The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford (OxBRC) is based at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust and run in partnership with the University of Oxford. It was one of five centres funded by the National Institute of Health Research in 2007 through a competitively award grant of £57m over five years. Biomedical Research Centres are part of the Government’s initiative to improve the translation of basic scientific developments into clinical benefits for patients and to reinforce the position of the UK as a global leader in healthcare related research. The OxBRC is a partnership that brings together the research expertise of the University of Oxford and the clinical skills of staff of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust with the aim of supporting translational research and innovation to improve healthcare for patients.
Oxford has long been at the forefront of medical research, whether it is the genetic and molecular basis of disease, the latest advances in neuroscience, or clinical studies in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and others. Oxford also has one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and considerable expertise in taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic.
The Director of Oxford’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Professor Keith Channon said: “This new award is a significant increase in NIHR funding, which gives us a very clear endorsement of the quality and vision of the research partnership between Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals and the University of Oxford. We are very excited by the major new areas of clinical research that this funding will enable us to develop in the next 5 years."
Sir Jonathan Michael, Chief Executive of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “There has been a long history of collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals which benefits both patients and the wider community. In July of this year Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals and the University of Oxford formalised their longstanding relationship by entering into a Joint Working Agreement. The news of significantly increased funding for the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre is another example of the effective partnership between the Trust and the University in pursuit of excellence in patient care, research and education.”
Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said: ‘We welcome this funding for the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, which has not just been renewed but significantly increased.
“It is great recognition for the structure that has been put in place here in Oxford, which is enabling excellent medical research to flourish and supporting the translation of those advances into improved treatments for patients.”
Professor Ted Baker, Medical Director of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The research collaboration between Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals and the University, through the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, underpins and drives forward improvements in patient care by bringing innovation from the laboratory bench to the patients’ bedside. This new award will help the Trust continue developing new ways of caring for patients by providing an environment where clinicians and scientists can flourish."
For more information
www.oxfordbrc.org| or www.nihr.ac.uk|
Contact: Alison Barnes
Contact Details: 01865 231471 or 07887511380