Government announces £816m for health research

The Department of Health has announced a new £816 million investment to fund NHS research into mental health, dementia and antimicrobial resistance.

The five year funding package totalling £816 million is said to be the largest ever investment into health research, and will benefit a number of NHS clinicians and universities, offering access to new world class facilities and support services.

The investment will see funding for mental health research increase to nearly £70 million, dementia to over £45 million, deafness and hearing studies will receive over £15 million and antimicrobial resistance research rise to around £45 million.

Specifically, the money has been awarded to 20 NHS and university partnerships across England through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The 20 biomedical research centres will host the development of new, ground-breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases like cancer and dementia.

Commenting on the fund, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The UK has so often led the world in health research – from the invention of the smallpox vaccine to the discovery of penicillin and the development of DNA sequencing. Today, we are making sure the UK stays ahead of the game by laying the foundations for a new age of personalised medicine.

“We are supporting the great minds of the NHS to push the frontiers of medical science so that patients in this country continue to benefit from the very latest treatments and the highest standards of care.”