Trust awarded £3.5m to establish research centre

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has been awarded £3.5m over seven years by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The award was the first investment of its kind in the county to establish a commercial research delivery centre, health bosses said.

The trust was selected as one of only 21 across the UK to establish new research hubs, with the aim of accelerating research into next-generation treatments for patients, they added.

The trust said the investment would provide local underserved communities with greater opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research.

RCHT chief executive Steve Williamson said: "We are incredibly proud to be selected by the NIHR as one of a handful of clinical research hubs across the UK.

"This new initiative will allow us to deliver cutting-edge trials to our patients faster than ever before, boosting our research capacity and helping Cornwall play a vital role in the UK's growing life sciences sector."

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