1. AcoRD Implementation
Amber O’Malley, CRN Funding and Contracts Manager &
AcoRD Business Lead

2. AcoRD Implementation
The NIHR Clinical Research Network is leading a pilot exercise during 2014 to support implementation of AcoRD guidance.
Work undertaken in partnership with Department of Health (DH) the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Tools and services to be piloted:
Activity Capture and Attribution Template (ACAT) and;
Pre-application support service and an ACAT Review
New tool and services designed to help researchers and funders identify and attribute the activities appropriately in research studies.

3. AcoRD Implementation
Pilot exercise to start in January 2014 and conclude in the autumn of 2014.
Range of funders participating from AMRC charities and NIHR programmes
Evaluation and recommendations to DH late 2014.

4. Annex A Part A and Part B Part A costs - met by all grant funders
Part B costs - DH will meet the costs for some specific research activities:
where the funder is a medical research charity and member of AMRC who also has NIHR non-commercial Partner status and
the activity is undertaken by existing staff employed by the NHS, NIHR CRN or other organisations funded by the NHS to provide patient care services.

5. Annex A Part B
1) NIHR CRN has identified research cost activities that are funded by DH and provided by the NIHR CRN for all NIHR portfolio studies
Applicants are not required to include these activities and tasks in their funding applications.
2) NIHR CRN has identified research cost activities under Annex A, Part B
Activities are in addition to the NHS Support Cost activities provided by the NIHR CRN.
Meeting these costs:
Department of Health Trust RCF allocation
through NIHR CRN providing the activities
Further information in DH FAQs Q42 (updated November 2013)

6. Attribution of Secondary Care Pharmacy activities in relation to Clinical Trial Management
Identification of Secondary Care Pharmacy tasks in relation to Clinical Trial Management
Attribution of these activities as either Research (Part A or B), Support or Treatment in line with AcoRD.
Further information in DH FAQs Q43 (updated November 2013)

7. Policy on AMRC minority funding
Studies eligible for NIHR Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) support (and therefore included on the NIHR CRN Portfolio), which receive funding from an AMRC member who is also an NIHR non-commercial Partner, are eligible for Annex A, Part B support at all study sites.
One of the contributors to the study must be an AMRC member who is an NIHR non-commercial Partner at the time the original grant is awarded.

8. Activity Capture and Attribution Template (ACAT)
Designed to support researchers to apply the AcoRD guidance to identify and attribute correctly the activities being undertaken as part of a research study.
Produce estimated costs of study activities, to give an indication of the resources required to deliver the study.
Researchers submitting applications to AMRC/NIHR funders participating in the AcoRD pilot to complete an ACAT, where the lead is in England.
Designed to be part of the grant application form.

9. Pre-application Support Service
Provision of a pre-application support service to researchers, upon request, for automatically eligible NIHR CRN Portfolio studies with any level of funding from an AMRC member (which is an NIHR non-commercial Partner)
Service offering includes:
Assisting researchers to use and independently complete the ACAT by providing expertise and knowledge on the principles of attribution and the attribution process
Providing specialist advice to researchers on the CRN related AcoRD implementation processes i.e. pre application support service, completion of the ACAT and the ACAT Review service.

10. Pre-application Support Service
During the AcoRD pilot:
NIHR CRN will provide local management and delivery of service for researchers submitting applications to AMRC funders participating in the AcoRD pilot
NIHR funders will provide this service to researchers submitting applications to NIHR programmes participating in the AcoRD pilot
Other organisations e.g. CTUs, RDSs may also be able to provide support

11. ACAT Review
The NIHR CRN will complete an ACAT Review for AMRC funded studies to ensure:
The accuracy of the attribution of activities outlined in the ACAT and that they follow the principles of the AcoRD guidance
That the suggested resource allocation within the ACAT is appropriate.
For NIHR funded studies this review will be undertaken by the Central Commissioning Facility (CCF) or the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) for NIHR funded studies.

12. UK wide working Studies led in Wales
Welsh researchers are included in the AcoRD pilot and will therefore be required to use the ACAT as part of their applications submitted to participating funders.
Pre-application support and the formal review process for Welsh led studies will be undertaken centrally by the NISCHR AHSC Contract and Costing Service.
For more information and contact details, please visit the following link:

13. UK wide working Studies led in Scotland
Researchers based in Scotland are exempt from the ACAT pilot.
NHS Research Scotland is developing its own costing system which will provide similar information to the ACAT.

14. Learning Resources E-learning attribution tool ACAT tutorial
DH/CRN slide set
ACAT Briefing sessions will be run monthly from January 2014 for various audiences – further details will be available on the NIHR CRN website at:
and then clicking on the AcoRD link

15. Further information
Please contact the NIHR CRN CC if you have any queries