Services and support for the life sciences industry

We can help you to find expert collaborators to support you to develop your innovation. Use our Expertise Partnering Service at any stage of your research journey to connect with relevant researchers and other experts across the UK research and health ecosystem.

Discover which NIHR funding programmes are available to life sciences companies and how we can support you to apply.

Access research-ready patient samples and anonymised health data sets to conduct your research quicker. We can also support you to curate data and develop machine learning models.

Find out about initiatives to enable the life sciences industry to access and curate health data.

Use our national research activity data to: understand the existing research landscape; inform your feasibility decisions; and help you decide how, where and when to conduct your trial.

Our Patient Engagement in Clinical Development Service helps life science companies to connect and collaborate with patients and the public to get feedback on your research plans and design participant-friendly clinical trials.

Access relevant clinical, care and research delivery experts to check your research is compatible with the UK health and care system and to get advice on how to optimise your protocol for fast and efficient delivery.

Find the right sites for your research. Use our UK-wide service to rapidly gather expressions of interest to deliver your study from investigators and sites throughout the NHS, general practice, social care and beyond.

Essential information on the UK-wide standardised, national approach to costing and contracting for commercial contract research; National Contract Value Review, and the tools you will need to use to complete the process.

Explore how our research registries and other digital tools can support your feasibility process and directly support recruitment.

Access free support to help you coordinate start-up activities across multiple research sites.

Use our tools to assess study progress and learn how to request additional delivery support.

Biomedical Research Centres are centres of expertise that support the advancement of early-stage research and lab-based breakthroughs. They offer opportunities to collaborate with UK clinical academics and access specialised research facilities.

HealthTech Research Centres help medical device, diagnostic, healthtech, software and digital companies to develop, evaluate and validate new healthcare solutions, technologies and In Vitro Diagnostic tests.

Access our Translational Research Collaborations to accelerate development of your early-phase, translational research ideas. These ready-formed networks of UK experts in predefined therapeutic areas are based within our NHS, universities and renowned research centres.

Clinical Research Facilities are state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities based in NHS hospitals that specialise in designing and delivering early phase and high-risk studies.

Work with the UK’s leading cancer researchers to deliver your early phase or complex oncology study. Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres are a network of experts based in specialist centres dedicated to accelerating the development of new cancer treatments.

Our Patient Recruitment Centres (PRCs) are purpose-designed to deliver late-phase and large-scale commercial clinical research in the NHS and wider health and care environment. They are 100% dedicated to delivering commercial research.

Our Research Delivery Network is divided into regions covering the whole of England. Through this network structure we organise and deploy day-to-day research delivery support. Our research workforce engages with sites, healthcare professionals, patients and the public at a local level to encourage participation in research and drive research delivery.

We work in partnership with the life sciences industry, including SMEs, to build research expertise, capacity and capability in areas of shared interest. We do this by co-funding research career development opportunities, such as research awards and fellowships.

In our Insights for Industry section you will find helpful information, including our guide to the UK research ecosystem, why you should bring your research to the UK, and whether your research is inclusive.

Explore examples of UK research expertise, capacity and capabilities in areas of interest and innovation. These include the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway, complex innovative trials, delivering research beyond the hospital clinic, and decentralised clinical trials.