Leaders from Oxford’s u niversities and NHS trusts met on 2nd March 2026 to explore how the Oxford Joint Research Office (JRO) can become faster, more effective, and better positioned to support world-leading clinical research.
The workshop, hosted by Oxford Academic Health Partners (OAHP) at Wolfson College, brought together around 40 representatives from across the partnership, spanning Oxford Brookes University, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Oxford, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Oxford and Thames Valley. The JRO aims to facilitate the delivery of the partners’ joint health research – and research involving external organisations – through efficient and effective collaborative working for wider societal benefit.
The day focused on how Oxford can consistently meet the UK government’s ambition of reducing the time required to set up clinical trials to 150 days (from a current UK average of more than 250 days). Achieving this target is seen as critical to maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness in life sciences and, in a local context, strengthening Oxford’s position as a destination of choice for commercial and academic research partners.
Opening the workshop, Professor Keith Channon, Director of OAHP and Head of the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford, highlighted the significance of the JRO within the Oxford research ecosystem. He said: “The JRO is one of the initiatives we can be most proud of here in Oxford. It’s a real flagship and pioneer, and I know that other parts of the country look to us for inspiration. But as the research landscape has become more complex, expectations have risen and the pace at which we must work has accelerated. We are meeting today not only because we want to do things better, but because we need to do things differently.”
Workshop participants began by mapping the current clinical trial set-up process across the partnership, identifying points of strength and areas where improvements could be made. Attendees highlighted Oxford’s deep expertise, collaborative research culture, and strong ecosystem of clinical and academic partners as key advantages.
A number of shared challenges were also identified, including duplication of work across organisations, complex governance and contracting processes, and a culture that can favour caution over proportionate risk-taking. Participants also heard that commercial partners perceive the system as too slow, reinforcing the need for change.
Through a series of interactive breakout sessions, attendees explored three core themes: streamlining governance processes, aligning the partnership’s ‘front door’ for research enquiries, and strengthening operational synergy across organisations. Each group was tasked with identifying practical actions that could help accelerate trial set-up to meet the UK Government’s 150-day target while maintaining the high standards of governance and patient safety that underpin clinical research.
Among the ideas explored were the creation of a digital hub for research enquiries, clearer wayfinding and guidance for researchers and trial sponsors navigating the Oxford system, and greater use of standardised processes and documentation to reduce duplication.
By the end of the workshop, participants had collectively identified nine priority actions to take forward. The highest impact priorities included agreeing a joint approach to risk, building greater cohesion across organisations, introducing an early triage process for studies, and developing more standardised approaches and best practices.
Reflecting on the discussions, Professor Channon said: “What has been really clear today is the importance of working together towards a shared mission and vision. From that shared understanding of what the JRO is designed to achieve, better processes will follow. I’m confident that we’ll look back on today as a transformative moment in which we defined clear areas of need and identified the biggest opportunities to make a difference.”
Dr Harriet Teare, OAHP’s Chief Operating Officer, is overseeing the partnership’s transformation programme. She added: “We have secured strategic funding through the NIHR South Central Regional Research Delivery Network to support a focused effort over the next six months. This will help us move from discussion to delivery, looking at areas such as system oversight, risk-proportionate approaches, prioritisation, and partnership agreements. Communication both internally and externally will also be crucial as we work together to pilot changes, learn what works and keep improving.”
Next steps from the workshop include the development of a consolidated action plan and the creation of a cross-partner oversight group to drive delivery. Progress will be reviewed after 90 days to ensure the JRO remains on track to improve performance and consistently meet the 150-day clinical trial set-up target.