News

Brighton to benefit from health and social care award

Published 19 April 2013

A £5.2 million package of renewed funding for health and social care researchers in the south-east has ensured that they will receive valuable support and advice for the next five years.

This National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) award will be made to the member universities of the NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS South East). Formed in 2008 to increase the quality and quantity of successful grant applications from researchers, this organisation includes the Universities of Brighton, Surrey and Kent. Its services are open and offered to individuals seeking funding for applied health and social care research from open national peer reviewed funding programmes.

Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, said: "The NIHR is transforming research in the NHS to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. It is very important that researchers applying for NIHR funding access the services provided by the RDS so that they can submit their best applications to the NIHR and others for funding."

The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at the University of Brighton works in collaboration with Surrey's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, and the Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS) at the University of Kent to run the RDS South East.

Professor Val Hall, Director of RDS South East and Professor of Midwifery at the University of Brighton, said: "The award is great news. Over the last five years, we have built an excellent team who deliver really effective support. Advice is informed, confidential and completely free. The new contract provides an opportunity to carry on working with academics and clinicians to develop high quality research applications that will ultimately benefit patients and improve health."

RDS South East is one of a national network of ten NIHR RDS centres in England.