R&D is responsible for the negotiation and authorisation of all research-related contracts between Nottingham University Hospital’s (NUH) NHS Trust and all external parties including research related contracts with the University of Nottingham and all other independent service providers residing within NUH premises for example the Treatment Centre and InHealth. The variety of research carried out at NUH is vast and the related contracts often require tailoring to each piece of specific research. It is the R&D Department’s role to agree contractual terms with external parties and subsequently obtain the authorised signatory’s signature. There is an extensive research base here at NUH with research contracts being in place with a number of external parties including other Universities (both nationally and internationally), charitable bodies, Government Departments, Industry and individuals.

A suitably robust agreement which is fit for particular purpose must be in place prior to any researcher/employee embarking upon a research program, collaboration or project of any sort.

NUH takes its contractual duties seriously and requires clear demarcation of its obligations so as to procure that ANY research being carried out within NUH has an appropriate management structure in place to ensure continued compliance with the agreement. This may include many contractual aspects including confidentiality, datasets, publication, intellectual property, reporting and research governance components including safety reporting, monitoring and audit.

The investigator of any study should ensure they are fully versed and adequately informed of their responsibilities under the contract and should carry out their functions accordingly.

The various types of contracts required and when they should be sought are listed on the right hand side of this page.

If you are unsure of what is required or wish to discuss a contractual issue in more detail please contact us.