How to develop an existing Memorandum of Understanding between Public Health South Tees and Teesside University into a research system for Middlesbrough Council and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council into a Research Ecosystem: Final Report

Background: MCRCBC have significant social and economic issues. Peoples health in the area is worse than England averages. Aim: To explore how the existing MOU between PHST at MCRCBC and TU can be developed further to include other departments to develop a research system that will enable the authorities to become more research active in public health and other areas. Objectives: 1. To examine how the current MOU is being operationalised with PHST and TU. 2. To examine how the existing MOU can be extended to include all departments at MCRCBC by surveying all Heads of Service (HOS), demographically elected Councillors and relevant stakeholders. 3. To investigate more fully key research priorities, capacity issues, commissioning, research needs and barriers and facilitators with three departments at MCRCBC. 4. To ascertain key research priorities, capacity issues, commissioning, research needs and barriers and facilitators from the TU perspective. 5. To work with members of the public and the voluntary sector to make recommendations to develop a PPI group to be involved in future research. 6. To make recommendations for developing the existing MOU to include strategies related to capacity issues, key research priorities and bidding activity. Methods: OBJ 1: (NOV) A focus group (n=10-15) will be held with current members of the MOU Steering Group at both TU and MCRCBC to identify current strategies and plans. OBJ 2: (NOV/DEC) An online survey will be sent to all HOS at MCRCBC, demographically elected Councillors and Managers at the CCG (~n=200) to identify how research evidence is currently obtained, how important evidence is and key research priorities, research needs and barriers and facilitators to carrying out research. A descriptive report will be produced from the results. OBJ 3: (NOV/DEC) Findings from the survey from 3 departments will be interrogated and purposive in-depth online focus groups arranged (Children's Social Care, planning and regeneration) (n=6). OBJ 4: (NOV/DEC/JAN) Purposive telephone/skype interviews of ~ 60 mins will be carried out with TU Associate Deans for Enterprise and Business Engagement and Research and Innovation and research centre leads (n=8-12). A focus group (n=5-10) will be held with lecturers and researchers at TU who have experience of co-production work. OBJ 5: (whole time) We will work with a group of up to 20 members of the public over the duration of the project. They will be identified by existing community groups and via social media. They will meet monthly and will develop recommendations on how we can link into existing community groups and how we can develop a future community group to be involved in the MOU, as well as what expectations of that involvement would be. OBJ 3-5: ANALYSIS (NOV/JAN) Interviews will be transcribed, anonymised and checked. Data will be subjected to framework analysis. Analysis of the likelihood of embedding new ways of working will be informed by Normalization Process Theory. OBJ 6: (JAN) To make recommendations for developing the existing MOU to include key research priorities and bidding activity plans for the next 3 years. IMPACT: This work will contribute to how research is further developed and managed to include other departments between the organisations through the MOU. A plan for improving research capacity in all of MCRCBC and developing collaborative research grants will be developed.