The Integrated Care System Research-Practice Network is a collective of researchers and those in the health and care sector interested in care systems and related research. Each year, we hold two remote events in addition to our annual in-person meeting. Our aims are to pool knowledge, forge connections between research and practice and foster research that addresses the questions to which the sector needs answers. Each meeting involves presentations from expert speakers as well as chances for participants to share news and insights, hear updates on network projects and shape our next steps.

 

This online session will introduce members of the Integrated Care Systems Research‑Practice Network to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) 2 programme, highlighting its role in delivering high‑quality applied health and care research that responds to the priority needs of local populations and health systems. NIHR ARCs work in partnership with universities, NHS organisations, local authorities, and voluntary and community sectors to generate timely, usable evidence and accelerate the implementation of effective interventions. The session will be supported by Professor Mark Gabbay, Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast, a General Practitioner and applied health researcher whose work spans primary care, mental health, health inequalities, long‑term conditions and community‑focused research impact. This workshop will offer network members an opportunity to deepen their understanding of how ARC2 research, collaborations, and implementation pathways can support ICS priorities, including prevention, improving outcomes, and reducing health inequalities, while fostering stronger links between academic expertise and system‑level challenges.