Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced a £157 million investment over five years across 10 Applied Research Collaborations (ARC). The NIHR ARC East of England has secured £15.3 million in funding, from April 2026 to March 2031, to continue delivering impactful applied research across the region and beyond.
The NIHR ARC East of England is hosted by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, working in partnership with five regional universities (Anglia Ruskin University and the Universities of Cambridge, East Anglia, Essex and Hertfordshire), Health Innovation East, NHS Trusts, Integrated Care Systems, local authorities, patient‑led organisations, charities and industry partners to deliver research that improves outcomes, experiences and access to care.
In April 2026, the NIHR ARC East of England will launch our programme for the next five years with refreshed objectives and new priority areas across our research themes and workstreams, ensuring that our research continues to meet the needs of communities and health and care services across the region. The new ARC will focus on utilising our partnerships to deliver research that tackles major health and care challenges, reduces inequalities among populations with the greatest need, and supports the translation of research evidence into real‑world practice.
The next iteration of ARC East of England will be led by Professor Stephen Morris of the University of Cambridge, who will take up the role of Director on 1 April 2026. Professor Wendy Wills, from the University of Hertfordshire, will step down from her position as Director on 31 March 2026.
Since our inception in 2019, ARC East of England has delivered impactful research across the region, building on earlier collaborative work that helped establish long‑lasting partnerships with researchers, communities, and health and care organisations. The recent £15.3 million investment from NIHR builds on the initial £9 million awarded in 2019, which enabled us to generate around £62 million in additional research funding and deliver more than 260 research projects between 2019 and 2025.
“The East of England has a large geographical footprint, encompassing diverse communities and services across urban, rural and coastal areas. As an ARC, we have worked to understand how best to meet these varied needs through high‑quality research that makes a real difference.
Professor Wendy Wills, Director of NIHR ARC East of England
“This has meant ensuring that patients and the public are actively involved in our research and in helping us train researchers. I have been proud to lead ARC East of England in its endeavours, and I am pleased to hand over the director role to Professor Morris, who will ensure the collaboration continues to benefit our region.”
Professor Wendy Wills, Director of NIHR ARC East of England
Following a six-month-long consultation with Integrated Care Boards, patients and the public, service providers and academics, we have refined our five research themes to ensure they align with both current and emerging national health and care priority areas for people across the life course. The NIHR ARC East of England research themes will focus on:
- Measurement in Health and Social Care – led by Dr Adam Wagner (University of East Anglia) and co-led by Dr Joanna Reid (University of Cambridge)
- Mental Health and Wellbeing – led by Professor Kristy Sanderson (University of East Anglia) and co-led by Dr Emma Kaminskiy (Anglia Ruskin University)
- Palliative and End-of-Life Care – led by Professor Morag Farquhar (University of East Anglia) and co-led by Dr Ben Bowers (University of Cambridge)
- Prevention and Early Detection in Health and Social Care – led by Dr Claire Thompson (University of Hertfordshire) and co-led by Dr Angus Holford (University of Essex)
- Social Care, Ageing and Dementia – led by Professor Kathryn Almack (University of Hertfordshire) and co-led by Dr Tamara Backhouse (University of East Anglia)
Our themes will be underpinned by key principles that will equip our researchers with the knowledge and support needed to maximise the impact of their work. Drawing on the learning from the previous ARC’s Inclusive Involvement in Research theme, we will strengthen our long‑term partnerships with communities and organisations, with a particular focus on improving engagement with under-represented groups. In addition, our work will support the national scaling and adoption of our findings.
We will expand our research development programmes for researchers and research‑active health and care professionals. This includes the continued delivery of our flagship ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowship programme, which has already trained more than 170 health and care staff in research skills and methodologies to embed in their roles and organisations. The workstreams will include:
- Knowledge Mobilisation and Implementation for Impact – co-led by Dr Danielle Tucker (University of Essex) and co-led by Dr Sarah Robinson (Health Innovation East)
- Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation – led by Dr Bryony Porter-Harmer (NIHR ARC East of England)
- Research Capacity Development – co-led by Dr Naoko Kishita (University of East Anglia)
- Research Inclusion – led by Dr Elspeth Mathie (University of Hertfordshire)
“It is an honour to lead the NIHR ARC East of England into its next phase. Our work is most powerful when it is rooted in partnership with patients, the public, practitioners and researchers across the region.
Professor Stephen Morris, current Deputy Director and future Director of NIHR ARC East of England
“This new funding allows us to build on strong foundations and ensure that the research we deliver genuinely responds to the priorities of our communities and improves lives across health and social care.”
Professor Stephen Morris, current Deputy Director and future Director of NIHR ARC East of England
To mark the launch of the next iteration of ARC East of England, we will host be hosting a launch event, Looking Forward: Shaping the Future of Health and Care Applied Research, on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at the Maltings in Ely (CB7 4BB). This event marks the start of our next five years and is a key opportunity to share our vision, showcase innovative projects, and discuss how we work together to deliver impact across health and care sectors.