Research competitiveness is rising across the globe. There is increasing focus on the health and economic impact of research, and National and institutional reputations depend on research being of the highest quality and integrity. We possess world leading expertise to help devise winning research strategies, the platforms and processes that underpin high quality translational research, and ensure that research related risks are mitigated. We are committed to the whole translational process and its acceleration, and recognise the critical importance of talented staff.
Some recent case studies:
1 British Heart Foundation
We have recently completed a project as external strategic adviser to the British Heart Foundation. The BHF is reviewing its strategy for research and innovation with a view to reshaping its funding schemes, rethinking its research focus, bolstering its support of the cardiovascular research community and considering whether to develop a commercial arm. AHS drew on its cardiovascular research expertise to create an expert project team and an international panel to review the project team’s work at key stages. We focussed on the national and international development of successful cardiovascular research, the evolving activities on cardiovascular research charities, the work of non-cvd research charities and emerging science and technology. We then conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with internal BHF stakeholders, including BHF chairs, and external stakeholders, both national and international. We shared the BHF’s emerging strategic thinking to ascertain support and challenge. We relayed a synthesis of our research findings and stakeholder views to the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer and Chief Executive.
Our work was then shared with the wider BHF Executive Team and the Board of Trustees. It was well received. The BHF strategy team is now developing an implementation plan in conjunction with the Chief Medical and Scientific Officer.
2 Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation
In 2023 the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation received a funding bid from the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation Trust and Kings Health Partners to fund the development of a Centre for Experimental Medicine. This followed the loss of NIHR funding for research infrastructure in 2021 when designation as a Biomedical Research Centre was lost. The bid involved very large capital and revenue requests. The Foundation decided it was not competent to assess a research funding application of this type. AHS was engaged to review the submission. Our expert scientific and clinical team reviewed the strategic case for the Centre (ie given the existence of competitors), the scientific merit of the application, the governance proposals, the plans for return on investment and the trajectory for the Foundation to disengage its funding. We assessed the application at several stages to provide the Foundation with robust observations based on evidence and the expert guidance of the AHS team. As a result the application was strengthened and the Foundation could identify conditions for its support. This enabled the application to mature to the point that the Foundation could accept the bid later in 2023.
Other relevant recent work includes:
Oxford Institute for Transitional Research: Strategic development and implementation plan (with Deloitte).
Leiden University Medical Centre and Erasmus Medical Centre: Collaboration strategy
Emerald clinics: Advice to support the creation of adaptive trials platform and "learning health system" international clinics for novel cannabinoid derived medicines.
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