The campaign took place from Monday 16 May to Sunday 29 May 2022, and marked International Clinical Trials Day as part of our celebrations on Friday 20 May.
TrialBlazers are people just like you. By volunteering in research, we help people live healthier and better lives, now and in the future.
What can I do as a volunteer?
TrialBlazers are members of the public that choose to volunteer in research. They volunteer to learn more about a condition that affects them, to support medical research for a particular condition or disease that they care about or to access new treatments.
There are hundreds of studies in need of volunteers right now. Search by location or by condition and sign up today.
Watch our campaign poem
Why volunteer for research?
“We need research to move forward” says Marium, “I wouldn’t have thought twice about health research in the past – but in the end it makes such a difference.”
Marium contracted COVID-19 in 2020 and was in hospital with pneumonia. She was very sick and required oxygen. Advised by her doctor, Marium took part in a research study and made a significant recovery in 10 days.
Public participation, from volunteers like Marium, provides valuable knowledge. This research helps improve health and social care provided by the NHS and others. It helps advance medicine to find new cures and better treatments for future generations. This treatment could be a medicine, a vaccine, surgery, radiotherapy, physical and psychological therapies or methods of diagnosing diseases.
Studies need TrialBlazer volunteers with or without a condition.
How I became involved with research - and why you should too
It was over twenty years ago that I first became aware it had any relevance to me. Newly diagnosed with breast cancer, I almost wore out the office printer (and certainly depleted the paper supplies) printing out articles from the leading medical journals – and by chance came across one that suggested that people who took part in clinical trials fared rather better than those who didn’t. Read more.
Join Dementia Research
Over 50,000 volunteers are already making a difference to dementia research. Join Dementia Research connects registered volunteers with dementia researchers across the UK who are looking for people to join their studies.
Over 50,000 volunteers are already making a difference to dementia research. Join Dementia Research connects registered volunteers with dementia researchers across the UK who are looking for people to join their studies.Anybody over the age of 18 can sign up.
Research opportunities are available for people with or without dementia. We also encourage carers, relatives and the families of people with dementia to register.
Stay in touch
If you’d like to volunteer in research as a TrialBlazer, sign up and you’ll find out more about available studies.
Join the BioResource
The NIHR BioResource is made up of more than 200,000 volunteers, with and without health conditions, who are willing to participate in health research.
As a volunteer, you can donate a small blood or saliva sample, complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire and consent to provide access to NHS records. This helps researchers understand the links between genes, the environment, health and disease.
Joining is quick and easy, and open to anyone aged 16 or over.