A £1.2 million funding boost is set to bring new healthcare research projects to Cumbria.
The new health research projects and fellowships, based in Cumbria and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), are being delivered through the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) Research Hub, located within the University of Cumbria’s Institute of Health.
The hub is a partnership between the university and the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC).
The PCSM Research Hub received the funding from the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Professor Jonathan Weber CBE, co-director of the PCSM Research Hub, said: "This initiative will bring world-class health research directly to the communities we serve.
"By supporting collaborative projects between the university and the NHS, we are bridging the gap between academic discovery and public benefit – ensuring that the research we do is shaped by and responds to the needs of patients and other members of the public in Cumbria."
Seven new research projects have been launched, each funded at £50,000 over two years and co-led by university and NCIC staff.
The studies focus on issues affecting Cumbrian patients, with the aim of improving care, generating new evidence, and attracting future research investment.
Studies include a 'prehabilitation' project that will examine whether exercise-based programmes ahead of major cancer surgery can improve outcomes, particularly for patients in remote and coastal areas with limited healthcare access.
Other research will address the potential under-diagnosis of heart failure in older adults, explore rural cancer inequalities, and study maternal health disparities.
The hub is also awarding research fellowships at master’s, pre-doctoral, and PhD levels to health professionals in Cumbria.
One PhD project will examine the impact of 'prehabilitation' on colorectal cancer patients’ wellbeing.
Other fellowships will look at frailty screening, decision-making in allied health, primary care testing, emergency triage, children’s eating disorders, and communication in end-of-life care.
Professor Sophie Day, co-director of the PCSM Research Hub, said: "Our aim is to support health professionals and researchers to lead collaborative projects that make a difference locally.
"We believe that embedding research in our communities is crucial to improving healthcare delivery, tackling inequality, and shaping a healthier future for everyone across Cumbria."
The hub hosts monthly public research webinars on the fourth Thursday of each month, bringing together medical scientists and clinicians to discuss current health topics.
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