The announcement today of a new national network focusing on applied health and social care research has been welcomed by the Oxford Academic Health Science Network (Oxford AHSN).
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) are based on the same regions as England’s 15 AHSNs and will work closely with them. One of the new NIHR ARCs covers Oxford and the Thames Valley (OTV).
Professor Gary Ford, Chief Executive of the Oxford AHSN, said: “The new ARC will be an important partner in identifying innovations of value and undertaking research in line with the needs of local healthcare systems.”
A key early joint priority will be responding to a national survey of the NHS’s local innovation and research needs which was published earlier this year.
The NIHR ARC OTV represents a £9m investment over the next five years. It will be jointly led by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford. Other members of the collaboration include patient groups, charities, NHS trusts, local authorities, and NHS clinical commissioning groups across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire, as well as the University of Reading and Oxford Brookes University.