More than £96m awarded to NHS for cutting-edge research equipment
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Number of people taking part in life-changing health and care
research reaches almost one million More than £96 million has today
been awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research
(NIHR) to 93 NHS organisations across England to pay for
cutting-edge research equipment and technology, with around a fifth
of funding going to smaller, regional NHS Trusts to drive better
access to clinical trials. This funding will drive research
and innovation to...Request free trial
More than £96 million has today been awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to 93 NHS organisations across England to pay for cutting-edge research equipment and technology, with around a fifth of funding going to smaller, regional NHS Trusts to drive better access to clinical trials. This funding will drive research and innovation to enable scientific discoveries and new technologies to improve the prevention, management and treatment of disease. It will pay for a range of innovative equipment, including imaging devices, mobile research vehicles, ultrasound equipment, and specialist fridges and freezers that are essential for storing samples used in research. This comes as the latest NIHR data, also released today, shows that almost one million people in England took part in NIHR research in 2022/23 - up 220,000 on pre-pandemic levels. This is equivalent to more than 100 people every hour, and is enough to fill Wembley Stadium over 10 and a half times. Almost 5,000 (4,971) studies were delivered and supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in England alone. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “From Devon to Liverpool, we're giving NHS organisations over £96 million to bolster vital health and care research. “Scientists and medical experts will be able to purchase cutting-edge equipment, like mobile CT scanners, imaging devices and ultrasound equipment to help their ground breaking work in the prevention, treatment and management of disease. “The NHS and its staff have now served us for nearly 75 years and as we celebrate that achievement we want to make sure the health service is leading the way. This investment will also help the NHS continue to cut waiting lists – one of the government’s top five priorities.” This funding call will be the first of a series of NIHR calls for capital investment, with an emphasis on extending the reach of research into communities to improve access to cutting-edge clinical trials. The 93 organisations awarded funding are all part of the NIHR’s wider infrastructure, which includes Biomedical Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities, as well as NIHR’s Clinical Research Network. As well as supporting the NIHR’s [BH1] cutting-edge research, the awarded £96,271,285 will enhance the ability of the successful organisations to leverage additional funding from research funders, including commercial companies. In turn, this will reaffirm the UK’s position as one of the most attractive places in the world for innovative companies to invest in research. The investment is focused in areas outside the Greater South-East - with a particular emphasis on smaller regional NHS Trusts. More than a fifth of the funding - over £20m - is being invested in these smaller, regional Trusts to support the expansion of research into primary care and mobile research units, allowing the NHS to boost its delivery of research in the community and in rural areas. Regional breadth and depth Both Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will receive funding for purchase of mobile CT scanners. In Liverpool, this will be used by multiple partners in the region, boosting access to lung cancer diagnostics across the Northwest coast, as well as in other critical areas of respiratory and cardiology research. In Leeds, the CT scanner will support the entire Clinical Research Facility portfolio and increase capacity for recruiting patients to cancer trials, including commercial trials. Trusts across the Southwest Peninsula will be purchasing four mobile research units as part of its funding award, boosting the Trust’s ability to bring a variety of research and trials to people in the wider local area. Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR said: “The best health and care research requires a number of important elements to come together: world-class researchers, cutting-edge facilities and the generous participation of the public. “As we celebrate 75 years of our amazing NHS, today’s announcement reminds us that all three elements are firmly in place in this country, and that the UK as a whole remains one of the best places in the world to undertake clinical trials. “We are so grateful for the continuing support of the many people who take part in research to help shape our future health and care. Thank you to everyone who has done so this year, and I hope even more people will be part of research in the future.” Research participation figures exceed pre-pandemic levels In a sign of the continuing strength of health and care research, and the fantastic contribution that people are willing to make to it, data released today show that almost one million participants (952,789) took part in health and care research across England in the last year. This is an increase of over 220,000 on pre-pandemic levels* Since July 2022, over 150,000 research volunteers have signed up to the new Be Part of Research service that is now part of the NHS app. Increasing the number of people taking part in health and care research is vital to help researchers find cures, treatments and breakthroughs. Resurgent commercial trials The data also show that the total number of commercial studies in 2022/23 increased by almost 600 on pre-pandemic levels* to 1,757. The number of new studies coming into the pipeline has also increased to 764. Overall, 32,328 participants took part in commercial studies sponsored by the life sciences industry, with 17% (5,961) coming from primary care. As we celebrate the NHS 75th birthday on 5 July 2023, the NIHR is calling on people to join its Shape the Future campaign to help build the NHS of the future through supporting and participating in research studies. John Sitzia, Acting Chief Executive of the NIHR Clinical Research Network said: “Thank you to the many incredible people across the country who have given their time to improve health and social care for themselves and others. “Without their commitment, breakthroughs that will shape treatments and care could not happen. The benefits that health and care research brings are profound, ultimately leading to the prevention of ill health, earlier diagnosis, faster recovery and better outcomes. “There are opportunities for everyone to take part in research. The new health and care research ‘match-making’ service from Be Part of Research makes it easier than ever for people to find health and care research across every part of the country.” Be Part of Research Service helps people to easily find and take part in studies across the UK. Register to take part in research in your area at: www.bepartofresearch.uk ENDS Notes to editors * Pre-pandemic comparisons taken from 2019/20 data for NIHR CRN supported studies. The full list of 93 NHS organisations receiving building and equipment funding is:
Funding was agreed in line with several strategic priorities: ● The majority would go to NHS organisations outside the Greater South-East, in line with the Government’s levelling up commitment. ● A focus on smaller, less research-active regional Trusts, to bolster their ability to carry out programmes of research. For example, research vans and mobile units to bring clinical and applied research to underserved regions and communities with major health needs. ● Investment to enhance pharmacy capability and capacity, an aim within the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery vision. While the equipment or technology is primarily for research, it may be used for clinical use during periods of inactivity. This will maximise the benefit of this investment and could support NHS Trusts to meet current demands. NHS organisations were invited to apply for equipment and technology, as well as building refurbishment to house the equipment purchased. Each organisation could apply for between £1 million and £5 million, with a minimum cost per item of £5,000. Applicants were encouraged to request funding for large-scale equipment and other technology not funded through standard grant applications. Local Clinical Research Networks (part of the Clinical Research Network), which are spread across 15 English regions, had to demonstrate that any requested equipment would advance the strategic development and research portfolio of their region as a whole. Funding by NHS England region East of England. £2,020,936 London. £32,482,288 Midlands. £17,865,445 North East and Yorkshire. £15,364,174 North West. £11,862,285 South East. £8,517,119 South West. £8,120,037 |