In an effort to boost global biopharma competitiveness, the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded £47.8 million ($64 million) to 51 National Health Service (NHS) healthcare providers and 79 primary care organizations to fund commercial research equipment.
Funded through a partnership between the government and the pharma industry called the Voluntary Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) investment program, the collaboration aims to stimulate economic growth, accelerate commercial trials, increase research capacity and support drug manufacturing, according to a March 4 release.
The funds will be used to purchase equipment ranging from diagnostic kits and EKG machines to scanners and mobile research units, with 60% of the investment directed toward primary care organizations to bring commercial clinical trials to underserved communities. The award will also be used to modernize research spaces and build new modular facilities.
Mobile research units will screen and diagnose patients for trials in areas that lack access to healthcare facilities, while diagnostic equipment will help effectively set up and deliver trial care. The funding is part of the NIHR’s Capital Investment Funding competition, now in its third year, which has expanded eligibility beyond NHS hospitals to include other non-commercial NHS providers.
U.K. Health Innovation and Safety Minister Zubir Ahmed highlighted the initiative’s ability to expand trial sites beyond hospitals and into local communities.
“For too long, access to innovative treatments has been unequal,” Ahmed said in the release. “By targeting primary care, we are changing that—giving patients everywhere the chance to benefit from the latest medical breakthroughs on their doorstep, regardless of where they live or their background.”
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After years of declining clinical trial activity in the U.K., the country has turned to public-private partnerships to grow the industry. In 2024, the country launched the VPAG investment program with the announcement of a £400 million (about $527 million) investment aimed at boosting the domestic biotech industry and launching 18 new clinical trial hubs.
Last year, the U.K. updated the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) regulations with new rules designed to cut red tape, reduce delays and shorten trial timelines from 250 days to 150 for dosing the first participant. It also announced a 10-year plan to become a top three life sciences economy.
These efforts are part of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to “turbocharge” medical research in the country. In addition to regulatory changes and clinical trial investment, the U.K. government and London-based nonprofit Wellcome Trust are investing £600 million (about $791 million) to create a new health data research service designed to improve access to NHS data.
“I am determined to make Britain the best place in the world to invest in medical research,” Starmer said in a statement last year.
