SUPPORTING INDUSTRY TO WORK WITH NHS / UNIVERSITY
PARTNERSHIPS IN LANCASHIRE AND CUMBRIA
Six reasons why the Health Industry can benefit from working with the University and NHS
sector in Lancashire and Cumbria:
1. Lancaster University, a top 10 UK University, has made a major strategic investment
in Health and Medicine, including the establishment of the Faculty of Health &
Medicine and the Lancaster Medical School. This has led to significantly increased
NHS / University collaboration in research, teaching and knowledge exchange.
2. Following substantial investment from the National Institute for Health Research
(NIHR), there has been a rapid growth in clinical research activity, capability and
infrastructure across the entire NHS sector in Lancashire & Cumbria (population
1.9m).
With NIHR support, recruitment to high quality academic and commercial studies
has increased more than 12-fold since 2008. We have achieved a national reputation
for innovative approaches and for successful delivery to time and target of clinical
trials and other types of clinical research.
All local NHS Trusts and organisations accord high strategic priority to R&D, and have
implemented the NIHR national template for costing commercial studies and for
managing the financial flow arising from this.
3. Enhanced NHS / University collaboration has led to the establishment of the
Lancashire and Cumbria Clinical Research Hub as a new strategic partnership, and to
the establishment of purpose-designed facilities for clinical research within the Hub
partner NHS Trusts.
These, and other, major initiatives are enabling the emergence of a coherent and
comprehensive platform for academic health science across this area.
4. Over the past decade, Lancaster University has built a very strong national
reputation for its knowledge exchange with Industry, and has achieved particular
success in working with SME’s and leveraging EU and regional funding to support this
activity. Our established networks and collaborations offer opportunities for
international as well as national partnerships.
There is a considerable record of local NHS / University experience and achievement
in working successfully with Industry in the context of scientific collaboration and
research, delivery of clinical trials and evaluations of treatments and devices, and
professional training and development for the biomedical sector.
5. Lancaster University has established a co-ordinated, cross-university approach for
working with external public and private sector organisations in the context of
Health. This offers the opportunity for external organisations to readily identify,
access and work with relevant expertise, skills and facilities across the university
irrespective of their Faculty location.
Examples of such areas include ICT-technologies within InfoLab21, environmental
assessment and monitoring expertise within Lancaster Environment Centre, rapid
manufacturing capability within Lancaster Product Development Unit, and business
expertise within the Lancaster Management School.
This unifying approach has also led to the identification and development of an
agreed statement of University core values in knowledge exchange (see below).
6. Taken together, these developments offer an invaluable opportunity for Industry to
benefit from working in a strategic and co-ordinated manner, at either individual or
organisational level, with a range of high-level skills and expertise in the University
and NHS according to need. For the first time, working in Lancashire and Cumbria
now offers Industry the unique prospect of:

Linking with Lancaster University for scientific consultancy and collaboration
in research, access to technical skills and technology platforms, access to
established programmes for work-based learning and staff development, and
support for business development.

Linking with the NHS for clinical consultancy and collaboration, and the
design, development and evaluation of prototypes and products.

Linking with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) and local Specialty
Groups for input, guidance and support in delivering clinical trials.

Developing longer term partnerships and relationships with local
organisations and networks to support joint planning and the emergence of
joint strategic initiatives.
A STATEMENT OF LANCASTER UNIVERSITY’S SHARED VALUES IN WORKING
WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS
Our values are reflected in our core goals and activities:
 Advancing knowledge exchange across and outwith the University to
ensure that our excellence in teaching and research drives societal and
economic benefit
 Building long-term, mutually-valued partnerships and relationships with
public, private and third sector organisations, large and small.
 Cherishing our origins and roots within local and regional communities,
and ensuring that they benefit from Lancaster as a world class University
 Exploiting the power of making connections, talking across disciplines,
and opening new pathways to solutions.