Involvement opportunities

Call for new LRIG members

LRIG is a UK-wide coalition of researchers, clinicians, funders, charities and industry partners convened by Asthma + Lung UK. LRIG coordinates lung research and innovation, shares knowledge, and influences policy to improve diagnosis, prevention and treatment of lung conditions. LRIG's ambitions include accelerating respiratory research and innovation activity, strengthening collaboration, mapping gaps and opportunities, and supporting increased investment.

In 2025 the LRIG and Asthma + Lung UK published and launched the Lung Research Grand Challenges – three bold new goals, designed to radically improve lung health in the UK. The Lung Research Grand Challenges were developed by the LRIG in partnership with researchers, clinicians, patients and funders to set an ambitious agenda for investment in and focus on the next 10 years of respiratory research.

There are two exciting voluntary opportunities to join LRIG. Please see below for more information, including how to apply and relevant deadlines.

Academic Research Adviser

This opportunity is for five academic Researcher Advisers from clinical and non-clinical backgrounds in any respiratory field to provide expert research intelligence, advice, and advocacy from across the community, supporting LRIG to:

• Strengthen collaboration across the sector.
• Identify gaps and opportunities in the research landscape.
• Support increased investment and impactful research and innovation aligned to the Lung Research Grand Challenges: diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
• Contribute to LRIG discussions and take forward light-touch actions between meetings.

This voluntary role has a three-year term. You'll be asked to attend two half-day, in-person meetings per year (usually spring and autumn) held at the Asthma + Lung UK offices. The next meeting is on 14 October 2026. Travel expenses can be reimbursed.

Between meetings it's expected that you will spend two or three hours progressing actions within your expertise or areas of interest, in addition to reading meeting papers provided in advance.

Deadline: 11 September

Person specification

1. Demonstrable research expertise (clinical or non-clinical) aligned to at least one of the Lung Research Grand Challenges: Diagnosis, Prevention or Treatment, or to a recognised cross-cutting enabler that supports these areas.
2. Strong advocate for respiratory research, with willingness to champion the disease-agnostic Lung Research Grand Challenges across their professional networks.
3. Ability to provide current research intelligence, insight into gaps and opportunities, and relevant networks from their area of expertise to inform LRIG discussions and actions.
4. Experience working constructively across disciplines and/or sectors (for example academia, NHS/NIHR infrastructure, charities, funders and industry).
5. Experience applying for, reviewing, or advising on funding (charity, UKRI, MRC, NIHR or industry) and understanding how to strengthen investability and scale of impact.

LRIG Academic Co-chair

The Academic Co-chair will provide strategic leadership, external credibility, and delivery momentum to LRIG during a critical early phase of implementing the Lung Research Grand Challenges.

The Co-Chair will drive the LRIG towards its objectives of accelerating collaboration, mapping the respiratory research landscape to identify gaps and investable opportunities, and catalysing increased investment in lung research and innovation, ensuring that LRIG's work is ambitious, inclusive, evidence-led and shaped by patient need.

This is a unique opportunity for a senior academic leader to help steer a UK-wide coalition and shape the next decade of respiratory research, translating bold goals into practical actions, partnerships and measurable progress.

Deadline: 7 August 2026

Key responsibilities

• Co-lead LRIG's strategic direction and delivery leadership, ensuring activities align to the Lung Research Grand Challenges and LRIG's priority aims.
• Co-chair meetings, shaping agendas that are purposeful, inclusive and outcome-focused.
• Identify and shape opportunities for new partnerships, including co-funded programmes, data and innovation collaborations and joint convening.
• Help articulate compelling cases for investment, including cross-disease and cross-disciplinary opportunities, ensuring alignment with patient benefit and UK life sciences strengths.
• Support the development of consistent, credible messaging about gaps, priorities and opportunities in lung research and innovation.
• Represent LRIG and the Lung Research Grand Challenges at relevant meetings, events and forums, primarily UK-focused, with international engagement where strategic.

This voluntary role has a three-year term. You'll be asked to attend and prepare for two half-day, in-person meetings per year (usually spring and autumn) held at the Asthma + Lung UK offices. Pre-meeting preparation includes meeting with the Co-Chair, and reading papers and briefings in advance. The next meeting is on 14 October 2026. Travel expenses can be reimbursed. Secretariat and co-ordination support will be provided by Asthma + Lung UK. Between meetings, light to moderate activity to progress priority actions and convene stakeholders is expected.

Person specification

1. Outstanding track record in respiratory research (Professorial level, clinical or non-clinical) or a highly relevant cross-cutting field that materially advances diagnosis, prevention or treatment in lung health.
2. Direct experience working with major UK research and innovation funders (for example NIHR, UKRI/MRC, charities and industry) through panel membership or experience shaping programmes or proposals that attract investment and scale impact.
3. Visible commitment to collaborative and innovative approaches to strengthening UK respiratory research capacity and capability, and willingness to leverage professional networks to embed and progress the goals of the Lung Research Grand Challenges.
4. Significant experience leading multi-partner collaborations involving combinations of academia, NHS/NIHR infrastructure, charities, funders, government and/or industry.
5. Experience working directly with the life sciences sector, including industry partnerships, translational programmes or innovation collaborations to influence investment in research.
6. Experience with large-scale data, infrastructure, platforms or research networks relevant to lung health (for example cohorts, registries, trial platforms, AI/diagnostics and omics).
7. Familiarity with challenges and opportunities across multiple lung conditions, including cross-disease approaches.
8. Clear commitment to patient benefit and to ensuring lived experience meaningfully informs priorities and decisions.

Recruitment process

We will appoint five Researcher Advisers to achieve a balanced spread of expertise across diagnosis, prevention and treatment, and across clinical/non-clinical perspectives. Over the next few years, LRIG anticipates a particular emphasis on the Treatment Grand Challenge. Where candidates are otherwise of comparable merit, those with strong treatment-relevant expertise may be prioritised to strengthen the overall balance of the Adviser cohort. At least one Adviser will be appointed from an early-career group*.

Submitted Researcher Adviser applications will be shortlisted by Asthma + Lung UK in line with the role specifications. Co-Chairs and organisational members of the LRIG will anonymously vote on the shortlisted applications. The five researchers with the highest number of votes (at least one of whom will be an early-career researcher) will be invited to become members and attend the Autumn 2026 LRIG meeting (14 October 2026). Successful applicants will be notified by 25 September 2026.

Applications for Academic Co-Chair will be shortlisted against the role specification by Asthma + Lung UK. Shortlisted candidates will be reviewed by the Asthma + Lung UK Co-Chair and an external senior academic reviewer. The successful candidate will be notified by 14 August 2026. It is anticipated that the appointed Academic Co-Chair will be involved in appointing new Academic Researcher Advisers as detailed above.

*Early-career researchers are defined as being within 10 years of receiving their PhD. Allowances can be made for career breaks. If working in a field where a PhD is not a pre-requisite for research activity, non-PhD holders with research experience equivalent to that of a PhD holder (and within 10 years of completing the relevant experience) are also eligible.