New mobile research units making it easier for people in coastal areas to be part of research

The two bespoke vehicles are part of a pioneering pilot project exploring how mobile units can improve clinical trial accessibility and efficiency. By reaching people where they live, the initiative is tackling barriers to accessing research.

One of the vehicles is being used by Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT)  and the other by Layton Medical Centre, a GP practice in Blackpool.

 The pilot has been designed to ensure that those in rural and coastal areas have the same opportunities to contribute to and benefit from research as those in urban centres. It is also taking research to communities typically underserved by health and care services. 

The project is a collaboration between the NIHR, the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway (VIP), pharmaceutical company Moderna, and EMS Healthcare. It is part of the NOVA 301 trial, a phase 3 clinical trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine for norovirus—the winter vomiting bug. The trial has recruited more than 3,000 participants nationally.

The RCHT and Layton Medical Centre are two of 39 sites across the UK involved in the trial, which launched in October 2024.

Taking research to trial participants’ homes

Equipped with a high-quality clinical space, the mobile units in both regions feature an ultra-low temperature freezer to store biological samples and a tabletop centrifuge, allowing all trial-related follow-up activities to be carried out on board for this trial.

The mobile unit in Cornwall, staffed by the RCHT Research Team, is now visiting participants in Cornwall for follow-up trial visits, ensuring they can remain engaged in the trial without the need for long and difficult journeys to the hospital.

This includes elderly individuals in rural and coastal locations who may experience challenges with traveling to the hospital for trial visits.

Bianca Mills, Head of Research and Development at RCHT, said: “The mobile research unit is a transformative step in overcoming geographical barriers to clinical research in Cornwall. By bringing research directly to communities—especially those in remote and rural areas—we are ensuring that everyone, regardless of location, has the opportunity to participate in advanced healthcare studies. This initiative is a vital step towards reducing health inequalities, improving patient outcomes, and positioning Cornwall as a leader in accessible, community-driven research.”

The Cornwall mobile unit will also travel to areas such as Penzance and Hayle, where research participation has historically been low. By making it easier for these communities to take part, the project is actively addressing disparities in healthcare access and representation in clinical trials.

Dr Rebecca Clark, Principal Investigator for the trial at Layton Medical Centre and National Clinical Lead of the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway (Infectious Diseases), said: “The ethos of Fylde Coast Clinical Research at Layton Medical Centre has always been expanding access to world-leading clinical research and having a mobile research unit will allow us to reach an even broader population across the region. It has been a great opportunity to work more closely with partners from across the system who share this vision.”

Professor Andrew Ustianowski, interim Executive Director at the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN), said: “The NIHR has already seen how mobile research units can take research into communities across the country, expanding access and boosting inclusion. They enhance NHS capacity to deliver research and provide flexibility for the public to take part in research away from traditional healthcare settings.

“By ensuring research can take place anywhere, these units are both boosting inclusion and the UK economy - giving commercial companies the chance to conduct research in previously unreached areas of the country.

“The teams at RCHT and Layton Medical Centre have a strong track record of delivering commercial research and ensuring that local populations have opportunities to participate. We look forward to seeing how this pilot, which includes mobile units in Cornwall and Blackpool, improves the participant experience and expands access to research.”

Speeding up the development of new vaccines

The NOVA 301 trial is part of a unique collaboration between Moderna and the UK Government together with NIHR. The partnership aims to bring innovative vaccines to market faster, leveraging the UK’s world-class clinical research infrastructure. 

The trial’s set up and delivery are supported by the UK VIP. The UK VIP is a Clinical Trial Delivery Accelerator (CTDA) set up to work with the UK health research system to speed up the set-up and delivery of vaccine trials and establish the UK as a globally competitive destination for vaccine development. The MRU initiative aligns with the broader VIP objective of creating a more adaptive and scalable research infrastructure across the UK.

A spokesperson from Moderna, said: “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to advancing clinical research, fostering innovation, and improving participant outcomes. These Mobile Research Units are not just vehicles—they are catalysts for change, making research more accessible, inclusive, and impactful.”
EMS Healthcare, which provides the mobile unit, is also contributing to the project’s success, ensuring that state-of-the-art facilities are available to support participants in remote locations.

Andy Morris, Partnership Manager, EMS Healthcare said: “We are incredibly proud to be part of this ground-breaking initiative that is transforming access to clinical research. By bringing state-of-the-art mobile research units directly to underserved communities in Cornwall and Blackpool, we’re ensuring that people in remote areas have the same opportunities to participate as those in city centres. This pilot demonstrates the power of collaboration across the UK research ecosystem to reduce barriers and improve access. EMS Healthcare’s vision, ‘a future where good health is within everyone’s reach’, aligns perfectly with this initiative, which we hope will enhance inclusivity, support retention, and help reinforce the UK’s leadership in global clinical research.”

The mobile research unit pilot aligns with the Government’s priorities to Build an NHS Fit for the Future – making it easier to conduct life-saving research in the NHS with quicker, more transparent and less variable processes resulting in a more competitive, more efficient and more accessible clinical research environment.