One NIHR Birmingham Operational Conference brings together regional NIHR teams 

On Monday 16 March 2026, operational leads from across Birmingham’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure came together for the first One NIHR Birmingham Operational Conference, co-hosted by the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Devices, Digital and Robotics.  

The event took place at the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator, at the recently opened Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, and brought together representatives from NIHR-funded centres across the region to strengthen shared working, communication and collaboration.  

With over 40 attendees representing a breadth of NIHR schemes and services, the day provided space for both strategic discussion and practical problem-solving. 

Insights and cross-infrastructure perspectives 

After a welcome address by Dr Deborah Milligan, Deputy Programme Manager at the HRC, the conference was opened by Professor Lorraine Harper, Chair of the NIHR Infrastructure Directors’ Forum and Director of Research Innovation and Health Impact at Birmingham Health Partners, who set out the purpose of the day and provided an overview of the Directors’ strategic themes.  

“Our collective work has a real impact on the health and wealth of the nation – from delivering savings for the NHS to driving innovation with industry partners”, Lorraine said. “Today is about working together, working smarter, and moving forward as one NIHR community. The research landscape is becoming more challenging, and we need to show that together we can achieve more with less. By working more closely, we can do more, and we can do better.” 

This was followed by a rapid round of introductions from each infrastructure, giving all attendees a high-level view of who is working across Birmingham and what their programmes deliver. 

Building a connected NIHR community 

A series of focused updates then showcased ongoing cross-infrastructure work. 

Dr Lucy Oakey, Programme Manager for the Public Health RESearch for Health Consortium (PHRESH) and Operations Manager coordinating public involvement practitioners at the University of Birmingham’s College of Medicine and Health, highlighted the value of shared approaches and streamlining public involvement activities via the Birmingham Public Involvement Hub, which was established last year to support all Birmingham Health Partners member organisations.  

“Thanks to functional coordination across teams, shared resources and best practice, and joined up communications channels, the Hub has reduced duplication, ensured a consistent high-quality experience for public members and researchers, and maximised the impact of public involvement work across all the organisations under the Birmingham Health Partners umbrella”, explained Lucy. 

Laura Forty, Communications Manager at the University of Birmingham’s College of Medicine and Health, and Iona Gregory, University of Birmingham Graduate Management Trainee, presented about the ongoing work to maximise the impact of communications activities across NIHR schemes and services – including developing unified communication channels and opportunities for infrastructures to share and amplify outputs.  

Next up, a panel including Dr Lucy Oakey, Laura Forty, Dr Eliot Marston (Deputy Director of Operations (Research) at the University of Birmingham’s College of Medicine and Health), Dr Victoria Day (Head of Infrastructure at the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre), Dr Ameeta Retzer (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for a range of NIHR infrastructures) and led by Dr Deborah Milligan explored how Birmingham’s NIHR infrastructures can strengthen connections, improve information pathways and support effective collaboration.  

The conversation reflected a strong desire for consistency, shared priorities and more visible communication routes between teams.

Identifying opportunities and challenges 

The afternoon was dedicated to a structured workshop involving all attendees, and aimed at informing future collaborative activity. 

Facilitated group discussions explored workforce training and development needs, challenges in working with external collaborators, positive process changes within infrastructures that could benefit others, and what attendees would like from a regular infrastructure-wide meeting. 

The workshop captured a wide range of insights across recurring themes: 

• Improved communication channels and clearer information flow 

• More purposeful, well-structured meetings 

• Better induction support and orientation across infrastructures 

• Shared resources, templates and best practice examples 

• Stronger strategic alignment across NIHR groups  

Dr Victoria Day, Head of Infrastructure at the NIHR Birmingham BRC, said: 

“It was inspiring to see so many operational professionals from across Birmingham’s NIHR infrastructures in one room. The energy and openness on the day showed just how much appetite there is to work more closely together. By sharing challenges, successes and practical ideas, we can build a more connected and efficient research environment that ultimately benefits researchers, clinicians and patients across our region.” 

Dr Deborah Milligan, Deputy Programme Manager at the NIHR HRC in Devices, Digital and Robotics, said: 

“We were delighted to cohost this first One NIHR event for Birmingham. The discussions highlighted just how much expertise and innovation sits within our operational teams, and the workshop gave us valuable insight into what people need to collaborate more effectively. This conference emphasised the value of working together and how the collaborative landscape in Birmingham will continue to support the delivery of impactful, NIHR-funded research in our region.”