Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 4 September 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 September 2023. It was answered by Lord Markham (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 September 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health and Technology: Research

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the breakdown by department of the current allocation of Government funding for projects aimed at translating health research into practical innovations; what plans they have, if any, to increase such funding; how they plan to support collaborations between academic institutions and industry to expedite the development of healthcare technologies and treatments; and what steps they are taking to ensure that promising research findings are supported for successful translation into practical applications.

Answer: The Department funds and enables research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In 2022/23, the NIHR budget was approximately £1.25 billion and enabling translation of research into practice is embedded across multiple workstreams in the NIHR portfolio. Its close working with the NHS England Accelerated Access Collaborative also promotes the adoption and diffusion of proven innovations and the decommissioning of ineffective or superseded interventions. The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, launched in 2021, also aims to accelerate the time to market by streamlining the regulatory and access processes, particularly for innovative and promising medicines, ensuring that they reach patients more efficiently and rapidly.

Secondary information