Innovation

Since 2001, we have been on a quest for deeper insights through the identification and application of the most innovative market research techniques, tools, and methodologies, to better equip us to answer our clients’ business questions. 

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We believe that stale methodologies tend to add up to stale outputs: If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. 

But how do you decide what kind of market research you need to truly unearth fresh insight for your objectives? How can you anticipate your blind spots? And in a world of glittering new promises, how can you tell a gimmick from a meaningful evolution in research techniques?

As HRW’s dedicated Innovation Team, we apply our innovative thinking to determine, evaluate, and validate the most powerful, visionary, and cutting-edge market research solutions for our clients’ needs. We achieve this through committed investment and self-funded studies, and continuous assessment and scoping of the ever-changing market research landscape- in healthcare and beyond.

Members of the Healthcare Market Research Innovation team.

Some of the ways we've done this include:

Making research more realistic by using different approaches to mimic real-life environments.

We’ve run a self-funded study looking comparatively at different stimulus formats such as virtual reality and augmented reality vs the traditional and how they impact responses and engagement. We have also been pioneers in the healthcare market research industry in using the metaverse as a research tool.

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Measuring unspoken reactions or more implicit/beneath the surface insights.

We apply techniques like our ‘fast association test’ that removes the opportunity for respondents to over-rationalise their thoughts. Or we use neuro-metric approaches that can help access subconscious ‘gut reactions’.

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Capturing real-life behaviour and social dimensions.

We’ll explore the value of innovative technologies or platforms such as passive sensors, wearable technologies, social media tracing, or more in-the-moment approaches for gathering data.

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Leveraging peer perspectives.

We’ve pioneered ways of encompassing the ecosystem and removing moderator bias through creative social interview formats. These help you go deeper into experiences and uncover ‘unknown unknowns’ not available through a more traditional approach.

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How are we different? Together, we are:

Your Eyes and Ears
Ask us about the emerging trends in market research and we’ll happily talk about them for days! We’re constantly surveying the landscape to identify and validate key developments applicable to the healthcare space. 
Competitively Intelligent
We apply our competitive intelligence across the industry to assess current and developing market research practices with potential to improve our clients’ quality of insights and delivery.
Validators
We are continuously innovating ourselves, finding new approaches and technology to better address our clients’ challenges. As part of this, we self-fund our own research to validate and compare the techniques and approaches we propose to ensure they’re trustworthy and valuable. Only then, do we apply them, tried and tested, to your project.
Thought Leaders
We’ve won 12+ international awards, including the EphMRA Excellence in MR Award, Best Use of Innovation (BOBI awards), Market Research Society, and QUIRK’s Marketing Research and Insights Excellence Award, and delivered scores of industry abstracts and papers.

HRW Innovation Team

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Katy Irving

Global Head of Behavioural Science (HRW Shift) - London
As a founding member of our in-house team of behavioural change experts, HRW Shift, Katy is passionate about pulling validated frameworks from ...
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Katy Irving

Global Head of Behavioural Science (HRW Shift) - London
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Jess Woodhead

Vice President - New York
Jess joined HRW in 2012 after completing her degree in Biomedical Sciences with a specialism in Reproductive Biology. Entering the world of healthcare market research has allowed ...
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Jess Woodhead

Vice President - New York
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Darren Vircavs

Field Manager - Oxfordshire
Darren joined Healthcare Research Worldwide in August 2016, after completing a BA degree in Media Culture and Production at Southampton University. With a particularly keen interest in ...
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Darren Vircavs

Field Manager - Oxfordshire
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Fatima Dos Santos

Senior Procurement Manager Fieldwork - London
With a degree in Tourism Administration and a master’s degree in Corporate Communications and Protocol, Fatima landed in Market Research in 2013 ...
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Fatima Dos Santos

Senior Procurement Manager Fieldwork - London
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Lucy Saunders (nee Wates)

Director - London
Lucy has an academic background in Biology and clinical Nutrition. She has always been curious and fascinated by different health conditions, so healthcare market research is ...
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Lucy Saunders (nee Wates)

Director - London
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John Friberg

Vice President - New York
John joined HRW in 2016 and is currently based in NYC after spending time in both UK HRW offices. His career in healthcare research began with an ...
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John Friberg

Vice President - New York
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Nicola Vyas

Senior Research Director - Oxfordshire
Nicola is a quantitative expert who specialises in advanced analytics at HRW; she loves to get beneath the surface of data to ...
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Nicola Vyas

Senior Research Director - Oxfordshire
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Rory Mitchell

AI Lead - London
Rory has a scientific background, from studying Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter. Following graduation, he moved to Brighton to work ...
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Rory Mitchell

AI Lead - London
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Awards, Papers, and Praise

2024 Health Care/Pharmaceutical Research Project Finalists
Outstanding Young Researcher Finalist
BOBI Highly Commended Compliance Challenge
Best Newcomer Award 2024
EphMRA 2024 Future Leader MR Excellence Award
Outstanding Industry Partner Award
EphMRA 2023 Future Leader MR Excellence Award
Winner 2022 Best Customer Insight
Highly Commended 2022 Best Use of Innovation
HRW Poster Session: Reducing Stigma. Behavioural Science and Public Health Network 2022
Finalist for QUIRK’s Marketing Research and Insights Excellence Awards 2021: Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Research Project
Highly Commended 2021 Best Use of Innovation
Highly Commended 2021 Best Patient-Centric Approach
Winner 2021 Best Newcomer Award
EphMRA MR Excellence Award for Innovative Approach 2021
Winner 2020 Best Use of Innovation
Market Research Society Awards 2020: Healthcare Research (Finalist)
Winner QUIRK’s Marketing Research and Insights Excellence Awards 2020: Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Research Project
HRW Poster: behavioural science to improve HCP engagement with sponsored webinars during the pandemic 2021
HRW presentation in symposium: Virtual Reality and Chatbots. UCL Centre for Behaviour Change Conference 2020
HRW Poster: Passive mobile tracking use of apps for health behaviour change. UCL Centre for Behaviour Change Conference 2020
Highly Commended 2020 Best Patient-Centric Approach
Highly Commended 2020 Best Use of Innovation
Prize Winning Abstract: Vaccines. Behavioural Science and Public Health Network 2020
Runner Up MR Excellence 2019 Future Leaders Award
Winner 2019 Intellus Worldwide Impact Award
Highly Commended 2019 Best Business Impact
EphMRA 2018 Jack Hayhurst (JH) Award for Best Paper at Conference
Winner 2017 Most Innovative Approach
European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association MR Excellence Award 2018
Finalist 2017-2018 Data Collection and fieldwork
Finalist 2017 Agency of the year
European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association MR Excellence Award 2017
HRW presentation of key paper April 2017
HRW presentation of key paper May 2017
HRW presentation of key paper October 2017
HRW presentation of key paper – Viz Fest 2017
Finalist 2015-2016 Best Business Impact
Winner 2015-2016 Agency of the year
Best Paper 2015
Finalist 2018 Agency of the year
Winner Best Customer Insight
Winner Best Customer Insight 2012
Winner Best newcomer 2012

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