Take part in research

Without people volunteering to take part in research, we would not be able to determine the causes of diseases nor find new and better ways of preventing or treating them.

CUH has a proud history of medical research, and has long been at the forefront of delivering pioneering treatments from the first successful liver transplant in Europe to the development of an artificial pancreas.

If you are interested in taking part in a research study in Cambridge, please have a look at the information below to find a study that is right for you.

Taking part

If you would like to take part in a research study about a particular illness or health condition, you should first ask your doctor or GP who can discuss current research studies or refer you to appropriate trials.

Similarly, the Cambridge Cancer Trials Centre (opens in a new tab) has trials running for many different kinds of cancer, alongside important information about how clinical trials work and why they are important.

You don’t need to have a health condition to take part in clinical trials; some trials need healthy volunteers as well. The NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has studies open (opens in a new tab) for healthy volunteers or you can join the NIHR BioResource (opens in a new tab).

The Be Part of Research (opens in a new tab) website provides easy-to-understand information about clinical research trials running in the UK. You can research for trials taking place in your area or for your condition and also find more information about clinical trials in general.

If there are no trials currently suitable for you to take part in, you can help us by getting involved. We need patients, carers and interested members of the public to get involved in research projects by sharing your thoughts and experiences with us so that we can make research even better.

Patient and public involvement panel

Can you help us make our research better for future patients?

Taking part in clinical trials is not the only way to make a positive impact on research.  We need you to share your experiences, opinions and feelings about our research and to tell us what research questions are really important to you.

Getting involved in this way also gives you a chance to see how research happens ‘behind the scenes’ and meet researchers in person, working together with research teams to make research more relevant and accessible to everyone.  

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (opens in a new tab) (BRC) is located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and is a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals and the University of Cambridge. With over 1,000 research projects currently on-going, researchers need your involvement to let them know what you think of their studies.

How can you get involved? 

PPI members

The NIHR Cambridge BRC has a thriving Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) panel of 80+ volunteers who are interested in research and want to make a difference. They talk about their experiences with researchers, review research plans, join focus groups and help researchers to write and talk about their work in ways that can be understood by everyone.

No prior experience or specialist knowledge is required and we need people of all ages and backgrounds, both with and without experience of health conditions to join the panel. All you need is an interest in medical research and a willingness to share your opinions.

How does it work?

If you would like to join the panel we will ask you for some basic information about yourself and what interests you about medical research. We will then try and match you with studies and opportunities as they become available.

All work will be sent to you electronically and the studies you will receive will depend on the research that is happening at that time. If you choose to participate in focus groups or panel meetings, your travel costs can also be reimbursed. You will not be under any obligation to assist in a study and can withdraw from the panel at any time. It will not affect any treatment you receive here at CUH.

More information about the PPI panel, getting involved and how you can help our researchers is available on the NIHR Cambridge BRC website here (opens in a new tab), or to become a member of the panel you can:

Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource

The IBHO BioResource is a new research programme from the NIHR BioResource (research tissue bank sponsored by CUH) in collaboration with King's College London and Genomics England, focused on improving our knowledge and understanding of health conditions and their unique impacts on UK Black communities.

The team is inviting anyone from a Black community who is 16+ and living in England to join the IBHO BioResource as a research volunteer. For more information on eligibility and what is involved, please visit the NIHR BioResource website (opens in a new tab).

Contact details

Email the patient and public involvement team

Write to us at:
Patient and Public Involvement Team
Box 406
Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Hills Road, Cambridge
CB2 0QQ

Or phone us on: 01223 254620