Looking ahead to 2020-2021

Keeping research going.

Looking ahead to 2020/2021

We launched our new charity strategy in early 2020 with ambitious plans to deliver life-changing advances in kidney disease. Our initial plans to drive this strategy forward were significantly disrupted by Covid-19. Existing research was paused, and future income is uncertain.

As we take on the huge challenges, we remain committed to driving the strategy forward. We are also realistic, and the plans for 2020/21 financial year have been carefully revised. The focus of our energy and resources will be on the areas listed below.

c We will build our community. We want to attract new people to support the charity with their money, voice and time.

x This will help us raise £6 million – a disappointing downturn but enough to fund critical work. x We will progress our plans to develop our programme of patient and public involvement in research.

c We will continue to invest in research. We will honour our existing funding commitments, we will award our paediatric grants round which were peer-reviewed in the spring of 2020, and we will be prepared to adapt and target Covid-19 research where appropriate for kidney patients.

c We will be ready to get research re-started when the time is right. This includes the NURTuRE and Iron & Muscle studies and providing support for our existing grant holders.

c We will drive forward the set up and delivery of our strategic priorities. We’ll focus our efforts on transforming treatments and understanding multi-morbidities more, with a continued effort to reduce inequalities that exist for so many. We will keep improving our way of working so that we make faster progress, we are more effective, more efficient and that we emerge stronger from the pandemic.

c We will ensure we take the opportunity to work with others where they can support our new strategy and where we can make a big difference to patients.

c We will continually improve our governance and management, striving for the excellence that enabled us to come through the first six months of the pandemic as a stable and viable charity.

Report from the trustees.