Dr Mike Rogers, an Assistant Director in LGC’s Grant Management Group (GMG), has been awarded an MBE for services to Covid-19 Research Funding in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021.
In its contract with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), LGC manages work for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and during 2020, Dr Rogers acted as the NIHR lead for the COVID-19 schemes operated jointly with UKRI/MRC.
These schemes funded a range of important research projects tackling COVID-19, both in the UK and internationally. The projects funded included the rapid clinical development of the Oxford/AZ vaccine; the RECOVERY trial; and the development of optimal critical care pathways for COVID-19 patients across seven African countries.
Dr Rogers said, “I am very grateful to the incredible support and genuine team effort that enabled us to deliver these activities in support of NIHR’s response to COVID-19 so quickly and to such a high standard. We had to learn about COVID-19 in real-time in order to prioritise the research and I’d like to thank all colleagues for their advice and clarity at a time of uncertainty.”
Dr David King, Director, Grant Management Group, said, “The schemes were among the busiest and most complex ever operated by NIHR, and required a huge effort from a number of staff. I am delighted that Mike’s work has been recognised by this honour. NIHR’s response to COVID-19 involved working with leading clinical experts and partnership organisations and Mike was pivotal in providing a bridge to NIHR so that vital research could be assessed and funded.”
Mike Rogers, who has been with LGC since 2016, is currently Assistant Director for Global Health Research at the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF). Mike is a research management and policy professional with experience in the public and charity sectors. He trained as a microbiologist, undertaking work in microbial quantitation and identification. He has held roles at DHSC, Cancer Research UK and the Pirbright Institute and joined NIHR CCF to work on NIHR’s research infrastructure portfolio before establishing CCF’s Global Health Research activities.