Multi-million pound investment for ‘ground-breaking’ research into dementia

The Government has invested £124m into “ground-breaking” research into the nation’s most pressing health problems, including dementia.

Earlier today, Health Minister Lord Howe revealed the grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to help researchers find innovative new treatments for long-term and challenging conditions.

One of the projects that will be helped by the funding is a study investigating how exercise could reduce the risk of dementia. Experts will also investigate strategies to improve the health and nutrition of those already diagnosed with the disease.

Thanks to the investment, 13 research teams from across the country – each known as NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs) - will now spend the next five years working on their projects, which, in addition to the dementia study, will include work on long-term conditions such as diabetes and stroke. They were awarded the funding after making successful bids to the Department of Health.

Making the announcement, Lord Howe said: “This is great news for patients – this funding could potentially help the development of ground-breaking treatments, which could revolutionise care. With a growing elderly population, the need for innovative and effective solutions has never been more important.

“We want the UK to lead the world in terms of health research and this announcement underlines that commitment.

“It is vital that we invest in health research, not only to create the opportunities for health research to grow – but also to help our economy thrive so we can compete in the global race.”

Welcoming the announcement, Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer and chief scientific officer at the Department of Health, said: “I’m delighted we have today announced the successful schemes and I’m very much looking forward to hearing updates on how patients will benefit from this research.

“The teams are following a strong tradition of success as the NIHR has a proven track record of world-class health research in the NHS.

“Supporting our leading researchers is so important and these NIHR CLAHRCs will link the NHS universities, and other relevant organisations providing care for patients in what will be ground-breaking work to improve the lives of thousands of patients across the country.”