The Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Chris McDonald MP, has launched a new £12.2m health technology hub that brings together Durham and Sunderland universities, businesses, and public services.
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Partnership Hub will support the Northern Opthalmic Research and Innovation (NORI) Institute, using eye imaging and health data to understand how diseases develop over time.
A major £9.1 million investment from UKRI, along with £3.1m from other partners, will put North East England at the forefront of disease detection and prevention.
The Hub will be based at the University of Sunderland. Our role will include providing secure computer systems and expert analysis to enable researchers to safely study large sets of health data and turn findings into practical improvements in care.
Professor Camila Caiado, from our Department of Mathematical Sciences, will serve as a Hub Co-Director.
“This project has the potential to make significant improvements to people’s health, both locally and nationally. By working together, we are combining our strengths with those of our partners to achieve more than we could alone.”
The EPSRC NORI Hub demonstrates the power of partnership between Durham and Sunderland universities, bringing together interdisciplinary research and with industry and NHS partners. NORI will become a powerful asset for North East England, connecting world-class researchers with real-world challenges and helping ideas move from discovery to application and improving health outcomes for our local communities. At a time when the UK needs ambitious, place-based research and innovation partnerships, this Hub shows how universities can come together to improve lives and stimulate economic growth.
The NORI Institute is one of five research and partnership hubs across the UK announced by UKRI, totalling investment worth more than £52 million. The others will be in Exeter (focusing on brain health), London (focusing on brain injury), London (focusing on cardiovascular disease), and Southampton (focusing on respiratory infection).
Top image shows Science Minister Chris McDonald MP at Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital. Credit: University of Sunderland.
Professor Mike Shipman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost (third right), and Professor Camila Caiado (second right), with Science Minister Chris McDonald MP (fifth left) and colleagues at Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital. Credit: University of Sunderland.
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