A BRADFORD research centre has been the beneficiary of twin grants - one of which is for a vehicle to engage study participants in the field.
The Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, received £1.3 million in Government funding to cover the cost of expanding clinical research space at Bradford Royal Infirmary.
The same team also secured a separate £190,000 grant to purchase a mobile research vehicle (MRV).
The expanded clinical research space will incorporate larger lab facilities, a phlebotomy room, and a pharmacy.
The vehicle, meanwhile, will allow researchers to reach a broader range of participants for studies and trials.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also shared plans to expand commercial research partnerships; continue work on its Born in Bradford programme; increase the number of National Institute for Health and Care Research portfolio studies; and collaborate further with university partners.
Director of BIHR, Professor John Wright, said: "Our current facilities are based in a converted Victorian stable block – dark, cramped, and overcrowded.
"The lack of space has created a major rate-limiting step in our offer of world-class research to seldom-heard communities.
"New clinical research space will allow us to dramatically expand research participation and scientific programmes to transform health locally and globally.
"Our patients and staff deserve expanded, modern research facilities, and the modular extension will enable this."
The MRV could have a visible presence at festivals, charity events, concerts, sports centres, places of worship, shopping centres, and supermarkets.
Professor Wright continued: "We know from our community-based research that attending hospitals or clinical sites can be a major barrier to research participation and retention.
"This is due to lack of time, resources and motivation, geographical constraints, and intimidation by healthcare settings.
"Our MRV will open its doors directly into communities, providing geographical and logistical convenience and flexibility to deliver decentralised and research-ready activities in a wide-variety of settings such as youth clubs, schools, GP premises, and community centres across the region."
Studies to be delivered with the help of the MRV include the Age of Wonder study, which is intended to "create a detailed picture of every aspect of what it's like to grow up in Bradford"; and the Bradford Genes and Health study, which explores genetic variation in adult Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities to understand higher levels of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke in these groups.
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