If you are considering conducting research which could have a potential impact on the lives of serving Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Marines (RM) families, please get in contact with the Naval Families Federation (NFF) team for an initial conversation before you start the process by completing our online form.
We want to collaborate with researchers to gather and publish evidence which clearly demonstrates how the unique aspects of Service life can impact upon the serving RN and RM community. We would be happy to discuss these with you, as that could influence how you develop your research study.
When we meet with Researchers, it’s always helpful if you can tell us how your project could complement both current and published research, as well as influence future policies. We appreciate how difficult it can be to source funding for academic research, so we want to ensure that there is no duplication of work.
These are just a few of the academic websites which can provide a great overview of past, current and future research projects:
If you are considering developing a research study which may involve engagement with serving members of the Armed Forces, you will need to be aware of the requirements and procedures set down by the MoD Research Ethics Committee (MODREC).
Please be aware that gaining approval from MODREC can take several months, and is a complex process, so you will need to take this into consideration as part of your planning and design.
More information about this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministry-of-defence-research-ethics-committees
As an evidence-based organisation, our role is to highlight the unique issues that affect serving RN and RM personnel and their families. This means that we do not regularly engage with the veteran community or their families, although we will always offer appropriate advice and information if a member of a veteran family does contact us.
If you are thinking of conducting research which will involve engaging with UK Armed Forces ex-Service personnel or their families as part of your work, you may wish to contact one of these organisations instead as they may be able to assist you:
If you want to access the current data on where veterans are located, and what their characteristics are, these are useful sources:
The Naval Families Federation strives to drive evidence-based change and welcomes the opportunity to include the Naval families perspective in relevant research studies. We work closely with colleagues in the Army Families Federation (AFF) and RAF Families Federation (RAF FF) and can help to arrange scoping meetings with these teams if the research has a tri-Service bias and meets our respective objectives.
If you have any questions and would like to speak to the NFF about your research, please send an email to contactus@nff.org.uk and our Research Lead will get in touch.
Please complete this form if you would like to speak to a member of the NFF team about a proposed research study.