The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is a UK government body that receives Department of Health (DH) funding to direct and coordinate translational research programmes for the benefit of National Health Service (England) patients in England.
Contents
- Biomedical Research Centres
- Journals Library
- Specialist Liaison Team
- Clinical Research Network
- References
Established in April 2006, under the slogan "improving the health and wealth of the nation through research", the NIHR does not fund any clinical services but does aim to help deliver government responsibilities in public health and personal social services by supporting individuals, facilities and research projects.
The NIHR operates only in England, which accounts for some 50 million of the 60-plus million population of the UK. The round-figure 10 million who live in the other three Home Nations, in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, live under devolved Governments, which have the autonomy to set their own priorities regarding issues of Health, and which have their own counterparts of NHS England.
Biomedical Research Centres
The NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRC) are 'Partnerships' between an 'Academic Partner', usually a research university or similar specialised-institution, and an 'NHS Host', usually in the form of an NHS Foundation Trust. The NIHR BCR were initiated as soon as the NIHR itself was launched, in April 2006, and the original BRCs began work in 2007.
The purpose of the BRCs is to make a translational research (TR) path to turn scientific discoveries into medical applications, and then to apply them into daily clinical practice, to make changes that are significant, smooth, immediate and lasting, and so provide better healthcare for all. Basic Research is converted readily into clinical trials to provide bench to bedside Translational Medicine (TM).
NIHR BRC funding is in 5-year tranches. The First Tranche cycle ran from 2007-2012, the Second Tranche cycle runs from 2012-2017 and the Third Tranche of funding is now being authorised and allocated to allow the Third Cycle of research to begin in April 2017.
Some £816 million has been allocated by the UK Government in the Third Tranche, for the cycle beginning in 2017. The allocation of the funds to the 20 Third Tranche BCR ranges from just £16 M. for the smallest three allocations (£4 M. to Sheffield; £6 M. to Leeds; and £6 M. to Barts) to some £338 M. for the largest three. (£111 M. to UCLH/UCL; £114 to Oxford - excluding the new Oxford Health BRC; and £114 to Cambridge). The Government estimates that for every £1 invested in medical research, the Partnerships will generate £6.
The 11 Second Tranche grants, awarded in 2011 for the cycle beginning in April 2012, were (rounded-out) as follows:
The 20 Third Tranche grants, awarded in 2016 for the cycle beginning in April 2017, were (rounded-out) as follows:
There were originally 11 BRCs, divided between five large 'Comprehensive' BRCs, conducting research across a range of Specialties, and six 'Specialist' BRCs, concentrating on one Specialty as a centre of excellence. In addition, there were 4 NIHR Biomedical Research Units (BRU). Where co-located, the facilities were usually designated: BRC/U.
By the latter phase of the Second Cycle, the benefits of formal coordination and integration were already apparent and significant results had already been reported. The decision was therefore made to increase funding and expand the number of BRCs to bid for the Third Tranche. Whilst some autonomous BRUs were expanded to become full BRCs, several additional BRUs were authorised and the overall number of BRUs has likewise been expanded to 20.
From April 2017, there will be 20 BRC:
The NIHR BRC at Cambridge Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge: Cambridge BRC:
The NIHR BRC at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation and the University of Oxford: Oxford BRC (OxBRC):
The NIHR BRC at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and ICL:
The NIHR BRC at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust and UCL: UCLH/UCL BRC:
The NIHR BRC at Guy's and St.Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and KCL:
The NIHR BRC at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR): a BCR for Cancer.
The NIHR BRC at the South London & Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust and the KCL Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) - the Maudsley BRC/U: a BRC for Mental Health & Dementia:
The NIHR BRC at Great Ormond St. Hospital for Children (GOSH) NHS Foundation Trust and University College London (UCL).
The NIHR BRC at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology: a BRC for Ophthalmology:
The NIHR BRC/U at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University: a BRC in Ageing and Chronic Disease.
The NIHR BRC/U at Southampton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Southampton: a BRC for Nutrition.
The NIHR BRC at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Nottingham and MRC Institute of Hearing Research: a BRC for Hearing:
2017: conversion of 2 autonomous BRU into the Nottingham BRC: the Nottingham Hearing Unit (NHBRU) and the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre. 2017: receipt of grant: £23 M.
Journals Library
The NIHR open access Journals Library was launched in June 2013. The library expands on the model of Health Technology Assessment and introduces four new journals, each of which publishes the findings of a particular research programme, with full research detail. All results are published, including neutral or negative findings, in an effort to avoid duplication of research effort and as part of NIHR's commitment to transparency.
Specialist Liaison Team
NIHR specialist liaison team works with industry, including companies manufacturing medical devices, diagnostics, biotech and pharmaceuticals, to ensure industry needs concerning clinical research are considered in the development of new infrastructure, processes and practices. It offers support with feasibility assessments, patient recruitment and ethical approval.
Clinical Research Network
The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) comprises: six Topic-Specific Clinical Research Networks, a Primary Care Research Network and a Comprehensive Clinical Research Network. The specific topics are: Cancer, Diabetes, Medicines for Children, Stroke, Mental Health and Dementia & Neurodegenerative Diseases (DeNDRoN). These networks aim to provide the infrastructure to support commercial and non-commercial high quality research in the NHS, including clinical trials.
The CRN's Coordinating Centre (CC) is responsible for managing the overall performance of the Networks. In addition, the Coordinating Centre team develops and delivers streamlined central systems, such as: the NIHR Coordinated System for gaining NHS Permissions (CSP). It undertakes specialist cross-cutting activities to: support the commercial life-sciences industry, develop the research workforce, and promote patient and public involvement in clinical trials. A consortium from: the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the Medical Research Council (UK) Clinical Trials Unit and University College London was selected to act as the NIHR CRN Coordinating Centre. The CRN CC has offices in both Leeds and London.
The Mental Health Research Network management is a partnership between: the Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Manchester.
NIHR has partnered with King's College London in establishing the following NIHR centres across the different sites of King's Health Partners: 2 Biomedical Research Centres, including: the Mental Health BRC & Dementia Biomedical Research Unit (BRU); a School for Social Care Research; and 2 Health Protection Research Units, in: Health impact of environmental hazards, and: Emergency preparedness and response.