Director of INVOLVE: background information
INVOLVE was established in 1996 to support active public involvement in NHS, public health
and social care research. Since 2006 it has been part of, and funded by, the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR), It is one of the few government funded programmes of
its kind in the world; see http://www.invo.org.uk
The NIHR is funded (circa £1billion per year) through the Department of Health to improve
the health and wealth of the nation through research; see www.nihr.ac.uk. It is a large, multifaceted and nationally distributed organisation. Since its establishment, the NIHR has
transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for
the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries
into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the
people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The University of
Southampton has maintained a strong and important strategic relationship with the NIHR
through its management of a number of NIHR centres, notably the NIHR Evaluation, Trials
and Studies Evaluation Centre (NETSCC). NIHR has always placed patients and the public
at the heart of what it does and how it does it; INVOLVE therefore has a central and
strategically important role to play in NIHR.
INVOLVE has been run by a team based in Eastleigh, Hampshire who are employees of the
University of Leeds. In April 2015, the Secretary of State for Health is issued an Invitation to
Tender for the management of the INVOLVE contract for the next four years for a total
contract value of £3.2m. The University of Southampton’s Wessex Institute led a successful
partnership bid with the 10 UK NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) hosts, and was
awarded the four year contract. See later for a description of the Wessex Institute.
The new contract was awarded in August 2015 with a transition period until 1 February 2016
upon which the University of Southampton will become responsible for ongoing delivery. We
are progressing through the TUPE process to transfer the current team. The current director
has decided to take early retirement and a number of vacancies exist or will exist into the
new contract. This means the new centre will be delivered by a mix of existing staff and new
staff to be recruited. We will intentionally delay recruiting the full team to allow the new
director to shape the final shape and focus of the team.
In summary the new director faces the following challenges:
-
Build a cohesive team with a mix of existing and new staff.
Establish a new partnership and regional way of working with the hosts of the NIHR RDS
and other strategic partners.
Be crucial to the delivery of the recommendations from 2014/15 NIHR independent
strategic review of public involvement in research; Going the Extra Mile (see Going the
extra mile)
This is therefore a complex, challenging and high profile role. The success or otherwise of
the centre will be recognised across the NIHR, within government, and internationally with
significant opportunity to enhance the reputation of the NIHR, the Wessex Institute and the
University of Southampton.
If you are an exceptional leader and are committed to public involvement, engagement and
participation in health and care research, this is a unique opportunity to shape the future of
public involvement in the UK and influence thinking across the world.
The Wessex Institute, University of Southampton
The Wessex Institute is a successful enterprise unit in the University of Southampton, an
institution in the top one per cent of world universities and one of the UK’s top 15 researchintensive universities. Our current income is circa £15million per year and we employ over 200
people. We make a major contribution to the University’s enterprise income (65% of the
University’s consultancy income for 2013/14) and deliver nationally important, internationally
recognised work.
Originally established in 1992 as the Wessex Institute for Public Health Medicine, by the
former Wessex region of the NHS, the Wessex Institute has grown to become one of the
world’s leading-edge centres for research management and health technology assessment.
In 1996 the institute was adopted by the University of Southampton and is now hosted within
the Faculty of Medicine.
We are driven by the opportunity to make a difference rather than make a profit. The Wessex
Institute exists to maximise the potential impact to society from the money spent on research
through the way that research is prioritised, funded, managed, published and disseminated.
We are a team of experts in applied research, research management, publication and
dissemination. We include researchers, systematic reviewers, health economists, clinical and
public health consultants, managers, administrators, experts in knowledge transfer,
communication, finance and information systems.
We have 20 years’ experience in setting up and delivering large and complex solutions for the
Department of Health in England and the Medical Research Council. A recent expansion led
by the Director of Enterprise and Partnerships, with investment in a business development
team, has led to £10.7 million of new business from 2014. This has been achieved through a
professional and strategic approach to tracking and responding to invitations to tender. The
current suite of contracts held is:

NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre

Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre

NIHR Dissemination Centre

Health and Care Research Wales funding schemes, Welsh Government research funding
programme coordinating centre

Health Technology Assessment international Policy Forum Scientific Programme
Management support services

NIHR Patient and Public Involvement, Participation and Engagement Coordinating Centre
(INVOLVE Coordinating Centre)
Above all, the Wessex Institute is a centre of excellence for knowledge management,
information and intelligence for health and care research and is internationally respected for
its work. It is innovative and forward-looking, and conducts its own programme of research on
research to inform the development of better value research. The Wessex Institute makes a
significant contribution to the success of the University and has significant ambitions for the
future.
Appendix: Summary of major contracts held by the Wessex Institute
NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre
The NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) has been
contracted by the Department of Health to manage evaluation research programmes and
activities primarily as part of the research work strand of the National Institute for Health
Research (NIHR). It plays an important role in improving the health and wealth of the nation
through research. The NIHR funding programmes managed have a national and
international reputation for high-quality research and research management.
Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre
Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre (SHTAC) is involved in research
addressing major policy questions on the use of drugs, devices, procedures, screening
programmes, health promotion and public health and other interventions. Customers for
SHTAC's research include the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the
Department of Health Policy Research Programme, the National Clinical Directors, the NIHR
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Public Health Research (PHR) Programmes and
the Cochrane Collaboration.
NIHR Dissemination Centre
This new venture is a partnership between the Wessex Institute and Bazian, an Economist
Intelligence Unit business that specialises in applying clinical evidence to help optimise
health within limited healthcare budgets. These two organisations have combined their
experience in developing evidence-based products and managing complex research
programmes in the NIHR Dissemination Centre, to make available a range of exciting
research.
Health and Care Research Wales funding schemes
Health and Care Research Wales is the Welsh Government body that develops strategy and
policy for research in the NHS and social care in Wales. Its goal is to fund today's research
that will inform tomorrow's care and improve the health and wealth of the people of Wales.
The Wessex Institute was awarded a three year contract in September 2014 to set up a
coordinating centre and manage agreed research funding schemes.
Health Technology Assessment international Policy Forum
Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi)’s mission is to support and promote the
development, communication, understanding and use of HTA around the world as a
scientifically based means of promoting the introduction of effective innovations and the
effective use of resources in health care. The HTAi Policy Forum provides a unique
opportunity for senior people from public and private sector organizations using HTA to meet
one another for strategic discussions informed by the perspectives of their different
organizations without the constraints associated with discussions of specific products or
organisational policies. The Wessex Institute was awarded an initial one year and
subsequent three year contract to provide scientific programme management support to the
HTAi Policy Forum.
NIHR Patient and Public Involvement, Participation and Engagement Coordinating
Centre (INVOLVE Coordinating Centre)
The NIHR INVOLVE Coordinating Centre supports active public involvement in NHS, public
health and social care research and is one of the few government funded centres of its kind
in the world. The way that the INVOLVE Coordinating Centre supports public involvement
across the NIHR is the reason the NIHR and the UK are viewed internationally as leaders in
public involvement. The new INVOLVE Coordinator Centre which will be managed under the
University of Southampton from 1 February 2016, will be a formal partnership between the
Wessex Institute and the hosts of the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS).