The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded £5.5 million for continued support of the Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (EZI).
The HPRU EZI is a partnership between the University of Oxford, University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as a recent addition. This new award will allow a continuation of the existing unit, which has been hosted by the University of Liverpool since 2014.
University of Oxford collaborators from the Pandemic Sciences Institute and the Department of Statistics will keep contributing actively to the new iteration of the HPRU EZI – including through DPhil studentships, patient and public engagement and involvement, and work on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
Professor Christl Donnelly CBE, PSI Investigator and Head of the Department of Statistics, said: “Non-pharmaceutical interventions will be a focus going forward to provide a robust evidence base on the ethics and social acceptability of NPIs as well as their potential to safeguard public health. We are able to take an interdisciplinary approach by bringing together medical, behavioural and quantitative scientists.”
Dr Ashleigh Cheyne, Public Engagement Officer for the ERGO group at PSI and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Lead for the HPRU EZI, said: “PPIE has been central to the research programme of the HPRU EZI.
Over the past five years we have built a culture of integrating the voices of patients and the public across the unit’s strategy, governance, academic training programme and research. We will continue to focus on developing PPIE support for both academics and public contributors, reshaping our approach to further champion inclusivity in research.”
Professor Tom Solomon CBE, Director of the HPRU EZI, said: “The vision of our new unit is for the UK to be better prepared for emerging and zoonotic infections, especially of pandemic potential.
“We will achieve this through four overarching aims: Conduct the highest quality research to help the UKHSA protect us from emerging infections. Engage and involve patients and the public, especially marginalised communities, to address health inequalities. Train the next generation of researchers to address emerging infections. Collaborate widely to ensure the maximum value and highest impact of our work, saving lives and livelihoods.”
A total of 13 new HPRUs were announced recently by NIHR, as part of a £80 million research investment to keep the public safe from current and emerging public health threats. The HPRUs, which are all partnerships between top universities and UKHSA, will launch in April 2025 and run for five years.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention Andrew Gwynne said:
“This vital research funding will help ensure that the government’s readiness to respond to these health threats is fit for the future.
“From pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance to air pollution and climate change, these research units will look at long-term and emerging health threats - bolstering the nation’s health security research infrastructure.
“One of the three core shifts in our 10-Year Health Plan is from treatment to prevention, and protecting public health is essential to this.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR, said:
“In the 10 years since the Health Protection Research Units scheme first launched, the NIHR has delivered significant research to aid the government as it seeks to protect the public from heath threats. Working alongside the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), this new investment will build on this legacy and advance high-quality research on key issues from climate change and antimicrobial resistance to future pandemics.”
Dr Carolina Arevalo, Deputy Director for Research, Evidence and Knowledge at the UK Health Security Agency, said:
“It’s fantastic to see this investment in health protection science, supporting our ability to protect our communities from infectious diseases and the impact of chemical, radiological and other environmental health hazards. The Health Protection Research Units bring together expertise from academia and UKHSA to generate the evidence which enhances our ability to protect the public from health threats we are facing now and in the future.”