Clinical research is best done when aligned with clinical care – that is when the patient can be identified, recruited and in many instances researched in parallel with the delivery of clinical service. However, to achieve this effectively requires identification of the additional cost to the NHS clinical support services and the development of an appropriately skilled workforce. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cancer Research Network demonstrated the value of dedicated research support in terms of the number of patients recruited into clinical trials. Building on this model, NIHR in England funded a Clinical Research Network for Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases (DeNDRoN). DeNDRoN is now in its sixth year and has established a geographically widespread network of research support staff and research leadership managed by a central co-ordinating centre. Success can already be measured by a significant increase in the number of patients entering studies and the speed with which both commercial and non-commercial studies are completed. There are also early indications that the Network will result in improved patient outcomes.