Three nurses, all experienced in palliative care but new to a research role, were employed by a Comprehensive Local Research Network to form part of the first network of 'research-active hospices' in the UK. This article outlines the challenges and hurdles faced by the research nurses and illustrates how their achievements can be capitalized on to ensure that future research nurses have a greater insight into the research process when undertaking clinical palliative care research studies in a non-NHS setting. The research nurses' experiences have highlighted issues that need addressing, particularly in relation to research governance-ethical and Research and Development approval for National Institute for Health Research portfolio studies being undertaken in what are effectively classed as non-NHS institutions with NHS patients. These issues are hopefully now being taken forward by those responsible for policy-making, ensuring that an ever-growing population of palliative care patients involved with hospice services has the same access to participation in research as other NHS patients.