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Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research Funding
The UKCRC Partners have been working together to improve research into microbiology and infectious diseases in the UK.
In 2006, several funders joined forces under the UKCRC umbrella to form a Strategic Planning Group (SPG) to carry out actions to strengthen the research base in this area. The findings of the SPG are detailed in the report Developing Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research in the UK.
The main outcome of the SPG was a commitment of £16.5m from a consortium of seven funders to fund the UKCRC Translational Infection Research Initiative (TIRI).
The initiative is designed to foster multi-disciplinary collaboration, boost research infrastructure, and promote training and career development, through two routes:
- Consortium Grants – to support new research partnerships. The consortia will focus on high quality, collaborative research targeted at national priority areas. They will establish new career development and training programmes and carry out multi-disciplinary research
- Strategy Development Grants – to develop new partnerships and improved research bids. The bids will be based on meaningful strategies and address evidence gaps.
Five Strategy Development Grants were awarded in early 2008. In July 2008 two Consortium Grants were awarded with £9 million funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research and Wellcome Trust. Two further Consortium Grants were awarded totaling £7.1 million in July 2010. The four UKCRC TIRI Consortia are:
- Modernising Medical Microbiology Consortium (PI: Professor Derrick Crook), University of Oxford
- Centre for Infection Prevention and Management (PI: Professor Jonathan Friedland), Imperial College London
- Cambridge Translational Microbiology (PI: Professor Sharon Peacock), University of Cambridge
- eST12 - Electronic Self testing Instruments for Sexually Transmitted Infections (PI: Dr Tariq Sadiq), St George's, University of London
The seven organisations involved in the UKCRC Translational Infection Research Initiative are:
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- National Institute for Health Research
- Health and Social Care Research and Development, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland
- Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health Directorates
- Wales Office of Research and Development for Health and Social Care, Welsh Assembly Government
- Wellcome Trust
