NIHR Networking

For this month’s workshop we were visited by Catey Bunce and Sam Leary from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Statistics Group. Their network was formed in 2012 with a similar motivation to NABES – linking up statisticians who were isolated in different NIHR entities and bringing medical statistics research into practice.

With Catey and Sam’s presentations as a starting point, we explored short- and long-term options for developing NABES, and recorded ideas in a concept board. Options which were mentioned included a mentoring scheme and in-person / hybrid events. Other points of discussion involved:

  • The logistics of running a network of this type – distributing responsibilities and funding activities

  • Interacting with researchers and other stakeholders

  • Expanding the network to other related institutions

This session prompted varied discussion and provided us with valuable inspiration for developing NABES.

We thank Catey and Sam for taking the time to share their experience with us.