and female) with lived or professional experience of women’s heart disease — including patients, carers, family members, and healthcare professionals.

📝 Your voice can help drive meaningful change.
Please take part in this short, anonymous survey and share it widely with your networks, colleagues, friends and family. Please click on the link below - Every question truly counts.

👉 Women's Heart Health – Fill out form

❤️ Together, we can beat the bias and drive meaningful change for women’s heart health!

This anonymous online survey examines clinician perspectives on injectable therapies with cardiovascular (CV) benefits. If you prescribe/manage/counsel patients on injectables for lipids, diabetes, weight management and other cardiovascular-related reasons, you are eligible! 

Please visit the first page of the survey for more information. If any questions arise, please get in touch at emmanouela.kampouraki1@nhs.net. 

The BCS Working Party for Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) would hugely appreciate responses to a survey of Prescriber Preferences for Clopidogrel or Aspirin Monotherapy. This brief survey explores the preferences for clopidogrel or aspirin monotherapy for long-term secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and the feasibility of a clinical trial.

If you would be happy to take part, please see further info and link to the survey: A Survey of Prescriber Preferences for Clopidogrel or Aspirin Monotherapy

It should only take a couple of minutes to complete and your input would be appreciated.

PCCS is supporting the University of Birmingham to carry out a heart failure diagnosis audit in primary care. The format is similar to the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit and uses a simple survey to ask about symptoms, tests, diagnosis and treatment for patients diagnosed with heart failure in the last year.

Each survey should take 15-20 minutes to complete, and we would ask you to do up to five surveys in total. You will receive a £25 ‘Love2Shop voucher’ for every survey completed. If you would be interested in taking part, please enter your details here:

Heart Failure Audit Interest Survey

The University of Birmingham has received funding from Bayer to carry out this audit. Bayer were not involved in the development of the audit, content or the arrangements.

Aim of the Study

This study aims to explore awareness and understanding of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, among South Asian adults living in the UK.

What does participation involve?

Participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire which will take approximately 10–15 minutes.

Who can take part?

Adults aged 18 years and over living in the UK. No medical diagnosis or prior knowledge is required.

Survey Link

More Information

Ethical Approval 

We want to share information about an important new clinical trial that could benefit people living with both heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

The CRAAFT-HF study,  funded by the British Heart Foundation, is evaluating whether early catheter ablation improves outcomes in patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation. We're powered to detect changes in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular hospitalisation, and quality of life with planned enrolment of 1,200 participants.

The trial is now actively recruiting across UK and international sites.

We need your support to:

• Refer potentially eligible patients to existing sites
• Share information through your professional networks

Eligibility criteria:

• Diagnosed heart failure (LVEF <50%)
• Paroxysmal or persistent AF (≤3 years)
• Recent symptoms or hospitalisation

This is real-world, pragmatic research comparing catheter ablation (cryo, RF or PFA) vs optimal medical therapy—designed to generate definitive, generalisable evidence for clinical practice.

For patient referrals, site enquiries, or more information: craaft-hf-cvctu@qmul.ac.uk or craaft-hf.mailchimpsites.com

Thank you for helping us answer one of the most important questions in cardiovascular care.