The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded nearly £800 million to 20 Biomedical Research Centres across England, to translate scientific discoveries into new treatments, diagnostic tests and medical technologies to improve patients' lives.
Biomedical research in the North and Midlands gets a significant funding boost, with nearly £250 million of the funding invested outside of London, Oxford and Cambridge. A new Biomedical Research Centre has been funded in the south west, increasing the coverage of early stage research across the nation and ensuring everyone has access to cutting edge clinical trials.
NIHR Biomedical Research Centres are partnerships between healthcare professionals and academics in the country’s leading NHS trusts and universities. The centres, part of NIHR’s research infrastructure, receive substantial levels of sustained funding to attract the best scientists and create an environment where experimental medicine can thrive.
This fourth round of NIHR Biomedical Research Centre funding, awarded following an open and competitive process judged by international experts and members of the public, will support research over the next five years in areas such as cancer, mental health, dementia and infectious diseases. The new funding will also provide opportunities for a diverse range of professionals to undertake research, expanding research expertise in allied health professionals - such as physiotherapists, radiologists and dietitians - as well as in doctors and nurses.
The NIHR currently funds 20 BRCs, 12 of which have received additional investment in this new funding round. Over the past nine years, the BRCs have supported almost 60,000 studies and published 55,000 research papers, as well as supported the career development of more than 14,000 junior doctors and research scientists.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, said: “Research by NIHR Biomedical Research Centres has led to a number of ground-breaking new treatments, such as new gene therapies for haemophilia and motor neurone disease, the world-first treatment for Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a nose-drop vaccine for whooping cough, and the first UK-wide study into the long-term impact of COVID-19.
“This latest round of funding recognises the strength of expertise underpinning health and care research across the country and gives our nation’s best researchers more opportunities to develop innovative new treatments for patients.”
Over the past 9 years, the BRCs have leveraged nearly £9 billion of funding from external organisations to undertake experimental medicine and early translational research. The centres have collaborated with almost 3,000 small and medium-sized companies, as well as 2,000 other partners in the life sciences industry. More than 11,800 patents have been generated by BRCs and 85 spin out companies, with intellectual property from the centres generating more than £800m in revenue.
NIHR BRCs 2022-2027
| Name | Host Institution | University Partner |
| NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre | Barts Health NHS Trust | Queen Mary University of London |
| NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre | University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | University of Birmingham |
| NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre | University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust | University of Bristol |
| NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre | Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | University of Cambridge |
| NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre | Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | University of Exeter |
| NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre | Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust | University College London |
| NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | Imperial College London |
| NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre | Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | University of Leeds |
| NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre | University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust | University of Leicester |
| NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre | Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | University of Manchester |
| NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust | King's College London |
| NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre | Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | University College London |
| NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre | Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Newcastle University |
| NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre | Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | University of Nottingham |
| NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre | Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | University of Oxford |
| NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre | Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust | University of Oxford |
| NIHR The Royal Marsden Biomedical Research Centre | Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust | The Institute of Cancer Research |
| NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre | Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | University of Sheffield |
| NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre | University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | University of Southampton |
| NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre | University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | University College London |
