Bradford to benefit from new £800 million research investment

Today (Friday) the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded over £800 million of funding to 20 Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) across the country.

People across the city of Bradford are set to benefit through the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) which has formed a new partnership with NIHR Bristol BRC, one of the 20 centres to receive funding.

The Bristol centre has been awarded £12 million to continue its cutting-edge work.

The new partnership with the BIHR, based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will build on existing collaboration between researchers from the two cities, allowing researchers to work with varied populations and people of different ethnicities.

Director of the BIHR, Professor John Wright, said: “The Bradford Institute for Health Research has worked for many years with the University of Bristol on our 'Born in Bradford' research programme.

“This major award is a fantastic opportunity to cement our partnership and apply the expertise from some of the best clinical scientists in the country to help develop cutting-edge innovation in Bradford.”

The partnership also means researchers can continue to combine and analyse data from Bristol’s 'Children of the 90s' and the 'Born in Bradford' birth cohort studies.

Researchers will combine their expertise to work on themes such as physical activity and mental health.

Professor Wright added: “We will work to develop new approaches to tackling the rising rates of anxiety and depression in young people; helping to understand about the causes of this new epidemic and develop innovative approaches to preventing mental ill-health.

“In our surgical theme, we will develop new methods to capture patients’ readiness for operations to improve the safety and outcomes of care.”