The monthly newsletter from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network - improving health and creating wealth.

Apply now for funding to increase the non-academic impact of research, from small £10K projects to up to £100K over three years.

This month we're delighted to let you know that the second issue of Research for All is now available to read. Co-edited by the NCCPE's Sophie Duncan, this issue of the journal includes articles on public engagement language; creativity and models for working together; and using research to make a difference in policy and practice.

The monthly newsletter from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network - improving health and creating wealth

Researchers from across the University have recently been awarded the first round of Warwick impact funding.

The latest CLAHRC blog is now available to read, featuring the following topics:

• Direct involvement of public and patients in data collection

• Research on the effect of various diets on health

• Whether reducing readmission rates has a perverse affect on mortality

• Using a score to predict readmissions

• Introducing new IT systems in hospitals

• A possible new antibiotic to treat TB

• The effectiveness of debunking posts online

A state-of-the-art Midlands regional cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) facility has been established, following a successful bid by the Universities of Warwick, Nottingham and Birmingham, led by the University of Leicester.

The monthly newsletter from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network - improving health and creating wealth

The University of Warwick is to receive more than £7 million to find better ways of delivering healthcare to some of the world’s poorest people.

The National Institute of Health Research’s (NIHR) Global Health Research Unit on Improving Health in Slums has awarded the University’s Warwick Medical School £5,686,767 which will be match-funded by the University with £717,988.

The government has today announced a major initiative to drive the rapid uptake of health innovation – with a central role for AHSNs.

GBSLEP is seeking to set up an Innovation Challenge Forum (ICF) (comprised of a pool of practitioners that can be drawn upon to review incoming proposals) who are the first line of engagement and potential customers for innovative products or services (e.g. NHS, local authority, corporates, entrepreneurs, SMEs and interest groups) and academic experts to bring a stronger ‘market voice’ to stimulate and prioritise demand-led innovation activities in line with the GBSLEP Strategic Economic Plan (SEP). To establish the ICF, GBSLEP is inviting expressions of interest from innovation experts to act in a non-executive advisory capacity tasked with reviewing and ranking innovation proposals.

A new report demonstrates how Academic Health Science Networks are bringing benefits to patients and the NHS. The AHSN Network Impact Report 2017 highlights collective achievements of England’s 15 AHSNs since their formation in 2013 which are helping the NHS meet the challenges of 21st century health and care. These include:

• Over 6 million patients benefited from AHSN input

• Over £330m leveraged by AHSNs to improve health and support NHS, care and industry partners

• Over 200 innovations introduced through AHSN influence

• Over 500 jobs created

• Hundreds of commercial innovators engaged

• Over 11,000 locations developing innovations supported by AHSNs.

   

Dr Liz Mear, Chair of the AHSN Network, said: “The NHS has huge potential to be creative and innovative, yet the system as a whole is slow to adopt innovation and best practice. Academic Health Science Networks exist to speed up this process, to improve lives, save money and support economic growth.

The monthly newsletter from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network

The Academy of Medical Sciences have now released the call for Round 3 of the Springboard Scheme. Springboard offers a bespoke package of support to biomedical researchers at the start of their first independent post to help launch their research careers. This includes funding of up to £100,000 over two years and access to the Academy’s acclaimed mentoring and career development programme.

The monthly newsletter from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network - improving health and creating wealth.