Biomedical Research Units

The NIHR Biomedical Research Units (BRUs) undertake translational clinical research in priority areas of high disease burden and clinical need.

The BRUs are based in leading NHS organisations and Universities enabling some of our best health researchers and clinicians to work together to develop new treatments for the benefit of patients. The BRUs:

• Drive innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ill-health.
• Translate advances in medical research into benefits for patients.
• Provide a key component of the NHS contribution to our nation’s international competitiveness by building on the best research leaders and their teams and enabling their host institutions to achieve or further develop critical mass in a priority research area:

Ø      supporting the further development of NHS/University partnerships with existing critical mass in the priority research areas, 'building on the best';

Ø      enabling excellent, but comparatively small, research groups (comprising a relatively small number of research leaders, working in one of the priority areas, who are at the forefront of their field internationally) to achieve critical mass.

The NIHR established the first round BRUs in 2008. Designation and funding for these BRUs ended in March 2012. Following a new, open competition launched in February 2011, the NIHR has designated and funded a second round of twenty BRUs. These were announced on 18 August 2011. DH press release.

New Biomedical Research Units
The 20 new BRUs began operating on 1 April 2012.
 

NHS Organisation	Academic Partner	Priority Area
Barts Health NHS Trust	Queen Mary University of London	Cardiovascular Disease
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	University of Bristol	Cardiovascular Disease
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	University of Leicester	Cardiovascular Disease
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust	Imperial College London	Cardiovascular Disease
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Nottingham	Deafness & Hearing Problems
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	University of Cambridge	Dementia
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Newcastle University	Dementia
South London and Maudsley  NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM)	Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London	Dementia
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	University College London	Dementia
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	University of Birmingham	Gastrointestinal Disease
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Nottingham	Gastrointestinal Disease
Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Liverpool	Gastrointestinal Disease
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	The University of Manchester	Musculoskeletal Disease
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Leeds	Musculoskeletal Disease
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Oxford	Musculoskeletal Disease
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	University of Bristol	Nutrition, Diet & Lifestyle (including Obesity)
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Loughborough University	Nutrition, Diet & Lifestyle (including Obesity)
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	University of Leicester	Respiratory Disease
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust	Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine	Respiratory Disease
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust	University of Southampton	Respiratory Disease

Funding
The amount awarded to each Biomedical Research Unit is determined by the scale and nature of the research activity that it conducts and the anticipated impact of that activity. The awards have been made to the NHS partner, and can only be used to support the recurrent costs of patient focused research.

NIHR briefing document:

4.3 Biomedical Research Units

Athena SWAN
The NIHR has stated that for future competitions to designate and fund NIHR Biomedical Research Units, Biomedical Research Centres, and Patient Safety Translational Research Centres, it does not expect to short-list any NHS/University partnership where the academic partner (often the Medical School/Faculty of Medicine) has not achieved at least the Silver Award of the Athena SWAN Charter for Women in Science.