Two NIHR Translational Research Partnerships (TRPs) were formally launched in October 2011 – one for respiratory inflammatory disease and another for joint and related inflammatory disease. The launch is accompanied by a one off funding allocation of £1.3 million to work with NIHR’s Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure to broker clinical-academic collaborations with industry.
King's Health Partners has secured membership of both TRPs.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London have received an award of £20,294 for 2011/12 and £60,882 for 2012/13 to support partnerships for rheumatology translational research.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London have received the same level of funding to support respiratory translational research partnerships.
“All three organisations are part of King’s Health Partners, so we will collaborate to make the best and most efficient use of the funding,’ says Jackie Powell, Director of the Joint Clinical Trials Office and the business lead for this programme. “The funding is to help us to work effectively as members of the NIHR Translational Research Partnerships.”
Jackie, with the clinical academic leads, Prof Andrew Cope (Guy’s and St Thomas’) and Prof Tariq Sethi (King’s College Hospital), and R&D representatives for each trust will decide how the funding is best used.
About NIHR Translational Research Partnerships
The Government made a commitment to coordinate the setting up of these TRPs as part of The Plan for Growth, published in March 2011, to improve the UK’s competitiveness as a place for industry to undertake translational research.
The TRPs offer a unique approach to support open innovation and collaboration with the life sciences industry in early and exploratory development of new drugs and other interventions.
NIHR is investing £775 million over five years in the Biomedical Research Centres and Units, which form the basis of new translational research partnerships.
Posted on Wednesday 30th November 2011