Reflections on our first ever Research Assembly

By Katherine Baker, Senior Research and Innovation Manager, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight 

Firstly, a huge thank you! More than 200 people attended the first ever Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Partnership research assembly on 19 November 2025.  

Planting the Seeds

More than a year ago, the idea of hosting a research assembly began to take shape. It was built on a strong foundation of existing work in Hampshire and Isle of Wight and across Wessex, including the Research Engagement Network’s Raising Voices in Research programme, Wessex Health Partners’ Big Conversation, the launch of two Health Determinant Research Collaborations, and the celebration of six years of NIHR ARC Wessex.

6 months of planning

5 integrated care partnership themes

4-hour event

3 place-based talks

2 key notes speakers – patient and national

1 amazing event

How we planned

An event steering group was convened to support the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Research and Partnerships teams. Together, we shaped the event programme, proposed speakers, considered how best to support attendees, and developed a new poster competition to showcase local innovation and impact.

Poster competition

Ahead of the assembly, we launched a system-wide poster competition aligned to the five ICP themes: children and young people, digital and data, good health and proactive care, mental wellbeing, and workforce. We received 55 entries, each offering valuable insights, examples of impact, and ideas for future work. Posters were judged by a diverse panel including researchers, public health specialists, individuals with lived experience, NHS staff, and colleagues from the police and fire and rescue services. All entries were displayed at the event, where attendees were invited to vote for their favourite.

The day arrives

On a characteristically drizzly November afternoon, the assembly opened its doors and welcomed a broad mix of colleagues from across the system. Attendees were able to explore 24 exhibition stands representing NIHR research organisations, NHS Trust R&D teams, voluntary sector partners, and local authorities.

Simon Bryant, Co-Chair of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICP, opened the event and introduced our patient keynote speaker, Lindsay Anderson, who shared her inspiring personal journey into research and the meaningful contributions she now makes. 

Speakers from each of our four places - Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton, and the Isle of Wight - highlighted work underway to engage communities in research and strengthen local involvement.

We were also privileged to welcome Dr Alison Austin, Deputy Director for Embedding Research at NHS England’s Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Transformation Strategy Group. Dr Austin shared insights on national research priorities and the wider impact of the Research Engagement Network (REN).

Dr Austin and Matthew Winnington, Co-Chair of the ICP, announced the seven winners and nine highly commended entries from the poster competition. Matthew closed the event by reflecting on the collective purpose that brings us together: improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

What’s next?

We are excited to share more following the assembly:

• A short video featuring reflections from several of our speakers is available here 
• Winning posters will be showcased on our social media channels and the ICB website over the coming months, giving space to highlight and celebrate the work in more depth.
• We aim to upload all event photographs and poster entries to our website, enabling colleagues to explore the full range of projects and connect with areas of interest.
• In the new year, we will host an open impact session to share event feedback and discuss priorities for next steps. Look out for an invitation soon.

Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to making this inaugural Research Assembly such a success. We look forward to building on this momentum together.

If you want to connect about the assemblies at Hampshire and Isle of Wight please email - hiowicb-hsi.partnerships@nhs.net or on research please email Katherine.baker14@nhs.net.

Poster winners can be viewed here

Winner of the public vote on the day:

Applying the principles of youth work and group activity in supporting young people with clinical Complication of Excess Weight (CEW) submitted by Sarah Shameti

Highly commended for Children & Young People: 

Pressures on 2nd Generation Immigrant Children submitted by Ayesha Chowdhury & Fostering Meaningful Collaborations and Ensuring all Voices are Heard Among Young People with Cancer by Dr Samantha Sodergren 

The winning poster for Children & Young People: 

Youth identified interventions to reduce smoking and vaping harms: peer-led education, trusted adult training and safe vape disposal by Louise Holden, Gareth Spooner, Libby Potter   

Highly commended for Digital and Data: 

A randomized controlled trial to explore the safety and clinical efficacy of a treatment realignment algorithm using data from a digital self-management application for patients with COPD submitted by Sinead Helyar and Improving digital access to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Voices submitted by Daniel Phelps  

The winning poster for Digital and Data: 

Acceptability and self-reported outcomes of using Kooth, a digital mental health service by Roisín Lynch, Dr Louisa Salhi & Emily Hickman   

Highly commended for Good Health & Proactive Care: 

If you miss us, you risk us submitted by Lucy Fitzgerald and Co-designing resources with the community to increase ethnic representation in clinical trials submitted by Liz Allaway 

The winning poster for Good Health & Proactive Care: 

Fear, Frustration, and Failing care: Urgent Hospital Care for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Hampshire by Becky Edwards, Jo Laud, Beth Lyon, Jason Vissers, Dr Sarah Mercr & Dr Natalie Cox   

Highly commended for Mental Wellbeing:  

Distress or depression? Understanding and improving care for mental health problems in general practice submitted by Adam Geraghty and ADHD care no queue just you submitted by Dr Fatima Shahid 

The winning poster for Mental Wellbeing: 

Solving Problems, Transforming Lives: addressing the underlying triggers of mental health crisis by Jon Pritchard & Sue Campbell   

Highly commended for Workforce:  

Empowering general practice nurses to provide person-centred care for patients living with chronic respiratory disease submitted by Kate Lippiett 

The JOINT winning posters for Workforce: REAL: Research, Evaluation, Audit and Literature Review by Dr Rachel Harrison & Jess Mitchell and Embedding research-based decision making at Portsmouth City Council submitted by Zoe White