The NIHR is announcing £72 million of funding to establish 14 new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) across England.
The new centres will enhance the speed and efficiency of commercial clinical research delivery, contributing to the health and wealth of the nation. They will work with industry and other research delivery infrastructure to support the UK’s status as one of the best places in the world for innovative companies to bring their portfolio of research.
The CRDCs will:
- build further capacity in commercial contract research
- provide dedicated staff and facilities to conduct commercial research
- provide access to a network of commercially active sites with gold-standard set-up times and performance
- make taking part in research as easy as possible, by supporting the decentralisation of clinical trials to smaller district general hospitals and primary care settings
- increase research inclusion to ensure people from all eligible communities, including those living with the greatest burden of disease, can participate in clinical trials
- support and contribute to a newly convened UK-wide CRDC Network, working as a collaborative partner across the NIHR and equivalent organisations in the devolved nations
A UK-wide scheme
This £72 million investment over 7 years, beginning in April 2025, is awarded from the £400 million Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme and partly from NIHR in England.
The VPAG programme is a unique partnership between the UK Government and the pharmaceutical industry to boost the global competitiveness of the UK life sciences sector and stimulate economic growth. It will invest up to £300 million to bolster commercial clinical trial activity and help advance the delivery of new medicines and vaccines to patients.