UK Clinical Research Inclusion Group
The UK Clinical Research Inclusion Group was established by the UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme to coordinate work to support greater access to, and inclusion in, clinical research.
Overview
Every year thousands of people across the UK take part in health and social care research. Their involvement makes it possible to trial new treatments, devices and care approaches, helping to shape a healthier future for everyone.
To help make informed decisions from the results of a trial, the number of participants involved is important, as is who takes part.
We know that more needs to be done to increase the diversity of people who take part in research relevant to them in the UK.
In 2025 ABPI and AMRC published a joint report which highlighted that only 36% of adults from an ethnic minority background invited to participate in a clinical trial had done so, compared to 44% of white adults.
The report called for the development of a cross-sector UK-wide strategy and roadmap to improve access to, and inclusion in, clinical trials.
Another report by the ABPI in 2025 on UK industry clinical trial numbers noted that if the UK can enable representative trials, this could be a unique selling point for the UK, with its relatively diverse population and NHS single health care provider. And that steps to widen the pool of patients who take part in research would serve to boost the total numbers of participants recruited into trials, which in turn will support the UK’s goal, outlined in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, to quadruple commercial trial participant recruitment by 2029.
The UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme is well positioned to lead this work to support greater representation in, and access to, clinical research and has established the UK Clinical Research Inclusion Group to co-ordinate work to make improvements across the sector.
Workstreams
UK Clinical Research Inclusion Group
The group will help deliver one of the UKCRD programme aims to ‘reduce inequalities through research inclusion towards a fairer Britain’.
The group will:
- identify areas of work that need to be prioritised
- develop a UK-wide roadmap of key actions that the sector can take to make improvements
- agree a timeline and milestones to implement the roadmap actions and monitor progress
- ensure that information is visible and shared across the sector
The group has agreed to identify actions it will take forward under 7 areas.
- Requirements and expectations
- Trial participation and access
- Workforce diversity
- Data
- Community engagement
- Sharing best practice and learning
As a first step, it has collated key activities already happening in the UK related to inclusion and diversity under these areas.
Ongoing work
Click on a heading to expand
1. Requirements and expectations
Research inclusion as a condition of NIHR funding
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
A requirement introduced in Nov 2024 where applicants need to demonstrate how inclusion is being built into all stages of the research lifecycle.
NIHR sex and gender in research policy was launched in November 2025.
Inclusion and Diversity expectation for CSO-funded research
Chief Scientist Office (CSO) – Scotland
For both of CSO’s funding committees (Translational Clinical Studies Research Committee and Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee), applicants are asked to consider inclusion and diversity in design and apply relevant guidance
Guidance for developing an Inclusion and Diversity Plan
HRA, MHRA
Guidance to support researchers and sponsors to consider and demonstrate how they will include a diverse range of people that is relevant for their trial.
HRA has completed a pilot, where clinical trial sponsors volunteered to develop an Inclusion and Diversity Plan and submit this as part of their application for review by a Research Ethics Committee. This pilot is now being evaluated.
Public statement of support to improve how research accounts for sex and gender dimensions
MESSAGE project (32 signatories)
Signatory organisations stating their commitment to improved integration of sex and gender in biomedical, health and care research.
Statement of intent: Integrating older age into health and care research
NIHR (43 signatories)
Signatory organisations stating their commitment to actively supporting the inclusion of older adults in research, particularly where health conditions have a particular impact on this group.
Joint statement on strengthening clinical trials
WHO (13 signatory research funders including NIHR and Wellcome Trust)
Signatory funders committing to implement WHO standards to strengthen clinical trial systems as outlined in Guidance for best practice for clinical trials including ensuring representative trial populations.
2. Trial participation and access
Be Part of Research (BPoR)
NIHR Research Delivery Network
A research participation service with the overarching aim to recruit, retain and engage representative volunteers
SHARE Register
CSO Scotland
SHARE – the Scottish Health Research Register and Biobank – is an expanding research register and biobank of over 300,000 people in Scotland aged 11 years and older who have agreed to automated rapid searching of their linked medical records to match them to studies and to be contacted about participation in studies.
Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) and CRDC Network
NIHR
CRDCs were established to enhance the speed and efficiency of commercial clinical research delivery in the UK. A key part of their remit is to increase participant recruitment and retention by expanding clinical trials beyond large hospital trusts and into community settings and underserved regions.
The Network will provide strategic co-ordination across the 21 CRDCs.
Primary Care Commercial Research Delivery Centres (PC-CRDCs)
NIHR
Established to boost commercial research capability in primacy care organisations. One of the aims is to contribute to research inclusion.
UKCRD ‘right setting right research’ initiative
DHSC
Initiative to:
- ensure that research is delivered in the most appropriate environment for the study design.
- build research delivery capacity in primary and community care settings allowing more patients to get involved in research where they access care.
R&D Forum wider health and care and community working group
R&D Forum
A group established to provide peer support, share best practice and solutions, and to form a united voice to advocate where helpful adjustments could be implemented by partners, for those involved in NIHR portfolio research outside of NHS settings
Using health information to let patients know about research options: legal, policy and ethical issues
DHSC
DHSC commissioned HRA report on establishing a common approach to contacting patients about research.
3. Workforce diversity
UK Research Workforce Strategy
DHSC
Strategy being developed to complement the NHS 10-Year Workforce Plan
4. Data
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Health and Care Research pilot
DHSC
A pilot to link data about participants in NIHR-funded research studies, using NHS numbers, with some of the data about them that is held in the NHS (age, gender and postcode). It will generate anonymised, group-level information. No individual will be identified by this work.
UK Health Data Research Alliance diversity in data working group
UK Health Data Research Alliance
Working group brought together to make recommendations on ethnicity coding standards – see this Nature Medicine article.
5. Community engagement
Research Engagement Network (REN) programme
NHS England
Funding provided to ICBs in England with the aim to increase diversity in research participation through the development of research engagement networks with communities who are often underserved by research.
Health and Care Research Wales – Centre for Research Equity partnership
Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW)
HCRW launched a partnership with Centre for Research Equity (Oxford) to help build trust and improve access across underrepresented and rural communities. This partnership is explicitly about community inclusion and elevating marginalised voices.
BPoR launch campaign
NIHR
A five-week campaign that ran in summer 2025 to increase the number of people signed up to BPoR and increase the proportion of registered volunteers from under-represented demographics.
Research dissemination expectation in CSO SLAs with Scottish NHS Health Boards
CSO
CSO allocates funding to Scottish NHS Health Boards on an annual basis for research infrastructure and support. This funding is allocated via Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These SLAs contain provisions outlining that Health Boards are expected to consider how to best disseminate and communicate material arising from research funded through these agreements; supporting research transparency and making research findings accessible.
6. Sharing best practice and learning
NIHR Learn Research Inclusion Toolkit Hub
NIHR
A hub within NIHR Learn providing a range of guidance for research teams on making research more inclusive
People-centred research hub
ABPI
A hub providing ABPI member case studies and tools and resources on people-centred research.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Resource Hub
AMRC
A hub providing a range of resources to support equality, diversity and inclusion
READI (Research in Europe and Diversity and Inclusion) project
READI consortium
A project funded by the Horizon Europe Innovative Health Initiative to address inequalities in clinical research ecosystem in Europe. It has 80 partners including MHRA and NICE
There are seven work packages, one of which is to develop guidance, tools, and frameworks to support inclusive study design, conduct, analysis, and reporting.
Membership
- UK Clinical Research Inclusion Group membership
- The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC)
- The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
- Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Health and Care Research Wales
- Health Research Authority
- Health and Social Care Northern Ireland
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
- National Institute of Health and Care Research
- NHS England
- UKRD Leaders
- UK Clinical Research Collaboration Clinical Trial Unit Network
- UK Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) Network