National Core Studies programme
Details about the COVID-19 National Core Studies (NCS) programme.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts and key UK funders of research and development identified鈥痑 number of鈥痑reas where the UK needed to increase鈥痠ts鈥痳esearch scale or infrastructure to respond to key near-term strategic, policy and operational questions regarding COVID-19. As a result, the National Core Studies (NCS) programme was established in 2020 to ensure鈥痗ritical questions can be answered quickly,鈥痑苍诲鈥痶o the best of our capability.
Aim
As our knowledge of COVID-19 is continuously evolving, the aim of the NCS is not to address the entire scope of UK-based COVID-19 research but to focus on the most critical questions for policy making. Therefore, connections with other research programmes funded by science research funding bodies including (but not limited to) , ,鈥痑苍诲 are highly valuable.
Studies
6 National Core Studies were set up and are managed by 8 leads.
Epidemiology and Surveillance
Collecting and analysing data to understand how COVID-19 affects the UK, including the prevalence of COVID-19 in the general population and how it changes over time, and the economic and societal impacts of COVID-19.
Led by Professor Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician, Office for National Statistics.
Transmission and Environment
Understanding transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace, on transport and in public places.
Led by Professor Andrew Curran, Chief Scientific Adviser, Health and Safety Executive.
Clinical Trials Infrastructure
Accelerating large-scale COVID-19 trials for drugs and vaccines.
Led by Professor Patrick Chinnery, Clinical Director, Medical Research Council, and Dr. Divya Chadha Manek, Head of Business Development, Vaccines Taskforce.
Immunity
Understanding immunity against COVID-19 by predicting individual risk, working to protect against infection, preventing reinfection, and preparing for future pandemic challenges.
Led by Professor Paul Moss, Professor of Haematology, University of Birmingham.
Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing
Understanding the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on mental, physical, and economic health.
Led by Professor Nishi Chaturvedi, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, University College London, and Professor Jonathan Sterne, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Bristol Medical School.
Data and Connectivity
Making UK-wide health and administrative data available and accessible to all.
Led by Professor Andrew Morris, Director, Health Data Research UK.
Data-sharing principles
The NCS bring together core assets of the UK data infrastructure in the , the UK鈥檚 portal for data discovery. The NCS work in partnership with stakeholders from across the 4 UK nations to organise medical, biological, and social science data on an unprecedented scale. With over 600 datasets listed, the Gateway enables researchers to search and discover UK health datasets including exclusive datasets not available elsewhere.
The commit the programme to an open, ethical, and transparent approach to using data. Privacy and confidentiality will always be respected, as per legal requirements. It is our ambition that sharing data openly will allow the global scientific community to pool expertise, draw fresh insights, and increase our collective understanding of COVID-19.
Governance
The NCS is directed by an Oversight Committee chaired by Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and has representatives from Scotland, Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. The committee offers expert advice and guidance to each study, provides quality assurance, and conducts rapid reviews of requests for new funding.
Oversight Committee
Members of the Oversight Committee include:
- Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser (Chair)
- Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer鈥赌��
- Professor Dame Ottoline鈥疞eyser, UKRI鈥赌�
- Professor Sir John Bell, Oxford University鈥赌�
- Sir Jeremy Farrar, Wellcome鈥赌�
- Professor Sir Mike Ferguson, University of Dundee鈥赌�
- Professor Dame Anne Johnson, University College London鈥赌�
- Sir Harpal Kumar, Grail鈥�
- Dr Lynda Stuart, Gates Foundation
- Dr Rob Orford, Chief Scientist for Health, Wales
- Professor David Crossman, Chief Scientist for Health, Scotland
- Professor Ian Young, Chief Scientist for Health, Northern Ireland
An international panel provide further insight from a global perspective:
- Professor Margaret Hamburg, Chair, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Professor Gagandeep Kang, Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
- Professor Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine, Hong Kong University
Events
COVID-19 National Core Studies Symposium: Scientific Insights in a Pandemic
The took place on Thursday 24 June 2021. Attended by more than 467 people from 26 countries, the symposium attracted patients, members of the public and colleagues from government, academia, industry, NHS, charities and the media.
Speakers including Patrick Vallance, Fiona Fox, Jeremy Farrar and Ottoline Leyser shared their insights on tackling a pandemic while study leads, senior academics, and front-line research scientists showcased how science has informed the policy and healthcare response to the pandemic both in the UK and internationally.
Outputs
The NCS include many research and research infrastructure projects. HDR UK began publishing a quarterly impact report in January 2022.
Updates to this page
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Added link to HDR UK quarterly report under outputs.
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First published.