New industry partner joins Our Future Health
This Industry Member partnership follows on from our Founding Industry Member phase, which together has brought an industry investment in Our Future Health of over £160 million, exceeding the target set by UK Research and Innovation, the UK Government-funded body that invests in science and research. This demonstrates a significant collaboration between Our Future Health and the life sciences sector, which is essential to deliver a programme of this scale.
Novartis has a history of making positive contributions towards the NHS, through innovative treatments, novel partnerships and joint working programmes aimed at improving access and outcomes for UK patients.
A collaboration between the public sector, charities and companies
Novartis is the first in a new round of Industry Members. As well as investing in the research programme, these partners are also contributing their expertise in discovering and developing new methods of prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases and health conditions.
We are also working with a number of leading health research charities that are providing valuable experience and support.
The UK’s largest health research programme
Our Future Health currently has over a million volunteers and is continuing to invite members of the UK public to join the programme in a phased region-by-region roll-out, with a goal to eventually welcome up to 5 million volunteers over the next few years.
Researchers from across the entire life sciences community, including academia, industry and the NHS, will be able to apply to study Our Future Health resources for their crucial research to accelerate the discovery and development of innovative diagnostics and treatments. Volunteers’ data will be de-identified and held in ‘trusted research environments’ that meet strict security criteria and an access board, including independent experts and members of the public, will ensure Our Future Health resources are only used for health research in the public interest.
Dr Raghib Ali OBE, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health, said: “Our Future Health has been established to help people live longer, healthier lives through research into new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease. Collaboration and support from Novartis will help us to achieve that mission. We’re very grateful for all the engagement and support we have received from multiple sectors, including the life sciences industry, the NHS and medical charities which will ultimately enable patients to benefit from our groundbreaking research.”
Gerrit Zijlstra, Country Medical Head and Chief Medical Officer for Novartis UK and Ireland, said: “Partnering with Our Future Health, the UK’s largest ever health research programme, allows us to bring our expertise and knowledge into a world-leading scientific resource. To ensure the success of future research programmes, Novartis will continue to champion the case for improvements to the Government’s approach to life sciences. Whilst we welcome the recent positive investment announcements from the UK Government, strong words need to be translated to clear and sustained action to make the progress that’s needed for UK patients to benefit most.”
Taking part
Members of the public who are interested in taking part in Our Future Health can join on our website.
Learn more about our industry partnerships.