The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has been awarded £47.8m ($63.8m) from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to pay for equipment that will increase the NHS’s ability to deliver high-quality clinical trials.
The award, which is part of the UK Government’s aim to turbocharge clinical trials, is funded by a partnership between the Government and the Voluntary Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) investment programme.
This funding will provide essential equipment to 51 NHS Trusts and 79 primary care organisations across England. It will include equipment such as diagnostic kits, ECG machines, high-tech scanners and mobile research vans to improve the delivery of clinical trials in the country. The funding will also modernise research spaces through building refurbishments and new modular facilities.
Of this investment, 60% has been secured by NHS primary care organisations to bring commercial clinical trials to local communities.
Dr Zubir Ahmed, health innovation and safety minister, said: “For too long, access to innovative treatments has been unequal. By targeting primary care, we are changing that – giving patients everywhere the chance to benefit from the latest medical breakthroughs on their doorstep, regardless of where they live or their background.”
Dr Janet Valentine, executive director of innovation and research policy at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), added: “Funding for research equipment in primary care will also expand the ability of GP practices and community providers to offer research opportunities closer to where people live. Importantly, investment in mobile research units will help extend the reach of clinical trials into underserved communities, ensuring more people can benefit from taking part in research.”
In December 2025, the ABPI said that UK patients were being “denied the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge clinical research”. According to the ABPI’s annual clinical trials report, released on 2 December 2025, between 2022/2023 and 2024/2025, the number of patients recruited into UK industry clinical trials fell by 25%, with participation in commercial trials now at its lowest level since 2017/2018.
Slow set-up times and low recruitment were identified by pharma companies as the main cause for the decline, an issue which UK health secretary Wes Streeting is looking to improve.
