Clinical research facility receives over £5m Published on: 4 March 2022 The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has received over £5.47m to continue its research into a range of health conditions. The NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ CRF, a partnership between Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals and Â鶹´«Ã½, is one of 28 in the country to receive funding which will support research into new treatments and early phase clinical trials which test treatments for the first time. Research successesCRFs were launched in 2007 and the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ CRF was amongst one of the first to receive the status. In the last five years alone, the facility has supported 406 clinical studies and over 9,200 people have participated in research. Recent achievements include dosing the first patient in Europe as part of a trial to find treatments for a rare genetic condition. The facility has also recruited the first patients in the UK to other trials. New treatments for patientsProfessor Fai Ng, Director of the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ CRF, Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals and Professor of Rheumatology at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive funding from the NIHR to continue to deliver clinical research and find new treatments for patients living with often life-limiting conditions. “The success of the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ CRF is thanks to the partnership between Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals and Â鶹´«Ã½ which has helped us to translate promising discoveries made by scientists and industry into new therapies to benefit patients. “This funding will help us to further develop our research infrastructure, invest in development of research delivery staff, strengthen our commitment to patient involvement and equality and diversity, and realise our ambition in effective delivery of high-quality research for patient benefits.” Working in partnershipThe CRF team is also working with the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust to expand its research into ageing, dementia and mental health conditions. Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals and Â鶹´«Ã½ are part of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Health Innovation Partners (NHIP), which brings together world-class research, education and clinical practice to benefit the region. This investment into research infrastructure supports NHIP’s aims to reduce health inequalities across the region. The NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ CRF is based across three sites: the RVI research unit/ paediatric research unit, Clinical Ageing Research Unit on the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV), and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Dental Research Unit within the Â鶹´«Ã½ Dental Hospital. The facility works closely with other NIHR partners, including the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria. Both organisations are hosted by Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals. For more information on the national funding, visit the and more information about can be found here.(Adapted with thanks to) Share: Latest News Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Student leader drives misogyny law change A Â鶹´«Ã½ student leader has helped change the law after creating a petition to make misogyny a hate crime, which gathered over 114,000 signatures, prompting action in Parliament. published on: 12 June 2026 Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ see construction of new Castle Leazes The Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ and other key stakeholders have become an indelible part of new student accommodation at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Castle Leazes. published on: 12 June 2026 Facts and figures
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