Who are our partners?

Bristol is a vibrant research active city, and as a large city centre tertiary hospital, we work closely with our partner universities and NHS colleagues across the region.

We are one of 11 organisations that are part of Bristol Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre, which was designated in 2020 by the NIHR, NHS England and NHS Improvement.

We are a one of seven NHS Trusts that are partner organisations of the NIHR Clinical Research Network West of England (CRN West of England), which facilitates delivery of research in the region.

Day to day, our researchers and the R&D department collaborate with the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England, North Bristol NHS Trust as well as with colleagues in primary care, mental health and other NHS services across the West of England. 

The University of Bristol is our principal partner for two of our NIHR infrastructures, the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Bristol BRC) and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West).  Their other research infrastructure includes:

• The Bristol Trials Centre is a UKCRC fully registered Clinical Trials unit designs and conducts high quality pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in primary and secondary care.  
• The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) conducts high quality research within a number of themes relating to primary care and general practice.
• The Bristol Centre for Surgical Research is a multi-disciplinary collaboration aiming to transform patient care by increasing evidence-based surgery.
• The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research (EBI) nurtures research across disciplines to improve health.
• The MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) conducts some of the UK's most advanced population health science research.
• The Centre for Public Health focuses on a range of policy topics including obesity, physical activity, nutrition, sexual health, mental health and well-being, tobacco, alcohol and drugs misuse.
• MRC ConDuCT-II Hub for Trials Methodology Research. ConDuCT-II stands for Collaboration and innovation in Difficult and Complex randomised controlled Trials In Invasive procedures and is part of the MRC's Network of Hubs for Trials Methodology Research.
• Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) also known as Children of the 90s, is a world-leading birth cohort study, charting the health of 14,500 families in the Bristol area.