The Research and Innovation team at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust has been successful in acquiring £2.4 million in national funding, to help them improve the way they deliver their vital work over the next five years.
The funding has come from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and as part of the successful funding bid, the NIHR has also awarded NUH 'NIHR Clinical Research Facility' status - a prestigious designation that's only held by a few NHS organisations in the country.
Dr Stephen Ryder NUH's Director of Research and Innovation and Director of the Nottingham Clinical Research Facility said:
"We are delighted to announce that NUH has been successful in obtaining NIHR Clinical Research Facility designation, accompanied by £2.4 million of funding to develop and deliver our research facilities strategy in the next five years.
"This is an infrastructure award we never held before, and it offers us a tremendous opportunity to establish Nottingham as a centre of experimental medicine excellence. It will support us to speed up the translation of scientific advances for the benefit of our patients."
With Ibuprofen and the MRI scanner both developed in the city, Nottingham has a long established history with research and innovation - and research at NUH is a fundamental part of the Trust's work.
Dr Ryder said: "Without health research there would be no new medicines or tests, improved treatments, or better ways of providing healthcare. Doctors and nurses use research studies to compare current treatments with potentially better ones in order to prevent illnesses and improve quality of life as well, as our understanding of medical conditions.
"In partnership with The University of Nottingham's prestigious medical school and other partners, we deliver a wide range of health research for the benefit of our patients."
The Nottingham Clinical Research Facility (Nottingham CRF) operates as a hub and spoke model, with 2,000 square metres of dedicated and purpose-built facilities across the NUH and University of Nottingham sites.
NUH will be receiving a total of £2,407,641 from NIHR, with the money to be made available from 1 April 2017