Our research policies

Our research policies are intended to encourage research activity of the highest quality carried out to the highest standards. We are a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities who audit our processes and policies every 5 years to ensure compliance.

Arthritis is a painful, disabling condition affecting more than 1 in 6 people in the UK and we are dedicated to finding treatments to take the pain away from sufferers so they can live active, longer, happier and healthier lives.

We are committed to increasing our understanding of how arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions develop and how best they should be treated. To achieve this we fund a broad range of medical research, from research in laboratories to research involving human volunteers, from computer modelling to understanding the benefits of self-care programmes for people with arthritis. Where there are no alternatives, we fund medical research which uses animals.

Medical research using animals has made a vital contribution to advances in medicine and surgery which have brought major improvements to the health of people. Research using animals will continue to be essential to tackle many of the unsolved problems in understanding and treating musculoskeletal conditions. The UK has one of the most rigorous systems in the world for regulating animal research.

The UK requires permissions from both central Government and local ethical reviews to conduct research involving animals. As part of this approval process, each medical research project using animals must be examined and ways to improve adoption of the 3Rs are considered. These are:

• Replace the use of animals with alternative research methods and where possible avoid the use of animals altogether.
• Reduce the number of animals used.
• Refine how animal-based experiments are carried out to minimise any suffering and to improve animal welfare.

We are fully committed to these principles and all our research abides by rules set out by the Home Office. Under this system, animals can only be used when there is no alternative. Versus Arthritis is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities and signs up to their position on animal research along with their Concordat on Openness in Animal Research, and as such we have committed to be open and clear about our use of animals in research in our external communications.

What is research involvement? 

Research involvement is where people living with arthritis, or their partners, family members or carers are partners in research activities. This means, working together with a diverse range of people with lived experience of arthritis, to better understand what research is needed for them to live the life they choose.  

Involvement means sharing the decision-making power, and doing things with, rather than to or for people with lived experience. In practice this could look like people living with arthritis setting research priorities, deciding on what research gets funding, delivering the research projects and communicating research findings alongside researchers.  

Why is research involvement important to us?  

Research is improved if people with lived experience help to design and deliver it.  

Involving people in this way means the research is more relevant to the challenges and experiences they live with. It is therefore more likely to encourage people to participate in the projects, and to make a difference to the lives of people living with arthritis in the future.  

All this together can mean that the research will attract more recognition and funding. Not to mention it can be fun and motivating, as well as empowering for people living with arthritis who get involved - some people have described it as part of their self-management journey.   

Our position on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research 

We are committed to making sure that people with lived experience are involved at all stages in the research we fund. We expect our researchers to meaningfully involve people at application and project development stages, and to continue their involvement throughout the project.  We are person-focussed and inclusive in the research we support (you can read our research strategy here).  

We support the UK Standards for Public involvement and the EULAR recommendations for involvement in rheumatology research, and expect that these will be adhered to throughout research projects. Working in partnership with people who have lived experience of arthritis we have developed our Versus Arthritis Good Practice Guidelines for Involvement to share our expectations with our colleagues, health professionals and researchers.  

We want academic institutions to recognise the importance of involvement as a fundamental function in the organisation and support researchers to deliver this.  

Versus Arthritis do not view research involvement as a ‘tick box’ exercise. Involvement is a key element to any research project or department creating equitable and impactful changes to preventing, diagnosing, and treating arthritis. In partnership we strive to ensure that people living with arthritis can live the lives they choose.  

On this page, you can find our management of interest policy (PDF, 68 KB). The purpose of this document is to minimise the potential for conflicts of interest to arise and protects the charity and those who work for it from any perception, real or otherwise, that the external interests and affiliations of members of the Subcommittees of the Charitable Purposes Committee and supporting panels, groups and networks might interfere with their ability to work unbiasedly on behalf of the charity.

Applicability

This policy relates to:

• All areas of business and to all members (permanent and guest) of the Disease, Treatment and Health Subcommittees of the Charitable Purposes Committee, as well as members of ad hoc panels, the college of experts and the patient insight network.
• Research Study Group chairs and members of the study groups.
• The management of conflicts of interests of external written peer reviewers (who are non-Subcommittee members).

Principles of the Industrial Support Policy

• To ensure that Versus Arthritis are aware of collaborations between the researcher and industrial partner.
• There are no unreasonable restrictions to the proposed research.
• The parties involved act with integrity and transparency at all times.
• To ensure that any collaboration will support the aims and objectives of Versus Arthritis and benefit individuals with musculoskeletal conditions.

Applicants are also encouraged to read the guidelines from AMRC (PDF, 385 KB)