The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced a £157 million investment over five years to support 10 Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across the UK. As part of this initiative, partners from the North East and North Cumbria have secured £15.3 million to establish a regional ARC hosted by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust, with funding set to begin in April 2026. The ARCs aim to address key health and social care challenges identified in the NHS 10 Year Plan, the Life Sciences Sector Plan, and the Government’s Health and Growth Missions, ensuring research findings are rapidly translated into effective interventions and models of care.
The regional ARC is a collaborative partnership involving six universities—Cumbria, Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, and Teesside—along with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, health and care providers, the Health Innovation Network, and voluntary sector organisations. The collaboration builds on the work of the previous NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria (2019-2026) and will scale up successful regional and national initiatives to maximise impact on health and social care priorities.
Led by Professor Eileen Kaner and Professor Ruth McGovern from Newcastle University, the ARC will support a network of researchers, students, and practitioners working closely with patients, health and care providers, and the public. Research will focus on preventing ill-health, addressing inequities in health and care, supporting children, women, and family health, improving the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of care services, and helping people with long-term conditions remain well and in work. A central goal is to ensure research evidence drives improvements in health and care delivery.
Professor Kaner emphasized that applied research seeks practical solutions to current challenges, noting that services involved in research often achieve better outcomes for patients and communities. She highlighted the opportunity to share and scale up successful work nationally to maximise benefits and address pressing health and social care issues.
Nationally, the ARCs will identify and deliver high-quality research in applied health, public health, and social care, particularly in under-represented areas. They will provide expertise to implement effective interventions, offer enhanced health economic analysis to support decision-making, accelerate the translation of research into practice, and address health inequalities. Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR, stated that this investment underscores the NIHR’s commitment to delivering high-quality research that drives innovation, improves patient care, and supports the transformation of the UK health system.
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