Strategy
Working together, we are transforming Birmingham’s healthcare through high-impact innovation – delivering research that matters to patients
Our goals
- Ensure equal access to the benefits of health and care research for the whole population of our city, region and beyond
- Drive impactful research and place evidence-based innovation at the core of clinical care, enhancing outcomes for patients
- Translate evidence-based innovation into practice
“By translating our combined research into clinical practice, integrating the latest technologies, and building the workforce of the future, we’re committed to improving health equity and driving economic growth for our region.”
Research themes
Our four cross-cutting themes ensure that the latest innovations in technology, therapeutics and diagnostics support impactful change – directly improving patient care and the everyday lives of the communities we serve.
This is made possible by the strong links between clinical-academics and frontline staff which allow translation of discoveries into patient care, and by working closely with industry partners.
Our high-impact research and innovation through our themes will improve health outcomes with equity through clear, sustainable pathways both in communities and in hospitals prioritising cancer outcomes, inflammation and chronic disease, maternal health and perinatal mortality, and mental health.
Early detection – both in the community and in hospital – saves lives and reduces burden on health systems. Using our expertise in immunology, genomics, health data and regulatory science, we are driving improvements in prevention and patient outcomes through new tests, tools and pathways.
Focusing on Birmingham’s major health challenges, we are working together across our partners to drive innovation in promising areas such as cell and gene therapy and personalised medicine – and commit to ensuring equal access to clinical trials across our communities.
Our capability in clinical trials is nationally-leading, and we’ve hosted one of the largest Cancer Research UK trials units in Europe for over 30 years. With extensive experience in novel trial design, we are delivering studies that are inclusive and representative of our population – from early phase to international, multi-centre randomised control trials.
Birmingham faces unique challenges, being the UK’s third-poorest city as well as one of the youngest and most diverse. We are committed to ensuring equity of access to the benefits of health research, addressing specific local health challenges and promoting equal access to healthcare – all to improve outcomes for current and future generations.
Our health research priorities
We seek to address pressing health issues where we can have the greatest impact and deliver equality of opportunity, and so our research priorities are focused on four of the most significant health challenges faced by Birmingham’s population. Through research and collaboration, we aim to make real change in patient care which can be applied regionally, nationally and internationally.
Our priorities align with the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System’s 10-year strategy for health and social care, as well as the health challenges identified by the Black Country Integrated Care System.
Outcomes for patients in Birmingham are currently below the average for England. With one in two of us now expected to experience a cancer diagnosis, our aim is to improve patient care, reduce harmful side effects, and improve quality of life post-treatment by implementation of cutting-edge research.
Musculoskeletal conditions are the second most common cause of absence from work, while liver and cardiovascular diseases are the greatest causes of reduced life expectancy in Birmingham. Our research aim is to improve health and wellbeing for people with long-term conditions as well as preventing them from occurring in the future.
Birmingham’s infant mortality rate is the highest in England with 7.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. We are committed to tackling key issues in maternal and infant health, nationally and internationally, through our renowned research groups.
A quarter of adults in Birmingham will be experiencing mental health problems at any one time, accounting for the majority of sick leave from work. We want to improve outcomes and care by understanding what causes mental health concerns; how we can prevent problems from developing, and responding to those in need by developing new treatments.
Our impact
The success of our partnership impacts directly on local patient communities, who will benefit from the latest research-informed healthcare.
More widely, the region will benefit economically from the vibrant health and life sciences sector which BHP helps to enable, underpinned by new start-up companies and increased inward investment.
BHP will also create a highly-skilled workforce with the aptitude both engage with and carry out research, and to identify and deliver transformative care pathways. This will include a new generation of health and life sciences entrepreneurs, equipped to commercialise their innovations.
Above all, our health and care systems will be transformed and our universities energised by delivering high impact, visible research.
We are committed to driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and ultimately transforming healthcare for the betterment of Birmingham and beyond