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About iPath Research Collaborative

More about iPath Research Collaborative

The iPath Research Collaborative is a support website for Academic Pathology in the UK.

Users of the iPath Research Collaborative will have a digital repository of information which can be private or shared within specialty groups called 'communities'. They will have a weblog which will be able to link to postings in the repository creating a useful forum for collaboration. The website will allow users to join up and create a variety of communities. All postings and other information can have access privileges attached determining who can view them.

Registration is free and is intended for workers in pathology in the UK. Users are encouraged to post details of their interests, work and research goals so that other registered users can share the information and develop collaborations.

It is hoped the iPath Research Collaborative will be a useful tool which will support academic pathology in the UK.

Aims for the Collaborative

The Research Collaborative will be establishing this website during 2008

The Pathological Society and the research sub-committee of the Royal College of Pathologists are supporting the formation of collaborative research and academic networks in the UK. A total of 4 networks are to be established which will cover the UK. These are:

  • Scotland (led by Stuart Fleming)
  • Central and Northern (led by Mohammad Ilyas)
  • South West (including Birmingham and Wales, led by Nasir Lalani)
  • South East (led by Marco Novelli)
The purpose of this collaborative is to stimulate academic and research activity amongst both established researchers and trainees in Academic Pathology. This will be achieved through development of a network infrastructure that will provide: For the researchers

  1. opportunities for collaborative projects through sharing tissue and biological resources
  2. support through sharing technical expertise and resources
  3. opportunities for widening the scope of established projects
  4. increased awareness of the activities of other academics thereby:
  5. preventing duplication of research activity
  6. providing opportunities for collaborative grant applications
  7. access to scientists and international collaborators through the connections of the members of the network

For the trainees

  1. mentoring and support for Pathology trainees with academic interests
  2. support for grant writing
  3. research training through practical courses
  4. research training through didactic lecture courses
  5. research training through undertaking defined projects

This initiative takes cognizance of the fact that multi-centre projects incorporating large data sets are more likely to be funded by grant awarding bodies and adopted by the UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN). Adoption of a study by the UKCRN will in future be essential for access to NHS facilities. In addition, it is acknowledged that many basic science researchers are keen to work with Clinicians in order to translate and validate their work in humans. The establishment of this network will provide a mechanism to scientists to seek out Pathologists for collaborative projects.

This initiative will also seek to address the current lack of opportunity for trainees to engage in research training during their specialist training. Formal research training and opportunities to undertake pilot projects will greatly enhance the chances of successful Fellowship applications for those wishing to follow a career in Academic Pathology. For trainees not committed to an academic career, they will provide an opportunity to get some exposure to research.

The Pathology Research Collaborative: structure of the collaborative

The Collaborative is based around several regional networks, under an initiative chaired by Prof Phil Quirke.

It is anticipated that the collaborative will generally work by allowing researchers to interact through this developing web portal. There will also be 'network activity' in the form of meetings and training courses.