Bristol Clinical Research Facility receives national funding to deliver major increase in early stage clinical research

Bristol’s new Clinical Research Facility (CRF) run by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust has received national funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as part of a £161 million investment to expand the delivery of early phase clinical research in NHS hospitals across England.

Professor David Wynick, Director of NIHR Bristol CRF, said: “The establishment of the Bristol CRF and confirmation of NIHR funding is fantastic news and will enable the Facility to deliver a major increase in the number of high quality and safe clinical studies that will directly benefit patients.”

“It means we can offer more cutting-edge research than we would otherwise have been able to do, driving forward innovation and helping to identify new treatments for patients.”

The Bristol CRF will bring together early phase translational and experimental medicine research studies at UHBW and the University of Bristol into a single management and governance structure, covering research in a variety of areas that include cancer and immunity-based treatments, vaccine development and testing, cardiovascular medicine, neuroscience and respiratory medicine.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “NIHR’s CRFs scheme has been a key force in translational research across England, helping to position the nation as internationally competitive in early stage clinical research.

“This new funding, a 43% increase, will allow the CRFs to continue to drive forward innovation in experimental medicine and support translation of exciting discoveries into new treatments for patients.”

Minister for Innovation, Lord Kamall, said: “Clinical research has been vital in our fight against COVID-19 and in saving thousands of lives – whether through the rapid creation of vaccines or the identification of life-saving treatments like dexamethasone.

“Funding more CRFs across the country means we can continue to build on this innovation to transform our health service and ensure the NHS is able to deliver world-class care.

“As we build back better from the pandemic, I am committed to ensuring the UK remains a world leader in diverse, ground-breaking research.”

More information about the NIHR funding and CRFs is available at https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-boost-for-delivery-of-early-stage-clinical-research-across-england/30013

About the NIHR

The mission of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

• Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
• Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
• Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
• Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
• Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
• Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.