National Cancer Research Network (NCRN)

National Cancer Research Network

The National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) was created in 2001 in response to the need to improve NHS capacity to facilitate cancer clinical research. At that time, it was recognised that research had to become more closely integrated with cancer care to improve recruitment to randomised controlled trials and other well designed studies and that issues around the delivery, speed and coordination of research needed to be urgently addressed.

NCRN was tasked with developing the infrastructure to support research within the NHS and met this challenge by establishing local cancer research networks which were closely mapped on to existing NHS service networks and which collectively covered the whole of England, and collaborated closely with networks developed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Network proved to be highly effective and, by 2004, had succeeded in more than doubling the rate of cancer patients being accrued into clinical research studies.

Now working as part of the NIHR CRN CC, NCRN continues to focus on the development of a high quality, balanced portfolio of studies that cover a broad range of methodologies and disease areas (particularly rarer cancers), working in collaboration with industry and sustaining and increasing accrual into cancer studies.

Visit the NCRN website

Local Research Networks

There are a total of 40 Local Research Networks in cancer across the UK: 33 in England, 3 in Scotland, 3 in Wales and 1 in Northern Ireland.

Download a map of the areas covered by the NCRN Local Research Networks

PDF file, 151.2 KB

Further information on Local Research Networks is available on the NCRN website

Clinical Studies Groups

Clinical Studies Groups provide the primary route through which new clinical research ideas are developed.

In addition to working in all the traditional areas of oncology, groups have been formed to expand the research agendas in the palliative, psychosocial and complementary areas of cancer management, and in primary care. The groups are funded by major cancer charities and the Medical Research Council and are UK-wide in their remit.

Further information on Clinical Studies Groups is available on the NCRN website

The National Cancer Research Network Coordinating Centre.

The Coordinating Centre is a consortium of the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit. It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research with additional support from and collaboration with the National Cancer Research Institute and Cancer Research UK.

NCRN can be contacted at the following address:

National Cancer Research Network Coordinating Centre
University of Leeds
MacMillan Wing
Fairbairn House
71-75 Clarendon Road
Leeds LS2 9PH

Tel: 0113 343 2254
Fax: 0113 343 2242
Email: enquiries@ncrn.org.uk

Full contact details are available on the NCRN website

Section links:

NIHR Comprehensive Clinical Research Network |

Cancer |

Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases |

Diabetes |

Medicines for Children |

Mental Health |

Primary Care |

Stroke |

Working across the UK |

National Cancer Research Network (NCRN)

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