GP-led expansion of clinical trials in primary care

GP-led primary care organisations across England have been awarded more than £14m to expand commercial research and widen patient access to clinical trials.

The funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will establish 14 new primary care commercial research delivery centres (PC-CRDCs) across the country (see box).

Together with 21 existing commercial research delivery centres (CRDCs) set up in April 2025, they will form part of the NIHR-funded CRDC UK Network.

The investment comes through a public–private partnership between the government and the pharmaceutical industry’s Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme.

Health Innovation Minister Zubir Ahmed said the centres would ‘turbocharge Britain’s medical research and improve patient care’.

The initiative aims to shift more research and care from hospitals into community settings and widen access to clinical trials for patients across England. Each PC-CRDC will work with primary care sites within the CRDC Network – particularly those nearby – to foster local collaboration and maximise impact.

Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR, said: ‘GPs are the first point of call for many people. Through these new centres, we will be able to extend commercial research delivery from the hospitals to the high street.

‘Patients will be able to take part in trials in their local communities, making it easier for them to get access to innovative treatments and technologies.’

The NIHR said that the centres will accelerate commercial clinical trial delivery in primary care through standardised costing, contracting, and dedicated staff and facilities, delivering ‘gold standard’ performance and setup times.

They aim to help reduce commercial clinical trial set-up times to 150 days or less by March 2026, and serve as hubs to support the decentralisation and diversification of clinical research.

Each centre will work closely with local NHS organisations, Integrated Care Systems, and NIHR infrastructure to make participation in trials easier and more inclusive.

A key focus will be improving access for underserved groups and communities that experience the greatest burden of ill health, helping to increase diversity and inclusion in research participation.

The centres will work with industry, NHS delivery partners, the Health Data Research Service (HDRS), other research delivery infrastructure and wider stakeholders to increase the attractiveness of the UK as a desirable destination for commercial research.