Research and Innovation at MIMP

Welcome

The Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network (GM IRN) is an NIHR-funded collaboration led by Manchester Integrative Medical Practice (MIMP) to expand equitable access to health research across Greater Manchester.

Our ambition is simple: to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in – and benefit from – research and innovation, regardless of who they are or where they live.

We work with GP practices, NHS organisations, universities, industry and local communities to make research more inclusive, more representative and more relevant to the people it is designed to benefit.

By embedding research within neighbourhoods and trusted primary care services, we aim to reduce health inequalities, improve patient outcomes and accelerate innovation across the NHS.

80+ GP practices | 750,000+ patients | NIHR funded | Neighbourhood-based research

Why Primary Care? Why GM IRN?

Despite major advances in healthcare, many communities remain under-represented in health research. GP practices serving populations with the greatest health needs often face significant barriers to becoming research-active, while patients may encounter language, cultural or practical barriers that limit opportunities to participate.

Yet most healthcare takes place in general practice. Primary care offers trusted relationships, continuity of care and access to communities that have historically been under-represented in research. If research is to improve healthcare for everyone, it must reflect the people who use NHS services every day.

The Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network (GM IRN) was established to address this challenge. Led by Manchester Integrative Medical Practice, GM IRN brings together GP practices, researchers, NHS organisations, industry and local communities to co-design and deliver research that is more inclusive, more representative and more relevant to the populations it aims to serve.

By embedding research within neighbourhoods and supporting practices to become research-active, we are widening access to research opportunities, generating evidence that better reflects real-world populations, and helping ensure that the communities who stand to benefit most from research and innovation are no longer the last to access it.

Why Manchester Integrative Medical Practice

Manchester Integrative Medical Practice (MIMP) is an award-winning, research-active GP practice with a long-standing commitment to reducing health inequalities through innovation, prevention and research.

For many years we have developed new ways of improving access to healthcare for our local community. These include enhanced NHS Health Checks to support earlier diagnosis, protected appointments for vulnerable patients, after-school clinics for children, integrated health workers addressing wider social needs, and close partnerships with neighbourhood teams to improve uptake of cancer screening and vaccinations.

We are also early adopters of new NHS treatments and digital health technologies, ensuring our patients benefit from the latest advances in healthcare while maintaining patient safety as our highest priority.

Since becoming research-active in 2017, MIMP has offered patients opportunities to participate in research across cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory medicine, cancer, mental health and women’s health.

Today, we are proud to be Greater Manchester’s leading recruiting GP practice for patients from highly deprived and ethnically diverse communities.

In recognition of this work, MIMP secured competitive NIHR funding in 2025 to establish the Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network. In 2026 we were awarded further funding to establish the Manchester Inclusive Research Hub.

What We Do

Our work centres around three complementary areas.

Consultancy

We work with commercial and non-commercial researchers to design more inclusive studies that address health inequalities and improve patient outcomes.

Our expertise spans the entire research lifecycle—from developing research questions and study design through to participant recruitment, implementation, evaluation and dissemination.

We also support innovators and health technology companies to ensure emerging technologies are accessible and usable for diverse populations.

Collaboration

We bring together GP practices, universities, NHS organisations, industry, voluntary organisations and local communities to create meaningful partnerships that strengthen research across Greater Manchester.

By working together, we improve opportunities for patients to participate in research while supporting studies that are relevant to everyday clinical practice.

Capacity Building

We help practices serving traditionally under-represented communities become research-active through mentorship, shared resources, education and collaborative delivery models.

We are committed to developing the next generation of GP researchers through innovative education and training. In partnership with the University of Manchester, NHS England North West and the NIHR School for Primary Care Research, we have established GP Integrated Training Posts (GP ITPs) in Inclusive Research. These pioneering posts combine clinical practice in underserved communities with protected academic time, enabling trainees to co-design, deliver and evaluate research that addresses the needs of the populations they serve.

Manchester Inclusive Research Hub

Building on the success of GM IRN, the Manchester Inclusive Research Hub is an innovative neighbourhood-based research delivery model funded by the NIHR Research Delivery Network.

Working with practices serving almost 100,000 patients across Ardwick and Longsight, the Hub supports both commercial and non-commercial research while widening opportunities for communities traditionally under-represented in research.

