Background In light of the success of recruiting more than 600,000 patients to clinical research studies in 2013/14 (National Institute for Health Research, 2016), four hospices within one region in England formed a Hospice Collaborative (the Collaborative) and have attained funding for a research practitioner to support the research activities since late 2015. These hospices anticipated to provide evidence-based care and to offer chances to patients and families to participate in research studies in order to excel on the existing outstanding palliative/end-of-life care and services (Perkins et al., 2014).

Aims The research practitioner works across the Collaborative and aims to:

• Raise the research awareness amongst staff

• Promote the importance of research within hospices

• Enhance the research readiness within hospices

• Enable hospices to participate in the NIHR Portfolio studies.

Method The research practitioner acted as an information and resource hub to provide and exchange updates regarding the NIHR Portfolio studies, research training and research meetings. Particularly, internal and external research trainings were promoted to hospice staff to gain a better understanding of the rationale, the importance and the standard practices of undertaking research tasks with patients.

Results Within five months of introducing the research practitioner, several key pieces of work have been achieved across the Collaborative including:

• Delivered an in-house ‘Introduction to Research’ presentation

• Organised a bespoke Good Clinical Practice training where 22 hospice staff attended

• Submitted Expression of Interest Forms for four NIHR Portfolio studies

• Three out of four hospices have been selected as recruitment sites for two NIHR Portfolio studies.

Conclusions Following the implementation of the ground work, these hospices are poised to participate in the NIHR Portfolio studies and the Collaborative was successful in securing recurring funding to grow and support this essential research work.