DOES MY STUDY REQUIRE SPONSORSHIP?

For clinical research that involves NHS staff, patients or their data, Sponsorship will be required. In order to determine whether your proposal is research you can use the HRA research decision Tool here

If your project is defined as research then you should also check if NHS REC approval is required by referring to the decision tool here.

Where the research is non-clinical or to be undertaken at international sites, Sponsorship may still be required and determined by the policy of the LHP Partner.

WHO WILL SPONSOR MY RESEARCH?

Within LHP, the Sponsor of research will, in most instances, be the substantive employer of the proposed Chief Investigator (CI) of the research.

Investigators must gain prior approval from the Governance Team before designating their employer as Sponsor.

If your application requires an ‘in principle’ letter as part of a grant application, please contact enquiries@lhpspark.nhs.uk

HOW DO I APPLY FOR SPONSORSHIP?

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE WITH MY SPONSORSHIP APPLICATION?

In addition an application should generally include the following documents/information;

• The CI’s CV and GCP certificate
• Protocol
• Patient Information Sheet and Consent forms
• Evidence of Funding
• Independent Peer review

At grant application stage, as a minimum, we would ask for a completed sponsorship application form and draft protocol. The sponsor may however request additional documentation as per their sponsor’s requirements and these may include the above.

Once your application is received, it will be reviewed and assessed prior to being included for review by the LHP Partners R&D office or the SPARK Sponsorship Committee.