Research

The research carried out by our Partners ranges from basic, underpinning biological sciences through to applied research which brings basic discoveries into clinical practice.

Fundamental research is carried out largely by the University of Cambridge, through its Schools of Biological Sciences and Clinical Medicine, which includes 11 academic departments and the highly successful Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. Funding for fundamental research derives from the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and medical research charities such as the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. In addition to funding research in the University, both the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK have substantial research institutes on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Both the funders and the doers of fundamental research are increasingly realising the importance of ensuring that there are appropriate translational pathways for their discoveries to impact upon patient care, whether through the discovery and use of new drugs, the invention of new medical technologies, or novel, more effective clinical practices.

It is here that the NHS Trusts come into the foreground, providing the clinical expertise to carry discoveries through to implementation. Key elements of this translation landscape include the NIHR Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre, hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals, the Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care, hosted by Cambridge and Peterborough Trust, and the well-established research programmes hosted by Papworth Hospital.

These NHS bodies work closely with the departments and Institutes of the School of Clinical Medicine. Particular translation highlights include the Institute of Public Health and the Institute of Metabolic Sciences, both of which are collaborations between the School of Clinical Medicine, the NHS and the Medical Research Council with particular missions to ensure that knowledge is translated into improvements in health. In addition, our Partners enjoy close links with industry; in particular, GSK have an institute on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Beyond the conventional boundaries of Medical Research, the strengths of the University in the Social Sciences, through the Judge Business School and the Physical Sciences and Technology, through the Engineering for Life Sciences group and the Physics of Medicine initiative, provide cross-disciplinary solutions to challenging problems in 21st Century healthcare.