Yorkshire and Humber is celebrating a significant achievement in healthcare innovation with the establishment of two major Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDC). Key Yorkshire & Humber SDE partners have secured two of the fourteen National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) CRDCs, backed by nearly £10 million in funding.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is leading a collaborative effort with Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust in securing around £6.9 million of funding. Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust will receive £3.3 million to establish its CRDC.
Breaking Down Barriers in Clinical Research
The new CRDCs aim to transform how clinical trials are conducted in the region. “If this award means more people will get the chance to take part, then I think it’s great for everyone in Bradford,” shares Malcolm Smith, a research participant who has experienced firsthand the benefits of clinical trials.
The CRDCs will:
- Create dedicated facilities and staff for commercial research
- Accelerate the setup of clinical trials
- Expand research into various conditions, including cancer, obesity, and infectious diseases
- Support the government’s 10 Year Health Plan by bringing clinical trials closer to communities
- Contribute to a UK-wide network of research excellence
A key focus of these centers is democratising access to clinical research. By decentralising trials to smaller district hospitals and primary care settings, the CRDCs will make participation in cutting-edge research more accessible to diverse communities, particularly those bearing the greatest disease burden.
Prof Dinesh Saralaya, director of the Bradford CRDC, said it enables “people of Bradford, Mid Yorkshire, Calderdale & Huddersfield to access cutting-edge technology before their peers across the world. These seven years of funding means that we will be able to carry out clinical trials in several new disease areas not available in the past, enabling better care for our patients and population.”
Professor Michael J Cork, director of Sheffield CRDC said:
“The Commercial Research Delivery Centre funding will allow us to substantially increase the number of commercial clinical trials it can support in a variety of specialties. A major focus will be on early intervention with babies, with innovative drugs, to alter the course and/or prevent the development of diseases.”
This initiative represents a major step forward in making Yorkshire & Humber a leading region for medical research. While Y&H SDE works to bring together healthcare data in one secure environment, these new research centres will provide the practical testing grounds for innovations born from this data. Together, they create a powerful ecosystem where secure data infrastructure supports and enhances clinical research capabilities.
Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said:
“The new hubs will help shift research into smaller communities, allowing more people to access cutting-edge treatments faster.’’
National Impact and Economic Growth
This funding is a part of a broader £400 million joint public-private investment scheme under the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme. Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron emphasizes the significance: “This significant private investment in health research is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK’s leading research and life sciences sector.”