Governance
Governance plays an important role in the delivery of our research.
The 13 research themes of the NIHR Manchester BRC are organised into 4 Clusters:
- Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Catalyst (Next Generation Phenotyping and Diagnostics, Next Generation Therapeutics)
- Cancer (Cancer Prevention and Early Detection, Cancer Advanced Radiotherapy, Cancer Precision Medicine and Living with and Beyond Cancer)
- Under-Researched Conditions (Hearing Health, Mental Health and Rare Conditions)
- Inflammation (Dermatology, Integrative Cardiovascular Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, and Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases)
There are 4 Cluster Boards each comprising of a Cluster Lead (chair) and a dedicated Cluster Manager. The 4 Cluster Leads are members of the Strategic Executive.
Cluster Board membership contains research Theme Leads and Project Managers across all the themes within that Cluster, and other relevant attendees from across Manchester BRC when appropriate i.e. Partner Organisations, other NIHR infrastructures, leads for our Strategic Core Delivery areas including: Operations and Finance; Data Management; Children and Young Adults Research; Inclusive Research; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation; Digital Infrastructure; Communications; Industry and Partnerships; Education, Training and Capacity Building.
The main purpose of the Cluster Boards is to:
- Monitor progress of themes within the Cluster i.e theme level objectives, majority funded projects and provide updates to the Strategic Executive Board, including opportunities to escalate issues/challenges that cannot be resolved at Cluster level.
- To drive further integration across the Manchester BRC research themes and strategic areas, including collaborative research activities.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has responsibility for contractual compliance and financial performance of the Manchester BRC through its Group Chief Executive, who chairs the Manchester BRC Governance Board. Members include senior leaders from all BRC partner organisations, public contributors and experts in key strategic areas including industry and strategic partnerships and Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
The role of the BRC Governance Board is to support and hold the Manchester BRC Strategic Executive Board to account for the delivery of our strategy and objectives. Potential risks and mitigation plans are presented at the Board regularly and significant changes at both financial and theme level are subject to Governance Board approval. The Board also has a function in supporting Manchester BRC to develop the partnerships and collaborations required to deliver on our ambitious plans.
The role of the International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) is to critically assess and advise on Manchester BRC’s scientific and clinical research strategies.
The ISAB is chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and membership includes public contributors and international clinical, academic, and industrial experts spanning our research areas and area of strategic focus.
The Board reviews the performance of the BRC, assesses local, regional, national and international cohesion to ensure Manchester BRC remains internationally leading and best placed to serve our urban, rural and coastal communities and improve outcomes for all.
Chaired by the Manchester BRC Director, who is delegated overall responsibility for the NIHR funding, the BRC Strategic Executive Board:
- Coordinates the delivery of Manchester BRC’s planned activities
- Drives delivery of a cohesive scientific strategy across all our partners
- Promotes and invests in cross-theme scientific programmes
- Champions inclusive research
It regularly monitors delivery against strategic objectives and contractual adherence, including budgetary management, and supports reporting to the NIHR and dissemination of outputs from our projects and programmes.
The Board is an open forum to discuss and find solutions to identified and potential challenges, and will make decisions to invest and disinvest in work programmes to maximise our impact across our urban, rural and coastal communities.
The 4 Cluster Leads are members of the Strategic Executive, collectively ensuring all 13 research themes are represented at Strategic Executive Board. Cluster Leads report on activities from across their Clusters (Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Catalyst, Cancer, Under-Researched Conditions, Inflammation) which are overseen by a Cluster Board. This is chaired by the Cluster Lead with attendance from all other themes within the Cluster, Cluster Manager and other relevant attendees from across the BRC.
Other members of the Strategic Executive Board include public contributors, core team operational leads, BRC partner organisations, NIHR infrastructure, leads for our Strategic Core Delivery areas including Children and Young Adults Research, Inclusive Research Infrastructure (including Inclusive Research Oversight Board, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation). The Board also has membership from Digital Infrastructure, Communications, Industry and Partnerships, and Training and Capacity Building.
Manchester BRC is committed to the ‘One NIHR’ vision which is driven through the established Manchester NIHR Research and Innovation (R&I) Oversight Board.
The primary purpose of the Manchester NIHR R&I Oversight Board is to bring together and align the various elements of Greater Manchester’s R&I infrastructure to optimise effort and deliver the ‘One Manchester’ objectives:
- Meet the health needs of our population and healthcare services
- Promote mutually supportive strategies across each stakeholder
- Avoid duplication of function and maximise outputs
- Coordinate major infrastructure bids across partners
The Board supports drives the principles of ‘Embed, Build and Accelerate’ into R&I across the translational pipeline from academia through partner NHS organisations and into Health Innovation Manchester.
This Board is chaired by the Group Chief Executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH) at the University of Manchester and the Chief Executive of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and includes Health Innovation Manchester (HInM) and NHS North West. It also has supported the involvement of the NIHR Manchester BRC’s new partners at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Working groups reporting into the Oversight Board cover a variety of Manchester BRC core activities including Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP), Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Capacity Building and Partnerships.
The remit of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) is to enable Manchester BRC to deliver the best innovation and partnerships strategy by:
- Providing industry insight on the best routes to commercialisation in target markets
- Acting as ‘critical friends’ in providing input on the attractiveness, maturity and relevance of Manchester BRC outputs to industry sectors
- Advocating and helping Manchester BRC attract the right industry partners to deliver strategic goals
The IAB is chaired by Chris Molloy (CEO, Medicines Discover Catapult) and aims to include stakeholders with expertise across all sectors of the health and life sciences industry. Key industry advisors currently sitting on the board include:
- Carole Longson (Senior Advisor and Consultant in Life Science Policy, HTA and Market Access)
- Doris Ann Williams (CEO, British In Vitro Diagnostics Association)
- Jane Theaker (Founder and Co-Director of SpinXperts)
- Kevin Cox (Chairman, VALIRX PLC and Biorelate Ltd)
- Paul Gaudin (Digital Entrepreneur)
Membership also includes senior Manchester BRC representatives Professor Anne Barton (Director of Manchester BRC) and Professor Rick Body (Manchester BRC Innovation and Partnerships Lead and Group Director of Research and Innovation at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust). The IAB is enabled by our Manchester BRC Innovation and Partnerships Team.