National Surgical Research Support Centre

The RCSI National Surgical Research Support Centre (NSRSC) was set up to establish an all-island Irish surgical trial network to enhance the collaboration and coordination of surgical research and trial activity in Ireland.

Our aim is to encourage and facilitate surgical trials and research to embed a culture of research in clinical practice, while establishing a trial portfolio to generate high-quality evidence to inform policy and set professional standards and guidelines for Irish surgery to improve patient outcomes.

The NSRSC provides every patient access to high quality surgical trials and innovative cutting-edge technology across the island of Ireland. We provide training and education to surgical trainees to produce the next generation of academic leaders in surgery and showcase surgical trial activity to establish Ireland as an attractive place to conduct innovative surgical trials. 

Our key missions include:

  • Improving the collaboration and coordination of surgical research in Ireland
  • Training and producing the next generation of academic leaders in surgery
  • Providing every patient access to high-quality surgical trials
  • Being internationally recognised as an innovative place to do surgical trials

Group of surgeons at operation in operating room at hospital

Supports we provide

The NSRSC acts as a point of contact, local sponsor and trial coordinating centre for investigators and international sponsors who would like to open trials here in Ireland. We offer access to a wide network of surgeons, surgical trainees, allied healthcare professionals and scientists participating in surgical research.

In terms of surgical research, we support trials across all surgical specialities and thematic areas. Currently, we support multi-centre investigator-led randomised controlled trials across a range of areas including diabetic foot disease, appendicitis, bariatric surgery, wound healing devices, varicose vein surgery, cancer, orthopaedics and chronic subdural haematoma.

One key area of focus is on infection prevention in patients undergoing a variety of surgical procedures. The network also supports and coordinates international collaborative surgical trials, pilot/feasibility studies, observational and non-interventional research studies.

Funding

Open calls

A key objective of the RCSI-National Surgical Research Support Centre is to develop a portfolio of multicentre surgical trials in Ireland. As part of this initiative we want to offer patients in Ireland the opportunity to partake in international surgical trials.

For this call the NSRSC aims to support the participation of Irish sites in an existing international collaborative surgical trial.Applications are encouraged from all surgical disciplines.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the NSRSC to discuss their proposal in advance of submitting an application. Applicants should submit the application form and any relevant trial documentation to NSRSC@rcsi.ie.

Calls currently closed

The Surgical Trial Embark Award aims to encourage trainee and early career surgeons to conduct surgical research and trials so that it becomes an integral component of their career. Applications for this award are encouraged from all surgical disciplines.

Minimum eligibility criteria:

  • Participating sites must have a consultant principal investigator and named trainee investigator(s)
  • Minimum of one named surgical trainee per site committed to participant recruitment, consent and data collection
  • Feasibility studies – either stand alone or embedded as part of the trial are recommended
  • You should provide systematic evidence to support the need for a trial of your specific intervention i.e. a systematic review comprising systematic identification of previous work, critical appraisal, evidence synthesis, interpretation of findings. Simple narrative reviews are not sufficient. The trial should be innovative and not simply a repeat of a trial previously conducted, unless justification is provided.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the NSRSC to discuss their proposal in advance of submitting an application.

Note: Applications for the Surgical Trial Embark Award are now closed. Please email NSRSC@rcsi.ie if you have any queries.

The NSRSC are offering three Travel Bursary Awards to surgical trainees to participate in the BOASTiC course this 13-15 September 2023, each to the value of €750.

BOASTiC is a three-day surgical trials training event for trainees of all surgical specialities, it is highly regarded and run by the Bristol, Oxford and Aberdeen Surgical Trials Units. Students work collaboratively to learn how to design and conduct randomised controlled trials in surgery.

To apply, register for the course on the BOASTiC website.

Limited numbers of places available so register now. For queries contact us at NSRSC@rcsi.ie.

Trials

We are supporting surgeons undertaking feasibility trials with the potential to progress to evaluation through a full definitive trial. The purpose of a feasibility trial is to ask if something can be done, if it is necessary and should proceed and if so, how.

Investigators receive supports such as trial set-up, training, trial coordination and data analysis.

Trial title Chief investigator Trainee investigator Centres Trial summary
Propel-2 Claire Donohoe (SJH) Noel Donlon 13 Prevention of surgical site infection in patients undergoing laparotomy
Envelop Sean T. Martin (SVUH) Éanna J. Ryan 10 Wound care management for pilonidal sinus disease
TapBlock Arnold Hill (BH) Sami Abd Elwahab, Achille Mastrosimone 3 Pain relief management during surgery for acute appendicitis
Pinta Stewart Walsh (UHG) Megan Foley 8 Prevention of surgical site infection in patients undergoing major limb amputations
Embolisation MMAE Mohsen Javadpour (BH) Jack Henry 1 Middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolisation for chronic subdural haematoma
MetaMet Stewart Walsh (UHG) Megan Foley 1 Comparing amputation techniques for irretrievable diabetic foot infection
The Oat Trial Helen Heneghan (SVUH) Czara Kennedy 3 Assessing deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms in patients with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery
Heats Stewart Walsh (UHG) Nathalie Doolan 1 Improvement of successful cannulation to reduce pain for varicose vein surgery

We want to offer patients in Ireland the opportunity to partake in international surgical trials and research.

For Irish investigators who want to join existing international surgical trials, the RCSI NSRSC can provide local sponsorship and national trial coordination to open these trials in Ireland.

Trial title Principal investigator (IRL) International collaborators Irish centres Trial summary
ML-UTUC Louise McLoughlin (SJH) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada 12 Investigating the application of machine learning to improve diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma 
SAFE Ronan Kelly, Gráinne Keenan (UHG) Population Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada 3 Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation efficacy trial
ANTEC Prof Aoife Lowery (UHG) Royal Derby Hospital, UK 10 Axillary management in cT1-3N1M0 breast cancer patients with needle biopsy

We aim to encourage trainee and early career surgeons to conduct surgical research and trials so that it becomes an integral component of their career.

The Surgical Trial Embark Award provides support to trainee and early career surgeons to conduct their own investigator-led trial.

Trial title  Chief investigator  Trainee investigator  Centres  Trial summary 
ACHILLS James Walsh (Beaumont) Ramy Elkady Ireland (3) Application of cerament in heel infection for lower limb salvage
SARONG-II Jessie Elliott (SJH/TCD) Nicola Raftery Ireland (4), Sweden (5), Norway (4), Germany (1)
 Intensive surveillance vs standard postoperative follow-up in patients undergoing surgical resection for oesophageal and gastric cancer

Get in touch

If you are interested in getting involved in a surgical trial, please contact us to see how we can support you.

Email: NSRSC@rcsi.ie

Contact