The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM) was awarded in October 2019, followed by the NIHR and NHS England/Improvement designation of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) in April 2020.  We would like to invite you to celebrate these achievements in a virtual event.

The NIHR is the nation’s largest funder of health and care research and provides the people, facilities and technology that enables research to thrive. NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems. The NIHR ARC Greater Manchester (GM) is one of 15 ARCs across England, part of a £135 million, over five years, of investment by the NIHR to improve the health and care of patients and the public, with applied research focussed on Healthy Ageing; Organising Care; Economic Sustainability; Digital Health, Mental Health, Evaluation and Implementation Science.

Manchester is one of only eight academic health science centres in England, and one of only two in the North of England, designated to research new treatments, improve health education and transform patient care. Our goal is to make new scientific discoveries and shorten the time to turn them into effective treatments to deliver benefits for patients locally and around the world. MAHSC’s six research domains are focused on addressing the greatest population health needs and harnessing our research excellence – cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation and repair, women and children, mental health and neuroscience.

Greater Manchester is unique in being the only ARC which sits within its local Academic Health Science Network – Health Innovation Manchester, bringing the NIHR ARC-GM under the same umbrella as the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC).

Health Innovation Manchester has a pivotal role in realising Greater Manchester’s ambition to be one of the best places in the world to grow up, get on and grow old. As an academic health science and innovation system, we bring together the expertise of our Universities, NHS, social care and industry partners. We harness these assets to drive innovation across Greater Manchester to improve the standards and capability of the entire health and care system.

The event will be a chance for attendees to find out about:

• MAHSC’s and NIHR ARC-GM’s aims and activities.
• The role of MAHSC and NIHR ARC-GM within Health Innovation Manchester.
• The successes of key research projects previously supported by MAHSC and NIHR ARC-GM.
• Networking and collaboration opportunities for research across Greater Manchester.

You are invited to attend the celebration event on 25  February 2020 at 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the Greater Manchester health, social care and academic landscape. Whilst we welcome public and patients at this event, please note we are planning to hold a series of public-facing talks within the coming months. We are also looking to formally launch both of these at an in person event as soon as it is safe to do so.

The agenda will be split into two sessions: in the first hour there will be an overview of the key research focuses for both MAHSC and NIHR ARC-GM, including their approach to public and community involvement and engagement (PCIE).

The second hour will focus the impact and future of MAHSC, ARC-GM, and Health Innovation Manchester as part of an integrated academic health science and innovation system.

AGENDA

13.00 – 13.05 Welcome address

Graham Lord

Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester

Executive Director, MAHSC

SESSION 1  

13.05 – 13.15 Health Innovation Manchester: system and context

13.15 – 13.25 MAHSC: Introduction and achievements

Peter Clayton

Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester

Chief Academic Officer, Health Innovation Manchester

Clinical Director, MAHSC

13.25 – 13.35 What is applied health research? Introduction to NIHR ARC-GM

Dame Nicky Cullum

Professor of Nursing, The University of Manchester

Director, ARC-GM

13.35 – 13.45 Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation across MAHSC and ARC-GM 

Caroline Sanders

Professor of Medical Sociology, The University of Manchester

PCIE lead, MAHSC and ARC-GM

13.45 – 13.55 Q&A panel chaired by Graham Lord

13.55 – 14.05 Break 

SESSION 2 

14.05 – 14.10 Welcome back

14.10 – 14.30 Case studies

1. Research Rapid Response during Covid-19

Ian Bruce

Professor of Rheumatology, The University of Manchester

Research and Education Director, Health Innovation Manchester

Director, Manchester BRC

2. The sustainability of the health and care system post-Covid: Budgets and community action

Jonathan Stokes

Research Fellow in Health Economics, The University of Manchester

ARC-GM

Luke Munford

Lecturer in Health Economics, The University of Manchester

ARC-GM

14.30 – 14.40 Q&A

14.40 – 14.45 Closing remarks by Graham Lord

NB – Zoom details will be shared via email closer to the event.