Research and Innovation Director’s Update – October 2019

It’s a really exciting time for Research and Innovation (R&I) at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).

We are continuing to grow and there are now more than 500 of us working across our nine hospitals, managed clinical services and within the Greater Manchester community.

In partnership with our R&I Comms Team, I wanted to spread the good news and great successes from across our team.

Two of our doctors were recently awarded a Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Academic Research Partnerships (CARP) fellowship. This is great news for the R&I, MFT, and particularly Dr Hood Thabit – Consultant Diabetologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Dr Phil Murray, Paediatric Endocrinologist at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – who will now receive funding and protected time to carry out innovative research and health technology projects.

I am thrilled that Phil and Hood have had this success – it was a hugely competitive process and well deserved. I’d also like to extend my congratulations to Dr Claire Higham, Consultant Endocrinologist at The Christie, who was Manchester’s third awardee.

As we forge ever closer links to the University of Manchester and our neighbouring trusts, these awards to our NHS consultants, in partnership with their University collaborators, is brilliant news.

Looking ahead, we are hosting Research and Innovation Matters on 6 November, at the Postgraduate Centre on our Oxford Road campus. It will be a pleasure to speak about our culture, infrastructure and vision, and the event will be a great opportunity for us to show our colleagues across the wider Trust about the research and innovation here at MFT. I’m aware that lots of staff have already signed up to attend and I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Finally, plans to extend our Citylabs campus – the only development of its kind in the UK – will be on display for staff at a consultation event on 22 October. I will be at the drop-in session at Citylabs 1.0 from 12.30pm to answer any questions you may have about the benefits the development can have for you.

We should all be proud that the Citylabs approach has brought together NHS, academic and commercial sectors, in line with the UK Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy which made this a national priority. In large part, the development is a legacy to the dedicated passion of Keith Chantler, our late Director of Innovation, who did so much to make Citylabs 1.0 a reality.

That we are now driving on with further buildings speaks volumes about our ambition for growth in research and innovation that benefits patient care and the regional economy. I look forward to seeing people at the consultation event.