Newcastle University

Professor Elaine McColl has decided to step down as Director of the NIHR Research Design Service North East to concentrate on her role as Director of the Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit. Her colleague Professor Luke Vale will now take on Directorship of the RDS NE.  

Currently Newcastle are preparing to retender for the Research Design Service and this is a natural review and decision point.   Professor Vale has been involved with the RDS  Newcastle hub, wearing his health economics hat, since his arrival in Newcastle in February 2011, and is also an experienced NIHR researcher and funding panel member, so is familiar with the set-up and  ideally placed to take over the Directorship. He will take over as Director for the remaining period of the current contract, and will lead our re-tendering application Professor McColl will remain as a co-applicant and will maintain a small input to the RDS as it goes forward.  

Further details of the service provided by RDS NE may be found at http://www.rds-ne.nihr.ac.uk .  All enquiries regarding the RDS and requests to utilise its services should be directed in the first instance to rds@newcastle.ac.uk