The Hub combines research delivery with community engagement, Health & Research Champions and close collaboration between primary care, academia and industry to create a sustainable model for inclusive research. Further information here

Our Impact

Since launching in 2025, GM IRN has:

  • Expanded to 80+ GP practices serving over 750,000 patients
  • Supported previously research-naïve practices to become research-active
  • Increased participation from underserved communities
  • Contributed to recruitment into NIHR portfolio studies
  • Supported collaborative research grant applications worth more than £6 million (with more in progress)
  • Established new partnerships across Greater Manchester’s research infrastructure
  • Pioneered the development of GP Integrated Training Posts in Inclusive Research
  • Developed an innovative neighbourhood-based research delivery model

GM IRN News

  • July 2026: Manchester Family Wellbeing Festival launched to bring together community health, prevention and research. See our reel above. Read more here: Manchester Family Wellbeing Festival
  • June 2026: Publication describing the development and early implementation of the Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network. https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7614
  • April 2026: Further NIHR Strategic Research Funding awarded to establish the Manchester Inclusive Research Hub.
  • March 2026: NIHR Capital Funding secured to develop a dedicated Primary Care Research Unit at Manchester Integrative Medical Practice. See the NIHR press release.
  • January 2026: Over 115 colleagues attended the inaugural GM IRN GP & Researcher Collaboration Event.

GM IRN Team

Leadership

Dr Maria Ahmed Drake

Founder and Director, Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network

GP Partner, GP Trainer and Research & Innovation Lead at Manchester Integrative Medical Practice.

Maria founded GM IRN to improve equitable access to research for communities traditionally under-represented in health research. She has extensive experience leading commercial and non-commercial primary care research and has secured NIHR funding to establish both the Greater Manchester Inclusive Research Network and the Manchester Inclusive Research Hub.

Her national roles include membership of the NICE Suspected Cancer Guideline Committee and the NIHR Predoctoral Award Funding Committee.

Professor Peter Bower

Professor of Health Services Research

Director, Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester

Peter is an NIHR Senior Investigator and internationally recognised primary care researcher whose work focuses on multimorbidity, mental health, health service innovation and improving recruitment to primary care research.

GM IRN Advisory Group

We are proud to work with colleagues across the North West who are committed to enhance opportunities in research for people from deprived communities:

  • Dr Almas Agha – GP Lead for CVRM & Commercial Research
  • Ms Millie Ashurst – Research Physician Associate, Manchester Inclusive Research Hub
  • Prof Tom Blakeman – Co-Lead Integrated Academic Training, The University of Manchester
  • Dr Randa Elamin – GP Lead for Refugees and Asylum Seekers Research
  • Prof Darren Green – Consultant Renal Medicine and Clinical Lead for the Northern Care Alliance Research Collection
  • Ms Kate Johnson – Research Coordinator, Manchester Inclusive Research Hub
  • Dr Konstantinos Kamposioras – Consultant in Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dr Jung Yin Tsang – GP Research Fellow, The University of Manchester
  • Supported by Dr Faizan Ahmed, Senior Partner and Ms Mandy Bruder, Practice Manager at MIMP

Work with us

GP Practices

Interested in becoming research-active?

Join a growing network of practices committed to improving health through inclusive research.

Join the GM IRN

Researchers

We support commercial and non-commercial researchers to design and deliver studies that reach diverse communities and generate meaningful real-world evidence.

Discuss your project

Industry & Innovators

Partner with us to develop, evaluate and deliver innovative technologies and treatments within diverse primary care populations.

Contact our team

Community Organisations

We believe communities are partners in research.

If you would like to work with us to improve health and widen opportunities for local people to take part in research, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact our team

Research at Manchester Integrative Medical Practice

Manchester Integrative Medical Practice has been a research-active GP practice since 2017, recruiting more than 500 patients into commercial and non-commercial research studies.

Our dedicated research team delivers studies across cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory medicine, cancer, women’s health, mental health and digital health, supported by purpose-built NHS facilities, experienced multidisciplinary staff and NIHR infrastructure.

We are proud to offer patients opportunities to contribute to research that is shaping the future of NHS care while ensuring participation is always voluntary, informed and centred on patient wellbeing.

Whether you are a GP practice, researcher, commercial partner or community organisation, we would be delighted to discuss opportunities to collaborate.

GM IRN Partners & Collaborators