Integrated care boards (ICBs) have statutory responsibilities to facilitate, promote and support research and the use of research evidence for the benefit of their local populations. Increasingly, improving access to research means co-design with patients and the public, and delivery closer to where people live and work. Supporting high-quality, inclusive research and innovation in local primary care, community and wider settings such as schools, care homes, hospices and prisons can help inform and shape solutions to local needs and address health inequalities.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB, Norfolk and Waveney ICB and Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB serve diverse populations in the east and west of England, each providing a specialist research and development function for primary care and community research and working collaboratively wherever possible.

As NHS England expects integrated care systems to maximise the benefits of research, we will consider the potential value of research outside hospitals and closer to people's homes to support ICB priorities and enhance community engagement, experiences and outcomes. We will also discuss how ICBs can work well with system partners to make the most of research based on local assets and opportunities.