A £21m National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in Bristol will launch this week (University of Bristol, 2017). The research centre, awarded to University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) and the University of Bristol by the NIHR, will conduct cutting edge research to develop new, ground breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases.

NIHR Bristol BRC is led by John Iredale, the University of Bristol’s Pro Vice Chancellor for Health, and Jonathan Sterne. It has research themes on cardiovascular research, led by Gianni Angelini, nutrition, diet and lifestyle, led by Andy Ness, mental health, led by David Gunnell, perinatal and reproductive health, led by Debbie Lawlor, and surgical innovation, led by Jane Blazeby. The research themes are underpinned by cross-cutting themes in translational population science, led by George Davey Smith, and biostatistics, evidence synthesis and informatics, led by Jonathan Sterne.

A strand of population health science runs through all themes of the BRC, with a focus on translating scientific discoveries that have arisen from population science into better care for NHS patients.

Professor John Iredale said “Bristol’s expertise in population health and clinical research, particularly in cardiac surgery, combined with our strong health partnerships will help our Biomedical Research Centre deliver tangible advances in patient care.”

Robert Woolley, chief executive of UH Bristol, said “This designation puts us in the ‘premier league’ in terms of biomedical research nationally. It is testimony to the special health research strengths that exist in Bristol and builds on the excellent track record of partnership between this Trust and the University of Bristol, ably supported by North Bristol Trust, Avon and Wiltshire Partnership Trust and the Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative. I am hugely excited by the opportunities we now share to design ground-breaking treatments and improvements in clinical care for the benefit of patients in future.”