Our principles
Priority-driven
Our work will be clearly aligned to:
• National Priorities for Health and Care Research
• Agreed regional priorities in addition to the above
• ARC themes and objectives in line with the above and our bid short/medium/long-term objectives.
Priorities are translated into themed programmes and annual action plans. Proposals are expected to explain how they contribute to these priorities and where they add value. They will justify the need for new research where evidence is missing or conflicting. They will identify what activity will be needed in house and on the path to developing larger generalizable research linked to the ARC. If support for implementation, then the theme will follow the approved process for that pathway.
Some activity will come from other ARCs – either implementation at scale or collaborative research. There will also be projects that are linked to supporting industry and innovation.
Co-produced and co-delivered
Co-production will be embedded by design wherever possible.
Work is expected to:
• Be co-developed, delivered, and disseminated with experts by experience (including public contributors, patients, carers, communities, and VCFSE partners) alongside professional, practitioner, and management experts, all with equity of esteem alongside academics.
• Be supported by appropriate training, mentorship, infrastructure, and payment, coordinated through the PCIE&P function.
Where co-production is more limited at particular stages, this will be transparent and proportionate.
Equity and health inequalities
Equity and health inequalities will be considered throughout all activity, rather than addressed as stand-alone tasks.
We aim to:
• Embed equity thinking at programme, theme, and project level
• Promote and support the use of Health Inequalities Assessment tools and ForEquity.uk
Inclusion
Inclusion sits at the heart of how we work with:
• Our workforce
• Partners and collaborators
• Participants public contributors and communities
We seek to maximise opportunities for inclusive engagement, leadership, and participation, particularly with seldom-listened-to groups, and to reduce barriers to involvement wherever possible.
Capacity-building
Activity will contribute to building capability across the system.
This includes:
• Developing skills and knowledge across partners, public contributors, early-career researchers, practitioners, and managers
• Supporting internships, fellowships, PhDs, mentorship, and connected research communities
• Encouraging bi-directional learning between HEIs and partners.
• Internships, fellowships, PhDs, and similar initiatives must be linked to a theme, registered with it, and supported through it.
• PGR students and interns will feel connected to themes, priorities, and wider ARC activity.
• Supervisory practice will reflect shared expectations and draw on best practice across partner HEIs.
ARC activity helps:
• Academics develop as PIs and Co-Is
• Support strong publications and grant leadership
• Provide motivating and transparent career development pathways within ARC academic roles
Theme leadership, connection and partnerships
Themes provide the main organising structure for activity and collaboration and will:
• Meet regularly with collaborators and partners including PCIE&P
• Maintain two-way communication (e.g. updates, opportunities, calls for collaboration) reporting to open meetings on progress against objectives and plans
• Build, support, and sustain connected research communities, including growing partner representation.
• Involve cross cutting themes and workstreams in the coordination and delivery of their activity.
• Involve cross partnership representation in theme management.
• Promote work with and support for programmes and projects from other ARCs
• Monitor the planning, delivery, progress outcomes and impacts of their activities, liaise with project leaders where delayed, agree mitigations, and report consequent progress.
• Prepare quarterly reports on programme progress, outputs and impacts, grants, KM etc for Operations manager and Management team meeting/Steering Board. Act on their feedback wrt variance from plans and mitigations etc.
• Where mitigations fail to positively impact on progress, in consultation with senior leadership, close projects.
Leadership is expected to be:
• Shared across themes, programmes, and partners
• Supported through co-lead roles, public and practitioner champion roles, succession planning, and development opportunities
Implementation and knowledge mobilisation
Implementation and knowledge mobilisation are to be considered from the outset.
We aim to:
• Grow and sustain implementation capability within the ARC partners
• Embed KM across each themes research lifecycle alongside the implementation objectives expected to be roughly 1:1 with research activity
• Support delivery at scale through regional and national collaboration
• Work with Health Innovation North West Coast and other ARCs on Implementation and KM initiatives and support KM fellowships and internships linked to themes.
Data, learning, and accountability
We seek to:
• Use straightforward, proportionate approaches to collecting and reporting process, outcome, and impact data
• Build systems that support learning, accountability, communications, and impact, without creating unnecessary burden
• Ensure our partners are aware of the activity for ARC in their organisations, and assist us by collating and reporting such activity and impact in partnership with us.
Public and community involvement
Public contributors and community partners with VCFSEs in support as required to promote inclusion, are valued as equal collaborators.
We aim to:
• Routinely include partner experts and public contributors in grant applications, outputs and publications
• Invest in public contributor growth, community capacity-building, and VCFSE partnerships
• Address gaps in involvement through active recruitment and support rather than lowering expectations
