National Institute for Health Research

The mission of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is to maintain a health research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals, working in world class facilities, conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients and the public.

The NIHR is a large, multi-faceted and nationally distributed organisation, funded through the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Professor Dame Sally Davies, as the head of Department of Health R&D, is responsible for NIHR.

Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has worked with key partners involved in the different elements of NHS research to transform research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research.

www.nihr.ac.uk

University of Leicester

The University of Leicester is a leading UK University committed to international excellence through the creation of world changing research and high quality, inspirational teaching. Leicester is the most socially inclusive of Britain's top-20 leading universities. Leicester was the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2008-9. In awarding the title the judges cited Leicester’s ability to “evidence commitment to high quality, a belief in the synergy of teaching and research and a conviction that higher education is a power for good”. Leicester was, said the judges, "elite without being elitist". Leicester is a member of the 1994 Group of internationally renowned universities engaged in leading-edge research and high quality teaching.

http://www.le.ac.uk/

Many of the researchers within the National Institute for Health Research Leicester Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit belong to the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Leicester.

 http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/iii

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

We are one of the biggest and busiest NHS trusts in the country, incorporating the Leicester General,

Glenfield and Royal Infirmary hospitals. We have our very own Children’s Hospital and run one of the

country’s leading heart centres. Our team is made up of more than 10,000 staff providing a range of services primarily for the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Our nationally and internationally-renowned specialist treatment and services in cardio-respiratory diseases, cancer and renal disorders reach a further two to three million patients from the rest of the country.

We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of many research programmes and new surgical procedures, in areas such as diabetes, genetics, cancer and cardiorespiratory diseases.

http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/

CLARHC

The National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care - Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland (NIHR CLAHRC for LNR)

The NIHR CLAHRC for LNR aims to overcome the barriers to implementing research by bringing together all the local NHS Trusts in a unique partnership with the University of Leicester.

NIHR CLAHRC–LNR works to support and inform Trusts to both commission and provide services that are evidence based, known to work and are cost effective. Simultaneously we work hard with Trusts to improve their own internal research knowledge and capacity so that they can ensure research is built into how they work, not bolted on afterwards.

http://www.clahrc-lnr.nihr.ac.uk/

Airprom

AirPROM stands for 'Airway Disease Predicting Outcomes through Patient Specific Computational Modelling'. the AirPROM consortium involves partners from academia, the Biopharma industry, patient/ care organisations and small-to-medium enterprise with the aim to intergrate and enhance the capacitites of all partners to deliver the best possible outcome for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pumonary disease (COPD).

At a practical level, AirPROM  brings together existing clinical consortia (EvA FP7, U-BIOPRED IMI and BTS Severe Asthma), with expertise in physiology, radiology, image analysis, bioengineering, data harmonization,  security and ethics, computational modeling and systems biology. The project is funded by the EU.

This broad multi discipline approach will enable the consortium to develop an integrated multi-scale airways model. This model will build on the legacy of existing models and will be comprised of an integrated ‘micro-scale’ and ‘macro-scale’ airway model informed and validated using established techniques and utilising Europe’s largest airway disease cohort.

http://www.airprom.european-lung-foundation.org/16563-.htm

Paintings in Hospitals

Paintings in Hospitals uses art to relieve sickness, anxiety and stress in health and social care facilities throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every Year we bring comfort, enjoyment and reassurance to nearly two million people through our engagement activities and the artworks we provide.

Our library contains a diverse collection of artworks, including pieces by leading British artists. These works help create calming, restful, engaging and, in some cases, stimulating environments that nurture and support service users of all ages and backgrounds.

We make it easy and affordable to borrow artworks from our collection and to take part in our engagement projects. We fundraise to keep our loan fees affordable and only ask borrowers to contribute a small amount to help us with some of our costs.   

http://www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk