Pioneering data research centres to enable cutting-edge research and innovation to benefit UK patients

The University of Birmingham will play a key role in new data hubs that will enable cutting-edge research for health discoveries and aim to give patients across the UK faster access to pioneering new treatments. Led by Health Data Research UK , the hubs aim to improve the lives of people with debilitating conditions, and will link up different types of health data and make it more easily accessible and user-friendly for research, while maintaining strict controls around data privacy and consent. The potential benefits to patients include earlier diagnosis, the development of more effective treatments, and more efficient management of the health service - all of which have the potential to improve outcomes and help patients enjoy longer and healthier lives. Patients, researchers and clinicians will work together to explore the safe and ethical use of health data for research into specific diseases. They will also enable access to data for trialling new treatments and support improvements in clinical care. Patients will be involved in decisions about how their data is used to ensure the benefits are returned to the NHS and the wider UK community, and existing rules for accessing data safely and securely will continue to apply. Of the seven new hubs being introduced nationally, two will be led by University of Birmingham experts.