Government welcomes
progress in coordination and translation of health research for the
benefit of patients
DEPARTMENT FOR
INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release (OSCHR progress
report 181108) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 18 November 2008
The first progress
report from the Office for Strategic Co-ordination of Health
Research (OSCHR) was submitted to the Government today. The
Secretaries of State for Health and Innovation, Universities and
Skills have welcomed the report.
OSCHR was established 22 months ago following Sir David
Cooksey's recommendations (A review of UK health research
funding) for better co-ordination of health research activities
across the UK, and a stronger focus on translating basic science
into improved care for NHS patients.
The purpose of the OSCHR progress report is to highlight the main
elements of the combined approach that has been put in place by
the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical
Research Council (MRC) since the Cooksey review. This period has
seen an unprecedented commitment to health research in terms of
funding, infrastructure, research programmes and the volume of
health research commissioned.
The Government's single health research fund, which will
soon top £1.7 billion a year, is distributed in England by the
Department of Health to the National Institute for Health
Research, and by the Department of Innovation, Universities and
Skills to the Medical Research Council.
The progress report also announces that the Prime Minister has
asked for a set of National Ambitions for Health Research to be
developed to build on the progress so far and encourage the
translation of major research breakthroughs into new NHS
treatments and services. The National Ambitions will be developed
independently of Government by the research funding bodies, under
the auspices of OSCHR, in consultation with the academic community.
Launching today's report, Professor Sir John Bell, Chairman
of OSCHR said:
"I believe that the NIHR and the MRC, together with the
Departments of Health in Scotland and Wales, are making very real
progress developing and implementing a coordinated translational
programme that, globally, is unequalled. Much overlap of remits
has been eliminated, there is better coordination between funders,
and translational science is beginning to receive a large boost
from the new programmes and funding."
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:
"We are committed to ensuring advances in basic science are
swiftly translated into better diagnosis, treatment and care
across the NHS.
"Today's report highlights the rapid progress that is
being made by the National Institute for Health Research and the
Medical Research Council following unprecedented investment from Government."
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and
Skills said:
"I welcome the progress made in implementing the
recommendations set out in the Cooksey Review and commend the work
of Sir John and OSCHR in achieving a greater coordination of
investment in the translation of basic science for clinical
benefits. I and the rest of the Cabinet remain strongly convinced
that we need to build on the UK's record of world class basic
medical research, which is why we have committed £200 million to
rebuild the MRC's Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge."
Notes to editors
The Department of Health's budget for
health research will rise to £1bn by 2010/11. Most of this is
delivered through the National Institute for Health Research. The
NIHR provides the NHS in England with the support and
infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by
the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient
care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding
individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world
class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading
edge research focused on the needs of patients. More information
about the National Institute for Health Research is available on
its website at: http://www.nihr.ac.uk
The Medical Research Council is funded through DIUS as set out in
the Allocation of the Science Budget (http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/URN07114.pdf )
£'000 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Near Cash 520,409 557,662 588,245
Non Cash 27,689 33,686 41,763
Resource DEL 548,098 591,348 630,008
Capital Grants 15,492 24,043 32,774
Direct Capital 41,948 43,081 44,243
Capital DEL 57,440 67,124 77,017
Total DEL 605,538 658,472 707,025
The MRC expects to invest over £130m (£25m in 2007/08, £44m in
2009/10 and £63m in 2010/11) in priority areas agreed with
OSCHR
and aligned with the Department of Health's strategies
On 4 November 2008, the Prime Minister asked the Departments of
Health and Innovation, Universities and Skills about the
development of a new overarching set of national objectives to
encourage the translation of major research breakthroughs into new
NHS treatments and services within a decade. These will be
articulated as a set of 'National Ambitions for Translational
Health Research'.
The 'National Ambitions' will be developed
independently of Government by the research funding bodies (MRC
and NIHR), working collaboratively with the medical and wider
research communities and with industry, under the auspices of
OSCHR. The approach taken will combine an assessment of clinical
need with opportunity assessment based on the state of science
internationally and in the UK. This will be informed in part in
part by OSCHR's work on UK Health Research Opportunities.
John Denham,Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and
Skills announced the the go-ahead of a £200 million rebuild of the
internationally renowned Laboratory of Molecular Biology in June
this year. Established in 1947, the Laboratory of Molecular
Biology (LMB) has produced 13 Nobel Prize winners, most recently
in 2002, and is where the structure of DNA was discovered and DNA
sequencing invented.
For further information contact the department of health press
office on 020 7210 5221.