University of Bradford welcomes dementia research funding
The University of Bradford has joined a new dementia Policy Research Unit (PRU), which will begin work in January 2024 after receiving funding.
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Bradford is collaborating with the University of Exeter, one of 20 university-based PRUs which have received more than £100 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to inform policy in the areas of dementia and neurodegeneration.
Jan Oyebode, Professor of Dementia Care, pictured below, who will be Deputy Director of the new Policy Research Unit, said: "We are delighted we will be in a position to make a significant contribution to this new Policy Research Unit. The Unit will gather and synthesise research evidence on dementia and neurodegenerative diseases to inform Government policy decisions on this important area. It chimes perfectly with the aims of the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies at the University of Bradford 'to make a difference to the lives of people with dementia by influencing policy and practice.'"
The PRU at Exeter, which will receive £3m until 2028, will seek to inform policy in the areas of dementia and neurodegeneration.
It will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Bradford, Newcastle University, London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of New South Wales, as well as those from Innovations in Dementia Community Interest Company.
NIHR announced the funding this month to tackle important emerging health and social care issues including reproductive health, addiction and dementia.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor DHSC and Chief Executive of NIHR, said: “In the NIHR, we have a range of ways to make sure that health and care research benefits patients and the public. The NIHR’s new Policy Research Units are designed to provide strong evaluation of policy. This helps government and related organisations to be able to act on the latest evidence when making decisions about health and social care that could impact us all.”
Women’s Health Strategy Minister Maria Caulfield said: “We’re investing £100-million into 20 new research hubs that will bring together key experts to tackle a range of issues including end of life care, addictions, dementia, and neurodegeneration.
“As part of the Women’s Health Strategy, we promised more research would be done to improve understanding and treatments for women’s health issues – today we’re delivering a new unit looking specifically into reproductive health.”