Forging a strong partnership in health research - A report from OSCHR
20 November 2008
The first progress report from the Office for Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research (OSCHR) was submitted to the Government yesterday. The rapid progress in implementing the recommendations of the Cooksey review is evident in this document.
The purpose of the OSCHR progress report is to highlight the achievements of the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in developing a more coherent strategic approach to health research. Since the establishment of OSCHR two years ago, MRC, NIHR and other partners have been able to make unprecedented commitments to health research in terms of funding, infrastructure, and research programmes. (Details of the latest funding opportunities)
The progress report includes the next steps to enhance the coordination between the OSCHR partners. One of these activities is to identify UK Health Research Opportunities. As part of this process, MRC is bringing together a group of key academic and users of research to discuss scientific opportunities early in December. These opportunities will be informed by health needs and by the state of the UK science base.
The progress report also announces that the Prime Minister has asked for a set of “National Ambitions for Translational Health Research” to be developed, to be informed in part by the work on UK Health Research Opportunities.
